I would like to take up any kind of film that comes my way if I find the story interesting and challenging.
— Vicky Kaushal
All I know is that I intend to do films which are different from each other, work with good directors and on great stories so that I get to grow as an actor. That's my only attempt.
The best thing is to enjoy the process that can lead you either to success or to failure.
My introduction into the film industry happened with 'Masaan,' which was a multi-star cast film. I was just a part of the film.
I did engineering, and when people asked me my career plans, I used to say I would do an MBA.
People would be amazed that I've grown up in Bombay and not Banaras.
I was always active on stage - taking part in dance competitions, skits, and plays.
I feel lucky to be able to work with such great filmmakers on such wonderful stories.
On a film set, it's important to be good at your work, but it's also important to be a compassionate and understanding human being.
Subconsciously, there was always an actor inside me. But while growing up, it was a very normal childhood because my dad never got films to the dining table and never discussed films.
I feel there's a halo around me, a constant sunshine wherever I go.
I don't label films or actors, and labelling means setting boundaries. Why do you want to do that to art?
Every film has its own destiny, and everything happens for a reason.
I can't cook to save my life. I'm a disaster.
My dad battled various financial mishaps for years before achieving success as a stunt director, but my parents ensured that my brother and I knew all about the family's struggle. We knew from where each piece of furniture came from.
As an actor, if you want to explore something new inside you, you need to do something different that you don't do in your regular life. You need to think in a different way. It is my duty to think like the character that I am given and believe in his mindset; only then I will be able to portray it.
When I became an actor, I knew that there were only two ways of going about it - either I become an actor who has expectations, or the reverse of it.
Films choose me; I don't choose them.
Before becoming an action director in 1990, my father was a stunt man for about 8 years. During that time, he was body double to many actors in that era, one of them being Sanjay Dutt.
It's been a surreal journey for me since 'Masaan.' The way the industry has accepted me and motivated me has been amazing.
Giving auditions is a great exercise. They will provide you with a script, and you prepare in 10 minutes. And you perform in front of 100 other people.
One rule which applies to every role is that you have to surrender yourself to the director with an empty slate.
I believe a lot in energies, and I feel that everyone's energies synced in 'Masaan.'
I am very happy that I am getting to play such layered and demanding characters. I feel blessed that directors are trusting me with such roles.
Good films not only help me grow as an actor but as a human being.
Be it in school, society, or college, I just wanted to be on stage and used to love performing.
I feel there's a constant sense of happiness and gratefulness in me.
It's a reality that you get boxed and stereotyped, but I am not afraid of that. It's my quest as an actor to explore different territories.
I would want to believe that every film I do turns out to be the turning point of my career.
Life without paani puri isn't life.
I realise that film industry is a brittle and fragile world, but I'm ready to face it all because I'm too much in love with this space.
I was born in a 10x10 room of a chawl, and we shared a common bathroom with other people in the neighbourhood.
When you are given a character, there are times when you can relate to two out of 10 things of the character, and then there are times when you can relate to eight out of 10 things.
Whenever a relationship doesn't go on the right path, it affects me in some form, but it hasn't spoilt anything for me.
My father would schedule meetings over breakfast. Film-makers such as Rakesh Roshan and Prakash Jha have seen me as a child run around the house.
I always knew that I will have to find my own way in the industry. My father had told me that making a mark in Bollywood will be solely my fight.
If I have done a role that's taken me to a certain space emotionally, I won't repeat that; I would rather do something now that taps into something else in my psyche... maybe something that makes me nervous.
As a kid, I grew up watching movies in the cinema, so that dream and charm will never die.
I don't take very calculated decisions. I just follow my heart.
During my engineering days, we were taken for an industrial visit. I realised that I can't do a regular job.
'Zubaan' is the first film I had signed as a lead. It was an opportunity I was waiting for, coming at a time when I was getting shortlisted for roles but was unable to make the final cut.
I will keep working hard in future as well so that audience will keep showering their love upon me.
Me and my brother Sunny never had the enthusiasm of visiting a film set or going to a screening or attending parties and meeting actors.
When people say I've become a star, it takes time to sink in.
For me, a film is a film, and I just want to be part of good stories to grow as an actor.
I unleashed my wilder side in 'Manmarziyaan' while playing the character, who is impulsive, colourful, does things without thinking too much.
I am a tikka lover.
However good an actor may be, he can't make a scene believable on his own, so it has to be a team work.
I was just a regular kid who was interested in studying, playing cricket, and watching movies.
Every character comes with its own challenges.
