I was barely 17 when our father decided to part ways with my mother.

There is a host of directors - Sujoy Ghosh, Neeraj Pandey, Ashutosh Gowariker, Madhur Bhandarkar, Mani Ratnam and so on - who make some great cinema. I would like to work with them all.

As children we had traveled only in cars and led a lavish lifestyle. After father and we parted ways, we had little money to afford even petrol; I used to travel to the Tollygunge studios in the south of the city from our Dumdum home in the north by bus. I would do any role that came my way: hero's friend, or brother, or son, just about anything.

Cinematically, anything like 'Khawto' in Bengali cinema hasn't happened. Yes, you get such films in Hollywood, a few in Bombay. In Bengali literature, you get such stories in the works of Samaresh Basu and Buddhadeb Guha.

Everyone has their own way of telling stories.

Everywhere I go today, people talk about Bengali cinema. I completely refuse to accept that Bengali filmmakers are not making good films.

With excessive digitisation, now, everyone is making films, which is good, but the makers think that they will quickly make films in digital and bag satellite rights but television channels buy satellite rights of notable films only. If we made fewer films a year, percentage of hits would be better.

When I started my career, I was faced with a challenge of making my own identity.

I am open to do a Telugu, Tamil or Malayali movie. If I get a good script and good character, I will surely do it.

I'm comfortable in my life.

There were times when 22 of my films would release in a year.

Ask anyone in the industry if Bumbada is accessible. A technical hand can call me at 2 A.M. and I will be there to help him.

Technology is a very important part of cinema.

I love KIFF. No one can stop me from being a part of it. I have always watched good movies there. Earlier on, that was the only space to watch good cinema.

I am a person who believes in giving due respect to everyone.

I came to know about my father joining BJP through the media.

We lack good film scriptwriters. People like Anjan Chowdhury who could develop scripts of pure entertainers are quite difficult to find now. There are obviously some exceptions like Padmanabha Dasgupta. But how many scripts can one single Padmanabha Dasgupta churn out!

Star Theatre in Shyambazar makes up a big chapter in my life. I worked there for three years during my struggling days.

Shyambazar evokes a strong sense of nostalgia in me. There's not a theatre in that area where I haven't watched a movie. I also have fond memories of going grocery-shopping at Grey Street with my grandparents.

A handsome period of my childhood was spent at our house in Tollygunge.

It is an honour to conduct a masterclass at IFFI.

When a director is remaking a film, he should tweak it, add Bengali sentiments to it and make it look like a regional movie. A copy-paste job is something I don't support at all.

Praktan' saw stupendous success in Bengal, can it not be remade in Hindi? It sure can.

I want to urge filmmakers in Bengal to choose a subject and mount the film in a way that there's a Bengali connect. They must not fall into the typical remake pattern.

To portray a singer who gets on stage at night, who is away from the limelight, is never an easy task.

All my life, Sundays have been a working day.

If get an off on a Sunday, I try to keep my script-readings, meet my directors, plan film releases.

I go to bed very late. I usually stay up till 2:30 A.M. but am up by seven in the morning.

If the entire product is good, then no matter what the language of the film is, people will love it.

Earlier, people used to say no to regional films, but now people all over the world have started watching Bengali cinema.

Sankhachil' did not have a script, to begin with. It was just a thought.

My audiences are giving me awards every day.

I watch all kinds of Indian cinema. There are many good films in Bengali, Marathi and Malayalam.

After 20 years and 250 mainstream films, I thought I should have in my library at least 50 films, films that will be talked about when I am no more.

We can change everything but we can't stop time.

When critics called me a duplicate of my father, I knew I can't do anything about my genes but I ensured that I shed the romantic image and create my individual style.

The main reason I didn't work in Bollywood was due to the tremendous pressure on me in Bengal.

I was not born for politics.

Bengal has always produced good cinema, be it Satyajit Ray or Ritwik Ghatak.

I respect Malayalam films the same way I respect Bengali films. I think Malayalam films have not compromised on the essence and have kept their own statement and are coming up with very good themes.

Well, being fit is not about flaunting muscles or biceps. Being fit is about flexibility and fit is about flexibility and body composition.

Life is like a circle and you have to know when to move on. Success and failure are a part and parcel of it.

I am a wholesale entertainer.

I do not want to be a part of Hindi cinema's rat race. But yes, if I get offers and characters which I feel would suit me as well as make some difference to me, I will do a Hindi film.

No Bengali comedy show is complete without mocking my mannerisms.

Since 80% of my career has been devoted to successful commercial cinema, I have always been told that I do not know how to act.

I'm very happy that whenever we talk about Bengali cinema anywhere in India, people talk about me with a lot of respect.

I don't have a fixed fitness regime, as everything depends on my work schedule and my fitness instructor. But I make sure that I work out 365 days a year for at least one and a half hours, no matter what.

As a good actor, I think you need to know camera, dubbing etc.

I wanted to be a hero, then I wanted to be an actor. But always I wanted to be respected as a good human being.