Preparing for roles sounds so academic, doesn't it? It feels as if you are preparing for an examination! In a creative medium, the preparation is of an entirely different kind, and for me, the ideas flow from the script itself.

I was born in Kerala, where my maternal grandparents lived, and stayed there till the age of one, after which I came to Maharashtra to live with my parents and moved all around the state with my father, who worked as a superintendent in an ordnance factory.

I don't have the expertise in that department, I seriously lack the skill to market myself.

We are a jingoistic nation - whether it is politics or films or whatever. We can posthumously shower praises and accolades on people, but when they are alive, we don't bother about them. A classic case is Om Puri.

Cinema is not about wearing 'bikni' and showing 'six packs'... All these are secondary.

People often accuse me of being serious. Have I played serious roles in 'Honeymoon Travels' and 'Sankat City?' It is just that after the films were made, producers did not have money to bombard it all over the place.

I remember my first role as a sunflower at nine.

I get paid to act. I've never acted free for anybody and I'd rather be rewarded than awarded.

I don't analyze after I've done a film. So I have no dream role.

I had these false ambitions - marketing and MBA. I didn't do very badly at it, but I realised my calling was something else.

There's a need to create a space for different kind of films. Let all kind of films co-exist peacefully.

I can't really iterate what I look for in a script. It's a very subjective thing. Like an organic attachment you have with the script and characters.

See, our country has certain problems. Certain psychological problems. We are dynasty lovers. We love the fact that this guy comes from this family and we start giving them concessions.

I was constantly on stage in school, and even while I was pursuing my MBA, I knew that I wanted to eventually become an actor.

I feel the dams of emotions open up more easily when one is acting.

I've worked with a lot of people who have a lot of integrity towards cinema.

A simple love story can be made into an interesting film if the film-maker can think differently.

There are things apart from films that inspire me. I play a lot of sports and love it. It is the only field where you can't become a star without actual performance.

In real life, I don't cry too easily. I go numb.

I can't look at the mirror beyond two minutes. I don't know what to look at. What is the point of looking at yourself? You can't change your face.

For me, making time for God is like making time to fill my stomach - like the physical space in the stomach needs food, spiritual space in one's soul needs regular prayer.

You have got to dig deep into your own spectrum while playing a character. If I am playing evil, believe me, I am bringing out the evil from within me.

I have no issues if audiences don't like a film or a performance, and the film doesn't do well. My problem is when they say that the film was good and performances were excellent, but the film didn't run. I have a problem when that happens.

I thought running around trees is a gardener's job and not an actor's. However, if the script demands that I run around trees, well, you never know.