I was a studious child, heavily into academics. For the longest time, I wouldn't talk.

When I am not acting or performing, I want to keep quiet and not to have a conversation.

I wanted to be a cricketer. But I was not skilled enough to be a national-level cricketer.

Cricketers have to perform in front of millions, and there are no retakes. If then you become a hero, you deserve all the accolades coming your way.

Our job, as actors, is not to tell the audience how interesting we are, but to entertain them with our films.

I think, for every actor, the most challenging part of playing a character, specially a real-life character, is to convince yourself that you are the character.

I cannot think that I am a good cricketer and just become one. For this, one needs skill.

Given a chance, I would love to romance Tabu. I wouldn't mind doing a film with Manisha Koirala, either. Or Madhuri Dixit.

TV helped me understand camera angles, close-ups, master shots.

Four days a week, I do gymming, four days marital arts. Once a week I normally play lawn tennis, and once a week I horseride.

I am not saying that those who crave for conventional stardom are wrong in their aspirations. But that's not what I want.

If you have skills to pull off even a four-hour film, people will go and watch it.

Every character that I've chosen has made me evolve as an actor. And I am lucky that my directors have shown so much faith in my abilities.

I've been a fan of Dhoni for years. I've seen him play for India for over 10 years.

When I am in front of the camera or on stage, I am not me.

If you are seeing something for the first time, one of your first reactions should be fascination.

As an actor, you think you know your craft, you know the conflicts in your character, but often you don't.

I was offered 10-12 films during the time that we were working on 'Paani.'

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the best actor because his choice of roles are so diametrically opposite from each other, and he pulls it off almost every time so convincingly.