"I am from a family of farmers from Budhana near Muzaffarnagar."
"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."
"Even though I hated doing farming and wanted to just get out of the village, I would work from 5 in the morning till 5 in the evening."
"There was electricity in our village only for 2-3 hours a day, so all my life, I studied under a lamp."
"Behind every easy role, there is a lot of hard work that goes in."
"It's very difficult switching over from one character to another."
"'Freaky Ali' may look like an easy role to others, but it is not easy."
"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 still can't believe it when people say I am a celebrity."
"Being a recognised face has its problems. I miss the freedom to go anywhere I want to."
"I love observing people. Each face tells so many stories. It lets me understand emotions, and that, in turn, helps me apply my skills as an actor."
"I interact with journalists all the time, and I note how they behave."
"I knew I would get offers to play the villain after 'Kick,' and I had already decided to reject all of them."
"The success of 'Kick' will help in the marketing of other small budget independent films I have acted in."
"A big blockbuster like 'Kick' expands the audience for my films and makes it easier to promote them."
"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."
"Before 'Raman Raghav 2.0,' I played a criminal in 'Badlapur.' Though the character was innocent, he was not correctly interpreted by some sections of the audience."
"'Ali' is the story of a lower middle-class golfer who becomes a champion. I find the game very interesting and would like to continue playing it regularly after the movie is wrapped up."
"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."
"As far as Raman Raghav is concerned, he is ruthless."
"I think there is no racism in this film industry. They are only in need of talent, though it takes time; but, if you are talented, you will get your due. I am thankful to be part of this industry."
"My job is to work hard and be honest with my character, and that's in my control. I can only try to give my best performance."
"Love stories should be relatable."
"At first, I was hesitant when it came to giving autographs, thinking that I am not even worth giving one. But slowly I got over that phase."
"I don't believe in the 100 crore club."
