I lost my biological father when I was 9, I lost my stepfather at 23. Both men had such a deep impact in my understanding of life.

Failure at the box office of some of my earlier films led to a lack of opportunity to play main lead in good films.

I only want to be part of movies that I believe in and I have no regrets.

I have always wanted to make a movie, in fact I always wanted to direct someday. But I never thought I would be a producer.

When you are an actor you are a very small part of a very large scheme of things.

Working with a female director has great perks.

I am so glad to have found a sister in Sonam Nair. She makes work such a joy.

My personal style is classic. So a classic element will always find its way into everything I wear.

I get bored of training easily. I constantly need something to invigorate me, which will get me to hit the gym.

I have enough make-up to last me five lifetimes.

One doesn't have to be an activist and start a movement.

I feel that if you are a creative person, you choose various mediums to give vent to your ideas.

I cannot write a novel because I cannot work in continuity. My works are more abstract, may be, I will try short story writing.

Well, now I would like to kidnap Johnny Depp and yes, Ranbir Kapoor for sure.

I should thank my parents for my beauty. It's in my genes.

I love being in front of the camera but I love the fact that I have more control as a producer.

It takes a lot to be a part of a film and as an artist, I want to be a part of subjects that makes me feel happy and that's become a big priority for me.

Digital shows have played a big part in empowering female artists. I'm very lucky to be a part of such projects.

Theatrical experience will always be the norm in India. In fact, as a producer and as an actor, I always hope that the magnum opus theatrical experience should always continue.

I understand its fun to watch a web series up close to your chest is something else, but to see it on a bigger screen and to experience the emotions is magical.

I have grown up on a diet of sunrise picnics, learning the names of butterflies, planting trees.

I have never stored water in plastic bottles, always in glass, steel or copper bottles and containers. I even carry my own water to work, and refill bottles for drinking.

I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that plastic! So I switched to bamboo toothbrushes years ago.

It really doesn't matter whether it's an ensemble cast or it's a lead or what is perceived as a commercial or non-commercial or an offbeat film. None of that would matter, what really matters is the story and who's telling the story.

Nature is actually the greatest democracy in the world.

I want to go back to the '80s, wish India could go back to '80s, when life was simple.

It was extraordinary living in Mumbai, navigating my course, understanding how to manage my finances on my own, mapping out my daily expenses.

The Rolling Stones are so versatile, they're like the band version of that Infinite Dress they sell on QVC.

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of actually visiting the Playboy Mansion. I saw the peacocks, fed grapes to the monkeys, and even braved the fabled Grotto. After seeing the estate, I understood why anyone would be reluctant to leave.

I absolutely relate to being alone in squalor, trying to come up with something adequate. I relate to that, and I've been known to crawl out of bed and drink out of a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke.

I don't think I ever got the hang of the writers' room. I love collaborating with people, but I really do my best work alone, and I think I would want to - if I did something again, I think I'd want to take total ownership the way Aaron Sorkin or David Kelley does.

I've been told that I'm incompetent, socially retarded, maladjusted. I still know that I couldn't function in reality. Los Angeles is a good place for me.

I'm glad that as a 33-year-old working mother, I can still choose to wear a Hello Kitty T-shirt or stay up late scrolling through the Twitter feed of my junior-high crush.

I feel like I'm part of a generation of people who are stuck in the past and are really self-absorbed. I mean, we're actually taking pictures of ourselves and posting them on Facebook, and keeping in touch with people that should have been out of our lives 15 years ago.

I really just love to open a blank document and spew, whereas with a screenplay I have to be more judicious.

I think sometimes people really require the satisfaction of closure.

To enjoy being famous, you need to have a screw loose.

People have always wanted to be recognized, and that's human nature. But people used to want to be recognized for their accomplishments, and now they simply want to be visible.

I can't write at night. For me, I'm programmed to believe that nighttime is for relaxation.

I wrote a screenplay for a 'Sweet Valley High' adaptation, and it's really amazing to me how many women who are my age have responded to the idea and are excited about the movie.

'Sweet Valley High' is fantastic, fabulous, a little bit campy, and - dare I say it - cinematic.

I always say when you write a book, you're a 'one-man band.' Whereas, when you finish a screenplay, it's just a sketch.

If being an attractive woman got you attention for directing, then the entire 'best director' category would be comprised of models. To me, that is just the most ludicrous connection that you could make.

I don't know why, but I've always been a sucker for roller coasters in movies.

I grew up in the Midwest; you don't know any screenwriters. It didn't seem like a realistic career possibility.

There's something about a roller coaster that triggers strong feelings, maybe because most of us associate them with childhood. They're inherently cinematic; the very shape of a coaster, all hills and valleys and sickening helices, evokes a human emotional response.

Speaking of Twitter, I don't even know if I composed a blog entry in 2009, as I was too busy parceling my every thought into cute 140-character sound bites. I used to only worry about being pithy for a living; now some of my best lines are wasted on a free app!

Put your blog out into the world and hope that your talent will speak for itself.

Ah, reality TV: where opportunists delight in exposing opportunism! It's kind of like the indie music scene.

I know white clothing is supposed to enhance that summer glow, but writers don't tan.