Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I started getting a lot of work once I came to Mumbai. I was working with some of the biggest ad filmmakers. But I had to give auditions.
I am a product of '90s movies. I grew up watching '90s films and wanted to become an actor because that was the phase of cinema I enjoyed.
Whether my film becomes commercially successful or not, only God can tell, or the box-office numbers. So why worry about it and get distracted?
Whether it was 'Gangs Of Wasseypur' or whether it's 'LSTCK,' the characters are real, and when you see them on screen, you can identify with them.
As an actor, I don't have an agenda. I don't have to prove a point; I am not a bastion of a particular brand of cinema. I am doing what makes me happy.
As a member of the audience, when you see someone from your country working in an international project, your curiosity about that film increases manifold.
No one likes it when their personal life is talked about, and I am no exception. But I guess it's the price an actor has to pay for being in the public eye.
I make it a point to pick films that tell you a story in an engaging way. I can't compromise on the content. The script has to be substantial and impactful.
If a woman comes out saying she has been abused or assaulted, we should not start finding flaws in her character or try to dig up her past for murky details.
I'm still in awe of Madhuri. I've grown up watching her movies, and to see her in a film like 'Dedh Ishqiya,' which is quite unlike her previous work, was wonderful.
I believe in equal pay for equal work. Gender, race, skin colour, or ethnicity should not be the parameters to hire someone or to decide how much they should be paid.
It is a challenge to work away from India and with a cast and crew from all over the world. But it's also very gratifying, and you learn so much by just being with them.
In 'Badlapur,' my character's name is Jhumli. It's a special film for me because I got a chance to work with my favourite director, Sriram Raghavan. I'm a huge fan of him.
I would like to say this for the record: that I am not trying to lose weight or gain weight. I am just trying to be the best version of myself, and that's really important.
I love experimenting with different kinds of workouts. It all depends on my mood and energy levels. Some days, it is a gruesome circuit; other days, it is weight training or Pilates.
Fashion bloggers will do their work; it's their job. So let them do it. I am not doing something to make them happy or to get friendly with them so that they write good stuff about me.
A lot of people have ridiculous misconceptions about diet and workout routines. It is not about exotic greens and workouts from the western world. It is about what works for you the best.
If you think that one should do a commercial picture because everyone is doing it and that one will become a big star after that, I think that if you don't have that grain in you, it will not happen.
'Gangs Of Wasseypur' had two parts and 200 actors. I didn't think it would be that successful and go to international festivals. These things just happen. You should just do films that you like doing.
For me, it's about the impact that the role has in the film overall. Less or more screen time, whether I get to romance the hero, is not the yardstick I go by. If my part is strong enough, then why not?
Honestly, I got a lot of offers which were similar to 'Badlapur,' and I didn't want that. Unfortunately, we live in a world which is so myopic that they only want to offer you what you have already done.
There are a lot of people out there who are just bullies. They constantly keep telling you that you are too fat, too thin, your teeth are not fine, you can't speak English really well, and you are too short, etc.
Everybody has to go through a struggle period, and I was no different. When I came to Mumbai from Delhi, I didn't know anybody, and all my relationships had to be built up from scratch, including my work relationships.
I'm here in this industry to work. I respect the work of others equally. There's no sense of insecurity, but definitely, when you see others doing well, you also want to give your best in whatever opportunities you have.
I have been told too much - to talk less, to keep my opinions to myself, to not sound intelligent - all this was told to me so that I could fit in. But I never thought I fit in anyway. So if you don't fit in, at least stand out.
I remember, during an ad shoot, Anurag said to me that you are doing my film, and I was wondering do we really get films so easily. I thought you have to struggle and all. But he kept his word and offered me 'Gangs Of Wasseypur.'
Not all are starting from the same line; however, the finishing line is certainly the same. We all have to show how much money our films make or how many awards we win or what critical acclaim and commercial success our films have.
There are a lot of people out there who will try to take advantage of you or are predators in a certain way. Women must stand up and speak out about it. Also, anybody who says that they have been wronged should be supported in every possible manner.
Indian actors are afraid to go and work abroad because people are very professional over there. In India, we have become very lazy. Everything happens slowly, and as per God's will. A 9 A.M. call time means we start working at whatever time we wish.
In India and elsewhere in the world, the moment a woman speaks out against harassment, people sort of start making all sorts of character judgments about her, about her morality, about what she was wearing, and all such things, and I think that is not fair.
If a woman is saying something out loud, she is asking for help, and you have no business to character assassinating her. You have to reach out to her and help her and protect her, and I think we need to protect our women, and we need to protect our children.
Oh yes, my best birthday gift was when my dad gifted me my first car in college. It was a Maruti Swift. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. It was so much fun, as I could completely show it off to my friends that I have my own car now and not my dad's car.
A lot of issues that we have in the world today rise from the fact that we do not know enough about each other's cultures, that we don't respect each other's origins and there is so much negativity and strife around because we don't know where the other person is coming from.
As a woman, absolutely, I have had to deal with people making advances at me, but not just people from the business of film industry but people across different professions and different strata. I think it has a lot to do with power; it is not only limited to the film business.