Being a young parent, you can play cricket, football, and I can play chess with my son. In fact, he plays the piano better than I do.

It is good to be a young father, a young parent. You have that energy, and you are growing up with them.

I am the public, a boy from Chandigarh who's bought tickets in black and revered films since childhood, and when I choose scripts, I take out the garb of an actor-slash-star, and I consume the script as a layman.

I couldn't be a conventional commercial actor without being a star-kid. That kind of a big film needs a certain mounting, a little paraphernalia around you. And nobody would give me that.

I was very nervous as a child and had stage fright.

In theatre, you learn the story is more important than the actor.

I was very immature when I married.

I always thought millennials are going westward, and they probably won't understand vernacular poetry.

I have certain viewpoints that come out in certain shayaris.

I approach every film as my first film.

It's good to be an outsider.

For me, novelty matters; uniqueness matters.

Life is the biggest workshop: you have to observe life. You have to be one with the milieu more than anything else.

You have to have a macro outlook, see the film in totality, whether it will resonate with people or not.

I have done a lot of street theatre and plays and interacted with the public through radio and television.

My son had seen 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha,' but he wasn't happy about it because my father bullies me in the film.

I would love to do an action film. In college, I have played a lot of aggressive characters.

I am very bad with numbers.

A good script can come from anywhere.

What is a commercial film? I think every film is commercial, as every film makes money.

I have grown up watching conventional films. I am a huge fan.

I know I have become a star, but I don't want to believe it.

I learnt so much from all my films, successful or unsuccessful.

Your family can keep you grounded, make you keep things real.

The running thread of my career has been different scripts.

I've always made my own decisions and selected a script on my own conviction.

Nobody will tell you that you're typecast until your films aren't working; if it's working, they'll call it your 'zone.'

I'm glad I've established this as my zone: 'the taboo breaker.'

I think actors are very obsessed about looking different and behaving differently, but all people need is just a different film. They don't want a different you; they want a different story.

An actor's off-screen persona should never overshadow his on-screen characters.

My gut has never let me down.

I want to do more new-age content, look beyond conventional cinema.

With 'Badhaai Ho,' the lines are so quirky and the situation is so humorous, awkward, and bizarre that people are taking away a lot from the film. The dialogues are amazing. We aren't trying to make people laugh, but the situation is like that, that people are laughing.

It is a conscious choice to go for content-driven scripts because that is the key for any film to work. There are no two ways about it, and I have always been attracted to great content.

Even when I was looking for my first film, I knew I wanted to be in something that was good. I knew I was not a star kid, and I will not get any other chance.

If a film is entertaining, it will work irrespective of anything. It should be entertaining and engaging; otherwise, it becomes a documentary.

I have realised that life is never perfect.

I am glad I have a partner like Tahira who is very brave, strong, who is an inspiration.

I had an edge in 'Andhadhun' because, being a musician, I knew how to play a guitar, so it was not difficult for me to learn a musical instrument.

All I am looking for is a fine combination of critical and commercial acclaim. Whether conventional or unconventional - does not matter.

There is no point in playing safe, because the audiences love different quirks: something that is crazy and out-of-the-box. I think that's what my space is, and if you are going to have your own space in the industry, this is where I want to be.

Aparshakti has his own journey, and as a sibling, I can only wish him good luck. I would also love to work with him as an actor.

It feels great that with the film choices I have been making have been quite radical and different. I am glad they are commercially working.

In 2012, when I left MTV, irregular income started.

I was always bad with money, and I think most artistes are like that. They don't use both sides of the brain.

I think cricket and cinema are two big entities in the country. If you are part of either, you are sorted.

I don't overspend. I believe in always living within my means.

'Vicky Donor' dealt with a taboo topic, but it was a family entertainer and not cringe-worthy, which helped make it a commercial success.

I want to be real and relatable, because if I am not, then I lose my credibility among audiences.

I am not in every picture I post, and my social media is not only for film promotions. I don't feel comfortable with that. Yes, I'll post something promotional now and then, but rest of the time, it is like any other social media account.