There is nothing called negative character. The negativity and positivity exists in all of us.

I love observing people. Each face tells so many stories. It lets me understand emotions, and that, in turn, helps me apply my skills as an actor.

My job is to work hard and be honest with my character, and that's in my control. I can only try to give my best performance.

I prefer if friends come over to my office and we talk our heart out over a cup of coffee. I feel that no one talks freely at industry bashes. Everyone has to behave in a certain way, and I think no one is real there. We can't have heart-to-heart conversations, and I start feeling uncomfortable at such dos.

Rituparno Ghosh is a legendary director, and I happen to be a huge fan of his.

I kind of discovered Kolkata when I was shooting here for 'Kahaani.' I found the city fascinating.

I am doing characters that have so many layers. And I am very lucky that I show a lot of variety.

I feel satisfied after achieving something difficult.

I was determined to be an actor and make a name in the industry, and hence, I did.

Behind every easy role, there is a lot of hard work that goes in.

Looks is a matter of perception. At Cannes, Europeans think I am good looking, while in India, I am not.

I am ably balancing big and small films. With every big film I do, I try to take up films that are high on content and small on budget.

The Indian audience is getting exposed to world cinema and realising the power of unique plots and distinct characters.

I can go back to poverty if a situation comes. I have sailed through the worst days of my life, and I am prepared for any crisis.

Back in 1993, I was studying in Delhi, and I had a girlfriend. I had never touched a girl before that in my entire life. One day, I decided to go out with her to a garden. We were sitting beside each other, and I just glanced around to see if anyone was looking at us, and I put my hand over hers. I thought love started in this way.

How long will we keep making films where hero-heroine is dancing around trees?

I have done theatre, and I enjoy the process of smaller films a lot more. When I do such films, there are certain things which I get to do which are untapped. The scenes give me the liberty to play and mould the character in accordance to the director's mindset.

I used to be the best comic actor in my batch. Everyone knew that my comic timing was impeccable.

I do big films just to experience personal satisfaction.

Background scores allow me an absolute flight of the imagination, and I travel in my mind's eye. I do not like the scores to have vocal notes, because they act as a limitation to these flights of fancy.

Prior to joining NSD, I was briefly associated with a small theater group in Delhi called Sakshi. Saurabh Shukla, Manoj Bapayee were my seniors in that group. I performed a few supporting roles in Sakshi plays.

When I had no money, I would find out which friend had work and money at that point in time and would go and stay with him for a week. All of us theatre guys did that.

There was electricity in our village only for 2-3 hours a day, so all my life, I studied under a lamp.

I am from a family of farmers from Budhana near Muzaffarnagar.

I don't want my work to be heavy. The challenge is to make it interesting and engaging, keeping in mind the need for method acting. This is what I have learnt from Bharat Muni's 'Natya Shastra' and from the Russian theatre legend Stanislavsky.

'Haraamkhor' is a low budget film. We are not worried about the box office because our film is already in profit. It's got a strong content that will reach people's heart.

My experience has offered me the sensibility that encourages me to try newer characters.

I was introduced to cinema by C-grade films that played in my village, Budhana, in UP. Only films by Dada Kondke, Mahendra Sandhu, and Kanti Shah were available.

If I am comfortable with my co-star, then that always shows in my performances.

My character should not be ordinary, cliched, and if I feel that it's difficult to do this character, I take up that challenge to get into his character.

I won't give the credit to 'good fortune.' Whatever I have achieved is because of my hard work and passion.

One should go to the line through the character. You should see their lifestyle in the way they speak.

In my head, I believed even though I am an actor, there was no need to dance. That's not me.

I would be happy if people just called me an actor.

For me, as an actor, there is no commercial or independent or art cinema. For me, it's a character that is given by the director. And it is a task for me that I have to fulfill it to the best of my ability regardless of the kind of film that it is.

If one line about the film excites me, I try to take it forward.

Coming from a small town, I didn't have big dreams. My biggest ambition was to find a job for myself.

I have seen people climbing up and down the ladder of success, and I learnt a lot from them.

You will never see me dancing around the trees, chasing a heroine; I will never do films, no matter what the budget, for the heck of it.

As far as Raman Raghav is concerned, he is ruthless.

I am very confident about my work because I have worked very hard.

I decided to be a part of 'Bajrangi'... because I felt that it tells a very relevant story.

I have fallen in love so many times. If one relationship ended, I would search for another girl. I was always madly in love with all the girls that I dated.

Kabir Khan is a director who goes out of his way to make his actors comfortable. He's very chilled out. He makes the environment on set very casual and friendly.

Kabir Khan is that rare director who manages to merge Bollywood formula with a good story.

I knew I would get offers to play the villain after 'Kick,' and I had already decided to reject all of them.

I don't want to take names, but there are some people who get everything served on a platter. This is a movie, this is your role, and you have to do it. Some people have to strive so hard to reach where they have and want to.

Before 'Raman Raghav 2.0,' I played a criminal in 'Badlapur.' Though the character was innocent, he was not correctly interpreted by some sections of the audience.

Even though I hated doing farming and wanted to just get out of the village, I would work from 5 in the morning till 5 in the evening.

It's very difficult switching over from one character to another.