“I am a bad boy. I don’t come across clearly to a lot of people, so I am bad for them.”

I have never been 100% confident that I am right about anything.

My thought process is in Malayalam. So, every time I have to work outside Malayalam, the process is a little stressful. I have to translate my Malayalam thoughts into English and back to Tamil.

I believe that anyone with a bit of guidance can act.

Most of the films that I do help me learn something.

I’ve always wanted to do a role based on a real-life person.

I will continue to do films that excite me.

I like to laugh and to make people laugh.

When I choose the scripts, all I look forward to is an impressive narration.

The only thing my famous last name got me was a foothold in the industry. That was the easy part. The biggest problem is survival. As Fazil’s son, I am expected to know everything – acting, dancing, horse riding… I am not trained in all these, and I don’t think I ever will be.

Every character, when it comes to a cinematic representation, gets complicated and layered. You are given a lot of dimensions than a single dimension to an individual. That’s the main difference between seeing something out of the window and seeing something on screen.

I have grown up seeing success and failure.

Failure is part and parcel of the process of experimenting with roles and films.

For me, ‘Diamond Necklace’ is a commercial attempt, as it has songs and glamour.

People expect star kids to be perfect – horse-riding, fighting.

The five directors in ‘5 Sundarikal’ experimented, and it was a very personal exercise. Amal, Anwar, Aashiq, and Sameer have done things that they have never done before. Debutant Shyju has also made a beautiful film.

I would like to look funny on screen, doing comedy.

I actually have OCD really bad, and it’s getting a bit worse at the moment. I have to check taps before I leave the house, to make sure I’ve checked everything in case it floods.

Most days are not overwhelmingly successful in your life. And what really marks whether you’re going to be successful is how well you deal with the bad days, not how well you deal with the good ones.

Middle class America is acutely aware of how bad this economy is, and it is going to demand changes. I don’t think politicians can afford to be complacent.

When he tells you he’s a bad man, believe him.

I don’t want to have a bad influence on anybody, but there’s no point in my giving up cigarettes now. I won’t die young.

If we have to have a choice between being dead and pitied, and being alive with a bad image, we’d rather be alive and have the bad image.

Do not feel bad about your mistakes or those of others. Love them! Remember that one: they are to be expected; two: they’re the first and most essential part of the learning process; and three: feeling bad about them will prevent you from getting better.

I’m willing to throw my body in front of the bus to stop bad ideas.