My Marathi is indeed very bad and whenever I try to call my friends Sandeep Kulkarni or Sayaji Shinde, they immediately recognise my weird accent and all my efforts to surprise them go down the drain.
— Ashish Vidyarthi
My mother-in-law is an awesome cook, but I have grown up eating the food cooked by my mother. I must say that both of them have their own area of specialisation, when it comes to cooking.
It's equally interesting and challenging to work on stage as much as movies.
My connection with South films began with a Kannada film and with producer Ramu, in particular.
It has been more than 31 years for me in the cinema industry but I am still learning and my motto is the same as that of late Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs - Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish!
The youths of Bihar are second to none when it comes to talent, hard work and perseverance.
I gained my inspiration from former U.S. president Barack Obama, because he tries to do things differently, things which other people do in an ordinary manner.
It's a dystopian world where things aren't connected. But life feels light when we can communicate, joke or laugh on ourselves.
All the actors go through ups and downs in their careers and in their lives.
The concept of 'DAM999' is very interesting, which director Sohan Roy has written. The entire idea was to capture or encapsulate the nine rasas depicting different human emotions in the backdrop of dam disaster.
I love to meet people and interact.
Once there was this Telugu film about a ghost. It sounded too hackneyed. 'Probably it will turn out fine,' I told myself and went ahead and... it was a disaster.
I'm a restless kind of guy.
Either I am rootless or I have my roots spread out so much that I cannot spot my primary root. I believe in Camus' philosophy - It is important to be a traveller without a baggage.
I can speak English, Hindi and Bangla.
Well, acting on stage is very different from acting on screen.
My mother Reba Vidyarthi was a Kathak dancer while my father Govind Vidyarthi was a theatre personality. Later on, he worked for Sangeet Natak Akademi and documented many dying art forms of India.
Hindi film industry has not proved to be a viable alternative for me, hence, I shifted my focus towards South, where I have created a market for myself.
I always look for innovative casting and that's why I seek directors, whether in Bollywood or regional films, who are keen to make something different.
Theatre is known as a beautiful form of art where an actor expresses his emotions and feelings without any re-takes.
Shivajinagara' is set in Bangalore's Shivajinagar. We shot most of the film on those busy streets.
I am never satisfied and always willing to learn.
You won't ever get clarity in life. You have to overcome the hazy path yourself.
We have only one life to decide which path would suit us the best.
When we grow older, we start getting caught up with ourselves. We try and live up to an image.
I am tired of getting typecast.
I did a film called 'Nightfall,' based on Isaac Asimov life, which was directed by an American director. However it was a short film.
Over time, I have realised that it is important to stay grounded and keep in touch with reality.
I owe my career in the South to Tamil films.
For me acting is just a profession. As much passion I have for my profession, I always seperate profession from life.
When people ask me where I am from, with artificial simplicity, they don't understand how convoluted an answer it may sound.
Ala Modalaindi' is a labour of love and leaves me with a smile when I look back.
There is immense power in acknowledging the contribution of every human being in our life. One must constantly make the effort to absorb this power by getting the blessings of all human beings.
Gossip is the biggest enemy in a healthy relationship and creates distrust.
I was a 'bathroom actor' and people used to laugh at me, listening to my lofty aims and ambitions.
If you love your work, you will try out different kinds of roles with perseverance in order to sustain in the industry.
I am not very good with languages. So, in spite of working in films in 17 different languages, I only follow my passion to act without getting worked up about the language.
None of my visits to Bangalore go without a visit to Gandhi Bazaar's Vidyarthi Bhavan. Grabbing a dosa and a coffee there is a must.
Redemption happens in many forms. It happens when one takes responsibility even when one need not.
Try to be creative in everything you do, then only you will get recognized by the society.
An actor has to continuously reinvent himself. So my plea to all directors and scriptwriters is please look at me out of the box.
We make life difficult, and then we try to solve it. My methodology is to simplify things and share them with life examples.
You never know which film will work when.
I decided to engage in life conversations through my programme 'Avid Miners.' This is all about sharing experiences and spreading positivity. The audience range from school students, colleges and even corporate employees. And this journey has been quite an experience for me, I must add!
I never like to call myself as a celebrity. I am an actor and that's the only title I am proud to own.
I do manage to make others laugh.
Actors too need directors who can fire their imagination. The fire needs to be stoked.
I can understand Tamil and Telugu when a conversation is aimed at me, but I cannot hold a conversation.
Once I sign a film, irrespective of whether it is a small production or a large one, I make it mine and give my best.
For me, the ever smiling face of my father was an enigma which I understood later in life.
