“I think all women in Hollywood are known as sex symbols. That’s what our purpose is in this business. You’re merchandised, you’re a product. You’re sold and it’s based on sex. But that’s okay. I think women should be empowered by that, not degraded.”

Having secured my Indian actors, I started for Baltimore, where I organized my combination, and which was the largest troupe I had yet had on the road.

It’s a political and manipulative industry. Actors vie for the same roles, movies are snatched away. Have I ever been manipulated? Yes. But I haven’t manipulated anyone because if you think from the heart, you cannot be calculative. I have spent nights crying.

I can’t stand on the roadside and have Pani Puri like before. But, at the same time, being an actor makes you feel special. People look up to you, want to know more about you, and shower you with so much love without even knowing you personally. It’s overwhelming.

Frankly I’ve never really subscribed to these adjectives tagging me as an ‘icon’, ‘superstar’, etc. I’ve always thought of myself as an actor doing his job to the best of his ability.

I do believe that an actor, who is self aware, will never do a film that is not an extension of his personality.

It is a common perception that actors don’t get along.

Categorisation of actors has become outdated now.

The best part about being a superstar is that you can wear the most outrageous of clothes and they say ‘it’s in!’