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.

I would be happy if people just called me an actor.

In my head, I believed even though I am an actor, there was no need to dance. That's not me.

One should go to the line through the character. You should see their lifestyle in the way they speak.

I won't give the credit to 'good fortune.' Whatever I have achieved is because of my hard work and passion.

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.

If I am comfortable with my co-star, then that always shows in my performances.

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.

My experience has offered me the sensibility that encourages me to try newer characters.

'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 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.

I am from a family of farmers from Budhana near Muzaffarnagar.

There was electricity in our village only for 2-3 hours a day, so all my life, I studied under a lamp.

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.

Prior to joining NSD, I was briefly associated with a small theater group in Delhi called Sakshi. Saurabh Shukla, Manoj Bapayee were my seniors in that group. I performed a few supporting roles in Sakshi plays.

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 do big films just to experience personal satisfaction.

I used to be the best comic actor in my batch. Everyone knew that my comic timing was impeccable.

I have done theatre, and I enjoy the process of smaller films a lot more. When I do such films, there are certain things which I get to do which are untapped. The scenes give me the liberty to play and mould the character in accordance to the director's mindset.

How long will we keep making films where hero-heroine is dancing around trees?

Back in 1993, I was studying in Delhi, and I had a girlfriend. I had never touched a girl before that in my entire life. One day, I decided to go out with her to a garden. We were sitting beside each other, and I just glanced around to see if anyone was looking at us, and I put my hand over hers. I thought love started in this way.

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.

The Indian audience is getting exposed to world cinema and realising the power of unique plots and distinct characters.

I am ably balancing big and small films. With every big film I do, I try to take up films that are high on content and small on budget.