When I first dreamt of becoming a movie star, I wanted to be a Gary Cooper: I wanted to be rich and famous, living in palaces and wearing dark glasses and white suits.

Acting is learnt, not taught.

Actors have to learn that they are as important to a movie as the camera is, as important as the sound is, and less important than the script is.

I think our cinema has stayed in its adolescent stage largely because of our obsession with and our dependence upon stars to make our movies. The stars, being only too human, realise that this is the case, and so they milk it for whatever it's worth, and who can blame them?

Being good or evil has nothing to do with religion.

If I criticize my country, it is indeed very painful for me. It doesn't make me happy. But, if I see something wrong, it becomes my duty to speak up.

It is always a pleasure to be directed by an actor because they know the scene from the actor's perspective, too. That's an advantage.

No actor can give his best performance without the help of the director.

It would be impossible to find an actor to portray Om Puri, so I wouldn't even attempt it.

I don't look at my work as an avenue for generating more work. For me, my work itself is sufficient.

I don't take reviews seriously. I don't even read them. Who is this person blasting forth his opinion? What's his worth, and how different is he from any man on the street?

In theatre, there is a unique feeling of everyone working as a team, which you never get in films.

I am never comfortable working with stars.

My agent wanted me to audition for Dumbledore's character after Richard Harris died. I was asked if I would like to audition for it. But I wouldn't audition for it.

I am totally for first timers. I always hear them seriously. I have done so many films with first timers, and I've never regretted it.

People should know what the India of 2018 was like. They shouldn't end up seeing only Salman Khan films 200 years later. India is not like that.

I feel that cinema can't change society or bring a revolution. I'm also not sure of cinema as a medium of education. Documentaries can be educative, not feature films.

The only serious function films can serve is to act as a record of their times.

Film industry people don't read books.

When my brother came home from NDA (National Defence Academy), I felt, 'Wow, I should like to wear that uniform.' But I didn't want to join the army.

Don't opt for acting as an escape from education.

I don't think cinema has the power to change anybody's life.

I am hard put to think of a single positive thing that commercial Hindi cinema has achieved.

I have had enough of an interesting life to not embellish it in any way.