“As an actor, you think you know your craft, you know the conflicts in your character, but often you don’t.”

Practical knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work is much better. Theoretical knowledge is important, but I think practical knowledge works better.

When I was in the eighth standard, I would dance to ‘Suraj hua madham.’ I have to achieve many things before I become even the ‘S’ of SRK.

TV helped me understand camera angles, close-ups, master shots.

What keeps me going are my learnings, which I would rather call my ‘experience,’ and my urge to explore.

I have made a lot of mistakes, but I am proud of them all.

What people think of me doesn’t affect me. As bizarre as it sounds, I don’t have a Google alert on my phone; I don’t read newspapers, and I don’t watch television. If something important happens, I will get to know about it.

I realised quite early that by the time I articulate my thoughts into words, I’m on to another thought. And what comes out wasn’t what I thought of exactly. So not talking was a better option.

I left everything I had to become an actor. So, I better be excited, or otherwise, there is no point in doing all this. Else I would end up being disappointed with whatever I achieve.

Since I think I am very boring in normal life, I tend to hide behind all these exciting characters, making people believe that I am someone else entirely. That feeling is very powerful.

People assume that actors working in films won’t have the time to do theatre. But I make sure that whenever I’m free, I watch a play.

I read the script. If I like it, I would do anything I am asked to.

I never think about what people will think when they watch me on screen.

I am not bothered with whether my characters are conventional or not. Because I am not in this for the designer labels and the autographs.

I think people generally are lost, as they keep thinking about what is going to happen and what they have done. They are not alive anymore. The art of listening is missing. In their head, they are doing something else.

We should never forget the inevitable, as we will lose everything eventually. So, why fret over any kind of security? The idea is to just fly and experience it all while it lasts.

I am learning the importance of living in the moment.

Most of the top actors and actresses may be working in ten or twelve films at the same time, so they will give one director two hours and maybe shoot in Bombay in the morning and Madras in the evening. It happens.

I’m never certain of a performance – my own or the other actors’ – or the script or anything. But to me it seems there’s only one place in the world the camera can be, and the decision usually comes immediately.

Acting is collaborative because you are working with another actor, and it’s almost like a two-man juggling team. You have to really be in sync.

Indian actors, because of the format of our stories, need to be good actors, and be able to perform emotional sequences, do a bit of comedy, dance and singing, action, because all of this forms just one film. In many ways I’d say there are greater demands on Indian actors than there are on Hollywood.

Comedy is difficult for an actor. But I think I have a good sense of humor and manage to make people laugh and make them happy.

Paris is the playwright’s delight. New York is the home of directors. London, however, is the actor’s city, the only one in the world. In London, actors are given their head.

There’s a personal me, there’s an actor me and there’s a star me.

It’s the failure of my debut film which made me an actor, which made me want to succeed in the industry. But that doesn’t mean I regret whatever choices I’ve made over the years. No, not even ‘Kaiyethum Doorathu!’