I was born in a poor family, a lower middle class family. My father was a clerk in the forest department. I was very bad at studies. I was not very good at sports, also.
I cannot take away the fact I am a small-town boy from India, from a lower-middle class family, and was actually standing in front of De Niro - not on an equal level, but as an actor, on the same pedestal.
I would like congratulate everyone who was a part of 'Life of Pi.'
In day-to-day life, our brain sends lots of signals. In acting, there are no signals. You have to believe in what you are trying to portray.
I'm not a cribber, or someone who criticises. People who criticise are not doers. I'm a doer.
Every time I've crossed to a new level of film acting, the film has been a breakthrough project.
In India, film sets are like a family atmosphere.
An actor is only a part of the film, not the whole, and very often, he is moulded by the director. That is why a good director can make so much difference to a film.
I think in my mother tongue. That's Hindi.
Practice makes an actor excel. It is like cycling and motor driving. It is an art, which can be learnt and practised.
Our school not only makes you an actor, it makes you understand who you actually are as well... it gives you discipline and punctuality. It also teaches you a way of life.
There are many brilliant actors, including our own Dilip Kumar, but Robert de Niro is something else.
When I staged the play and narrated my story to the audience, people found it amazing that after facing so many hardships, I have gone on to do 482 films.
Harper Collins gave me a letter of intent saying that they want me to pen down my autobiography. When I was recollecting the incidents of my life for that, I selected only those incidents which were turning points in my life. I staged it instead of writing it.
I approach every role with the same commitment because I'm being paid for it. To not do so would be unethical.
