Mumbai, May 25 (IANS): Working with Bollywood stars is like winning a trophy, says newcomer Ali Fazal and adds that a role with the likes of Aamir Khan or Shah Rukh Khan is what newcomers crave for.

And he was lucky to get the opportunity - after playing a small role of Joy Lobo in Aamir Khan starrer "3 Idiots", he is doing a pivotal role in SRK's home production "Always Kabhi Kabhi".

"To me, Aamir, Shar Rukh, Salman Khan are like trophies at the end of the race. We all are running to reach to them," Ali, who doesn't like comparing the two superstars, told IANS.

"It's wrong to compare. I worked with them in different scenarios. Aamir Khan was in the film I was doing and Shah Rukh Khan is the producer of my film. As a producer, he played a brilliant role. He's a thorough gentleman," said the actor who shakes a leg with SRK in a song in "Always Kabhi Kabhi".

"The little time we shot with him, we found him very professional. He made us feel like buddies. It takes three days to finish one song, he just took one day. He learnt the dance steps in one hour and he was ready," he added.

"Always Kabhi Kabhi" happened before "3 Idiots" released, says Ali.

"I signed this movie before '3 Idiots' was released. When I started working in this movie '3 Idiots' was in it post-production," said the actor, who is an engineering student and says playing a school boy was tough.

"For me, playing an older character is easier than playing a younger one. It's very hard because there is a very thin line between the age group of 18, 20 or 23-year-old.

"You have seen Joy Lobo and if you see Sam, the character I play here, he is a very fun loving boy. But again he is a schoolboy and in tense moments it's a very different how an 18-year-old would react or cry. You will see the difference from what I did in '3 Idiots'. It was definitely tough."

Apart from Ali, "Always Kabhi Kabhi" will launch two new faces - Zoa Morani and Satyajeet Dubey. This is television host and radio jockey Roshan Abbas's directorial debut. "Love Aaj Kal" fame Giselle Monteiro also stars in it.

Set in a school, "Always Kabhi Kabhi" is about four youngsters trying to compete with pressure of growing up and many firsts that everyone experiences in high school.

Playing a lead role was much of a responsibility for Ali who discovered his acting talent during school days. He was a basketball player but after an accident, he shifted to theatre.

"When I started doing plays, I found a new side of me. Then I started exploring more about it. Every time I would do it, something new would come out. I did this role," said the Doon School alumnus.

Ali feels that for any film, script is important. "Half of the job is done when you have a good story. Follow your punctuation marks and half of your acting is done."