If you change nothing, nothing will change.
Everybody is replaceable; nobody is irreplaceable here. If I'm going to say no to it because I want to do two films a year and sit at home, someone else will.
People will invest in you only if they see some kind of return, and that's the dark truth.
A lot of preparation was needed to play the character of Omar Sheikh in Omerta. I watched a lot of documentaries and hate speeches to cultivate anger in me.
The process of playing a character as dark as Omar Saeed Sheikh is disturbing. So you have to mentally also be in that psyche, that state of mind. So, it was not easy. I was trying to cultivate a lot of anger and hatred in me while portraying him, because that's what I read and heard about him.
I take my work very seriously, but I don't take myself seriously.
Content is getting its due respect. Our audience wants to see characters on screen and want to see actors play new roles, adapt different body language.
The only thing that I know is that if I like a particular script, I want to be as honest to my character as possible. That's the only thing I can control. I have made a lot of decisions on an impulse, and I am going to continue that.
I think God made this very path for me, and he guided me all throughout. And my family has always been very supportive. It's not like one day I sat across the dinner table and told them I want to be an actor. It didn't happen like that.
Filmmaking is teamwork.
I have immense respect for Nitesh sir and really admire his work. He's one of my closest friends in the industry, with whom I can have a heart-to-heart chat.
We are seeing how people we have looked up to and were inspired by in our work have suddenly just gone because there are such serious allegations against them. I really don't know why it is not happening here.
After finishing my study in Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), I was mentally prepared for the struggle in the film industry.
I want to work with Darren Aronofsky, Damien Chazelle, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and, of course, Majid Majidi.
I don't really think about the box office, but I want my films to do well.
I am very happy for the kind of response I am getting for my work, but there was a lot of hard work that has gone into it.
You have to voice your opinion, especially now, since the times we are living in, it is so easy.
When Raj and DK came and narrated me the script, the title was something else. But in conversation, I told them if we can name it 'Stree'. In a way, I was the one who decided the title. I found that one word very catchy.
There are times when I do feel very nervous when I start a film. And I feel very nervous before the release. I do get stuck in some scenes, but that's very natural and human. It happens to all the artistes in the world.
'Newton' is a very Indian film but resonates with people all across. And that's the reason it got great response at the film festivals.
