One should go to the line through the character. You should see their lifestyle in the way they speak.
— Nawazuddin Siddiqui
In Mumbai, you have to act in real life, too.
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.
The village I come from is the most ruthless, lawless land one can encounter.
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.
I used to clean the sets and serve tea to the artistes.
There is nothing called negative character. The negativity and positivity exists in all of us.
Rituparno Ghosh is a legendary director, and I happen to be a huge fan of his.
I feel happy that I am being honoured for doing films of my own liking.
Love stories should be relatable.
As far as Raman Raghav is concerned, he is ruthless.
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.
The success of 'Kick' will help in the marketing of other small budget independent films I have acted in.
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.
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.
Behind every easy role, there is a lot of hard work that goes in.
When I had no money, I would find out which friend had work and money at that point in time and would go and stay with him for a week. All of us theatre guys did that.
When people say I'm a star, I don't believe it.
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.
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.
There are thousands of ways to make people laugh - satire, black comedy, slapstick.
I can go back to poverty if a situation comes. I have sailed through the worst days of my life, and I am prepared for any crisis.
I would be happy if people just called me an actor.
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.
Coming from a small town, I didn't have big dreams. My biggest ambition was to find a job for myself.
I don't believe in the 100 crore club.
My job is to work hard and be honest with my character, and that's in my control. I can only try to give my best performance.
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.
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.
I knew I would get offers to play the villain after 'Kick,' and I had already decided to reject all of them.
Being a recognised face has its problems. I miss the freedom to go anywhere I want to.
'Freaky Ali' may look like an easy role to others, but it is not easy.
There was electricity in our village only for 2-3 hours a day, so all my life, I studied under a lamp.
I am from a family of farmers from Budhana near Muzaffarnagar.
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 feel satisfied after achieving something difficult.
'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.
I used to be the best comic actor in my batch. Everyone knew that my comic timing was impeccable.
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.
How long will we keep making films where hero-heroine is dancing around trees?
After graduating from National School of Drama, I started doing theatre in Delhi. But there was not much money in Hindi theatre.
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.
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.
'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.
A big blockbuster like 'Kick' expands the audience for my films and makes it easier to promote them.
I interact with journalists all the time, and I note how they behave.
I still can't believe it when people say I am a celebrity.
It's very difficult switching over from one character to another.
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.
