"He is just so brilliantly organised. Every step, every little thing is so meticulously detailed.

"After working with him, I felt, 'What was I doing all these days? Nothing! This is the real thing, this is fantastic!'

"I told him that I've become an absolute fan of his. You are just the best. And I'll go around telling everyone how good you are."

Kapoor has just returned from a shoot of Mathan's yet untitled film in Pune. The film also stars Ajay Devgan and Bipasha Basu.

What is also exciting the man many claim is the next Shahrukh Khan is a simple thing - designer Manish Malhotra making men's clothes.

"I'm thrilled that Manish is finally doing something for men," smiled Kapoor at Delhi's Kimaya fashion store, where Malhotra stocks. Kareena Kapoor is a great fan of Malhotra and almost never wears anything that is not made by the designer.

"All this time, only the women could sport Manish Malhotra but with his latest line of caftans for men, there's hope for us too."

Next up for Kapoor is "Milenge, Milenge", a romantic comedy by director Satish Kaushik, opposite real life heartthrob Kareena Kapoor.

"Satish Kaushik understands comedy better than almost anybody in the industry. He is just very good with the genre and I wanted to play the sort of funny, romantic role he had in mind for the film.

"It all just clicked brilliantly."

He said that at the moment he wanted to concentrate on his career than in endless speculation about his relationship with Kareena Kapoor.

"The media can keep drawing connections, that's what it does best - draw connections," grinned Kapoor, in thick-rimmed black spectacles, red check shirt and jeans.

"She is very special in my life and I get along fantastically with her - there's no denying that. But now both of us are terribly busy trying to manage a career."

Kapoor said that a slow but steady change was underway in the film industry where new experimental films are being made.

"I'm all for experiment, I want to challenge all the limits to what I can play. Beyond a point, there must be something challenging for an actor to do.

"That's why I'm very excited about the way the industry is headed. More and more people are breaking barriers and norms. For a young actor like me it means doing things in a completely different manner.

"And that's a great thrill."