I have songs that define characters from each film of mine. It can be a song from that particular film or something that just goes with the wavelength of the film; you listen to it, and it gives you that rhythm. I can't articulate how it helps, but it somehow gives you an understanding of the character.
— Sushant Singh Rajput
I realised quite early that by the time I articulate my thoughts into words, I'm on to another thought. And what comes out wasn't what I thought of exactly. So not talking was a better option.
Since I think I am very boring in normal life, I tend to hide behind all these exciting characters, making people believe that I am someone else entirely. That feeling is very powerful.
My strength would be my honesty and my passion towards my work.
When I am not acting or performing, I want to keep quiet and not to have a conversation.
Dibakar and Shekhar have the vision that we would associate with European cinema. They leave their actors on their own to give a personal narration on the screen.
I read the script. If I like it, I would do anything I am asked to.
I think people generally are lost, as they keep thinking about what is going to happen and what they have done. They are not alive anymore. The art of listening is missing. In their head, they are doing something else.
Let me clear it once and for all: I was never offered 'Befikre.' But had I been offered, I wouldn't have done it.
I'm a trained engineer, so I'm conditioned to come up with a right answer to a difficult question, but when it comes to art, there is no definite answer because it's so subjective.
As an actor, you think you know your craft, you know the conflicts in your character, but often you don't.
Instead of sounding pretentious, phony, or repetitive, I'd rather not speak.
The only strong opinion that I have about myself is that I don't have any opinions.
I experienced a lot of things while I was working with Dibakar Banerjee.
No matter what you achieve, what you want to aspire to be, or how famous and powerful you become, the most important thing is whether you are excited about each and every moment of your life because of your work and people around you.
I am ecstatic that 'KPC' was a commercial hit and was critically acclaimed. The 60 days we shot for it were the best days of my life. I still get goosebumps when I think of them.
I take time to open up with people. But once I know you, I'm fine. I'm a shy person.
When I was young, I was supposed to study in the afternoon, and 4 - 5:30 P.M. was playtime. The entire day would revolve around that time. We would play anything - kabaddi, cricket. Those one and half hours would feel like 5 minutes.
I was a studious child, heavily into academics. For the longest time, I wouldn't talk.
Bringing out your vulnerable side and shedding your privacy in front of complete strangers is so very difficult, but when you are into the performance, the relief and release is so extraordinary that you get addicted.
Everything that is somehow related to direction and filmmaking fascinates me, like cinematography.
When I am in front of the camera or on stage, I am not me.
Given a chance, I would love to romance Tabu. I wouldn't mind doing a film with Manisha Koirala, either. Or Madhuri Dixit.
It took me 13 months just to prepare for 'M.S. Dhoni'... I started by watching every single video I could find of his, repeatedly. After three months, people who met me started saying that they could see similarities, and I knew I was on the right path.
If you have skills to pull off even a four-hour film, people will go and watch it.
I've stopped taking myself seriously because now I understand how fickle my thoughts are.
There are so many ways to approach a character. You have to figure out the similarities between you and the character, build on them, and at the same time, blur the dissimilarities. Since you do it day in and day out, it becomes a process and a part of you.
Before the film begins shooting, in your head, you need to be the character. You have to convince yourself somehow.
The more I learn about things, I realise how wrong I was before.
TV helped me understand camera angles, close-ups, master shots.
I will continue doing things irrespective of the medium as long as I'm excited about it.
Things are difficult for outsiders in the industry, and it is very evident, too. It does not mean that insiders have it easy or that it's impossible for outsiders to break in. More often than not, the difference is about how successes and failures are viewed and magnified.
My favourite actor is Daniel Day Lewis. He's the finest actor in Hollywood. I've studied his performances.
For me, the opposite of happiness isn't sadness but boredom.
I have four elder sisters, and being the youngest, I was pampered.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the best actor because his choice of roles are so diametrically opposite from each other, and he pulls it off almost every time so convincingly.
Practical knowledge of what works and what doesn't work is much better. Theoretical knowledge is important, but I think practical knowledge works better.
Everything happening around me is very random. I am enjoying the phase, as the journey is far more enjoyable than the destination.
I can also romance a guy if I like the character and the script. Obviously, only in the film!
I am not lost. I am very much alive.
If 'Befikre' was representing the new-age youth of India and romance as what it was claiming, it would have been great irrespective of the box-office numbers. But unfortunately, it didn't do that, and hence, I would not be interested.
I really wanted to buy a Range Rover. It was a big dream, and the day I bought it, I was very happy, but by evening, I was immune to it. That's when I realized that excitement, if it's happiness, is not in reaching the goal but in the process. Thus process trumps over realization.
If you are seeing something for the first time, one of your first reactions should be fascination.
Whatever dream you have, be sure that it is going to be happen, and then forget about it. Then you have to come back to the present and be there 100 percent.
To be able to make statements, you need to be confident about what you think. You need to have a sense of right and wrong.
I was very excited and interested as a background dancer or as a theatre actor or when I was working on TV, or even on the film which didn't do well, like 'Byomkesh.'
The way Nolan looks at things is just amazing. It can be easily seen in all his films. I was just watching his videos on how he came up with the screenplay of 'Memento,' and it's just extraordinary. It just opens up your mind.
I have seen extreme lows because of factors that were not in my hands - be it not having money to buy my first bike, dropping out of a prestigious engineering college without having a single rupee in my bank account, living with seven boys in a single-room kitchen in Mumbai, or eating nothing but khichdi every day. But I cherish all those moments.
For me, the script is important. If it excites me, I'll do the film.
