When I was young, I was supposed to study in the afternoon, and 4 - 5:30 P.M. was playtime. The entire day would revolve around that time. We would play anything - kabaddi, cricket. Those one and half hours would feel like 5 minutes.

Every time you play for your country, there is responsibility. But when you are captaining, you can say so; you have to lead from the front and make sure the team follows the direction you want them to.

Success on the outside indeed begins with success on the inside.

No matter what you achieve, what you want to aspire to be, or how famous and powerful you become, the most important thing is whether you are excited about each and every moment of your life because of your work and the people around you.

I will continue doing things irrespective of the medium as long as I’m excited about it.

I am learning the importance of living in the moment.

To be able to make statements, you need to be confident about what you think. You need to have a sense of right and wrong.

I love layering with great fitting jackets.

If 'Befikre' was representing the new-age youth of India and romance as what it was claiming, it would have been great irrespective of the box-office numbers. But unfortunately, it didn't do that, and hence, I would not be interested.

Along with some of my college friends, I would often bunk classes and drive to Murthal, which is about 50 km from New Delhi, just to have some piping hot parathas. There was this small roadside dhaba where they would serve absolutely delicious aloo parathas with dollops of butter.

Both Dhoni and me, we are so interested in what we are doing right now that we don't sit and think about future. This thing commands your attention because you love it so much. Your experience is not distorted by your fear or desire to attain something.

The way Nolan looks at things is just amazing. It can be easily seen in all his films. I was just watching his videos on how he came up with the screenplay of 'Memento,' and it's just extraordinary. It just opens up your mind.

Things are difficult for outsiders in the industry, and it is very evident, too. It does not mean that insiders have it easy or that it's impossible for outsiders to break in. More often than not, the difference is about how successes and failures are viewed and magnified.

I remember when the results of the All India Engineering exams came out. I ranked 7th. I even got a scholarship. But it was during the sixth semester of my engineering course that I decided to call it quits and pursue acting seriously.

I have songs that define characters from each film of mine. It can be a song from that particular film or something that just goes with the wavelength of the film; you listen to it, and it gives you that rhythm. I can't articulate how it helps, but it somehow gives you an understanding of the character.

It took me 13 months just to prepare for 'M.S. Dhoni'... I started by watching every single video I could find of his, repeatedly. After three months, people who met me started saying that they could see similarities, and I knew I was on the right path.

I was the youngest child and the only son. I was expected to shine in academics. It seemed like too big a risk to take up cricket as a career. I thought I had to live up to my family's expectations. So I chose to be an engineer.

The equation I share with the camera doesn't change whether you place a camera in front of me or a live audience. Just the pay cheques differ. But that doesn't matter to me because I've so much money, I don't even think about it. It's just lying there.

Bringing out your vulnerable side and shedding your privacy in front of complete strangers is so very difficult, but when you are into the performance, the relief and release is so extraordinary that you get addicted.