A film like 'Kai Po Che!', 'Queen', 'Behen Hogi Teri' and 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' are not really independent films.

I have immense respect for Nitesh sir and really admire his work. He's one of my closest friends in the industry, with whom I can have a heart-to-heart chat.

I was fortunate to work with some of the talented filmmakers of our industry. In addition, one film leads to another. As a newcomer, I explored those opportunities.

When Raj and DK came and narrated me the script, the title was something else. But in conversation, I told them if we can name it 'Stree'. In a way, I was the one who decided the title. I found that one word very catchy.

I think every character is important in every film - be it small, primary, or lead - because they are adding something to the story, taking it forward.

There are times when I do feel very nervous when I start a film. And I feel very nervous before the release. I do get stuck in some scenes, but that's very natural and human. It happens to all the artistes in the world.

We are seeing how people we have looked up to and were inspired by in our work have suddenly just gone because there are such serious allegations against them. I really don't know why it is not happening here.

I don't really think about the box office, but I want my films to do well.

You have to voice your opinion, especially now, since the times we are living in, it is so easy.

My process of choosing scripts remains the same. Of whatever I read and whatever excites me is what I will continue to take up.

I am very happy for the kind of response I am getting for my work, but there was a lot of hard work that has gone into it.

After my schooling, I started theatre. By the time I graduated, I was doing theatre 24x7. Luckily, the FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) acting course started.

A lot of preparation was needed to play the character of Omar Sheikh in Omerta. I watched a lot of documentaries and hate speeches to cultivate anger in me.

I want to work with Darren Aronofsky, Damien Chazelle, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and, of course, Majid Majidi.

After finishing my study in Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), I was mentally prepared for the struggle in the film industry.

People will invest in you only if they see some kind of return, and that's the dark truth.

No, nothing much has changed in me as an actor. Since the day I started out, I always wanted to be part of good stories. The only thing that has changed is now I have options of good stories to choose from.

I take my work very seriously, but I don't take myself seriously.

The process of playing a character as dark as Omar Saeed Sheikh is disturbing. So you have to mentally also be in that psyche, that state of mind. So, it was not easy. I was trying to cultivate a lot of anger and hatred in me while portraying him, because that's what I read and heard about him.

We're just actors, man, just part of things. We're just doing our jobs, like everyone else does their jobs. The adulation for us is much more because we are always in the public eye. But I never became an actor because I wanted people to scream out my name.

The only thing that I know is that if I like a particular script, I want to be as honest to my character as possible. That's the only thing I can control. I have made a lot of decisions on an impulse, and I am going to continue that.

I am a greedy actor: I want all the scripts to come to me. So I do all the good films which come my way, even if it means I'll rest a little less.

In Delhi, I became a serious stage actor. Then, luckily, the FTII acting course began, and I studied there, spent some time working on my craft. In 2008, I moved to Mumbai, and then in one and a half years of so-called struggle, I got my first film, 'Love Sex aur Dhokha' (LSD).

My only job is to act and play the character truthfully and honestly.