Success is just around the corner, but I don't want to rush into anything.
I had travelled to a lot of cities in Europe before, but Prague was special. It held a mysterious attraction for me for during the time I was there.
My role in 'Slumdog Millionaire' was a cameo, but it did expose me to cinema and took me to Cannes. I then did 'Prague,' which was a very niche film.
As I look back and connect the dots, all I want to do is go back and hug my scared young self, who took a lot of steps out of impulse not knowing what will happen. So many nights of disappointment, so many others of being disillusioned where I would have just gone ahead and quit it all - I still do not know what kept me hanging in there.
Akshay Kumar is like a guru. He made a mark in the industry without any godfather. Akshay sir is a superstar only because of his hard work and talent.
'Slumdog' initiated a chain of events like going to Cannes and being invited to the Cairo Film Festival, which changed my perspective of cinema and of being an actor forever.
In 'Fugly,' I play a very middle-class guy with whom anyone can relate. At the same time, playing such characters is not as easy as it sounds.
I arrived thinking I had these amazing looks and body and that I would straight away land the lead in a Yash Chopra film. Those fancy ideas got quashed soon enough.
A good story needs equally good talent to foster it.
After joining theatre, I started thinking that acting in films was not half as challenging as theatre.
I think I was born to be an actor.
There have been a bunch of Indian films in English that found an audience.
It is all about playing a challenging role, and whether a film is a commercial one or not does not really matter.
When I didn't become the quintessential Yash Chopra hero, I got into the 'struggle' period and became negative.
As a true-blue Punjabi, I have learnt to tackle disappointments, especially since I have no godfather in the industry.
I've been a protected child, but I moved out for further studies when I was 16, and I have travelled quite a bit by myself.
Everybody in my family is very well educated. I'm probably the only one who is not a double post graduate.
Making independent films is liberating. It eliminates self-censorship, which mainstream films are infected with due to commercial priorities.
Some independent Indian films do so well at these festivals in Europe and in the United States that when they come back, India just cannot ignore them.
Labels are actually not to make us understand things better: they are actually to ostracise and discriminate that what does not belong to the majority.
