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At NSD, I had an amazing experience learning everything from stagecraft to western drama and Shakespeare, Maxim Gorky, Anton Chekov.
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.
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.
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.
At first, I was hesitant when it came to giving autographs, thinking that I am not even worth giving one. But slowly I got over that phase.
Muzaffarnagar is 40 kilometers from my village. So I used to see films if I was able to save money and on special occasions like Eid, Diwali.
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 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.
Commercial hit films such as 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan,' 'Talaash,' and 'Kick' had big superstars to sell them; that may not have been the case if it were just me.
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.
I have never thought about creating an image for myself in Bollywood. I am an actor and just want to experiment with roles. I am ready to do all type of roles.
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.
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.
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.
I have seen many teachers in real life, which come from the same background and morality and treat their profession like just another one rather than a noble profession.
'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.
Bollywood has always pampered heroes and treated actors as second class citizens. But, of late, it has realised that there has to be space for actors who can connect with people.
Like the way we get to know about the society of Korea, Iran, and other countries through their films, people will get to know about our country. Our films are a mirror of our society.
'Ali' is the story of a lower middle-class golfer who becomes a champion. I find the game very interesting and would like to continue playing it regularly after the movie is wrapped up.
I think there is no racism in this film industry. They are only in need of talent, though it takes time; but, if you are talented, you will get your due. I am thankful to be part of this industry.
In 'Haraamkhor,' I have explored a few things which I wouldn't have been able to do in bigger films. The process of shooting this film was so organic that it enhanced me as an actor and an artiste.
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.
My character in the first instalment of 'GOW' was very shy and reserved. It was completely different from 'Kahaani,' where I played a no-nonsense cop. And in the second instalment of 'GOW,' it is again very different.
It's not necessary that every film has to hit Rs 100 crore box office, or the Rs 50 crore budget. If the film makes double of its project budget, we consider that a hit, and that also means that the film is in profit.
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.
'Freaky Ali' is not a heavy film. It's a simple but inspiring film. It will inspire those who want to go from zero to hundred. People who have made an effort to achieve success from nothing will be able to connect to the character.
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.
I always thought golf was a game reserved for the rich and the elite... But it's a misconception. It's a highly technical game, and it's a game that you can play and master alone. You require sharp skills for it, and you can play the game alone.
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.
I was shooting for 'Kahaani' and 'GOW' back to back. I was in a village on work, where a man extended a paper to me. For a minute I thought he wanted another actor's autograph. I looked back and forth, but there was no one. That was quite an experience.
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.
Most people go to ashrams or retreats to destress and rejuvenate themselves. But I come back to my roots, the place where I spent half my life. And when I return, I spend time in the farms, eating a stalk of sugarcane, driving a tractor, and chilling with childhood friends.
I don't want to build any image for myself. I don't want people to say, 'He does only a certain type of role.' I don't want only to be the hero of the story. An actor's weakness is the different roles that he can't do. But I am keen to grab only those roles as I am here to challenge myself.
I found the brick-making process fascinating - how, after being burnt, the brick would come out strong. I liked to sit on the stack of bricks and look as far as I could. I'd do the same at a hillock near my school - just sit on top at leisure and enjoy the feeling of being on top of the world.
I grew fond of acting rather late. And that was because I was not getting any job. I had a few friends in Delhi who were associated with theater. They took me to see some plays in Delhi and Baroda. That led me to believe the I could also act. And it was after that I joined National School of Drama in 1993.
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.
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.