00:00Oh, it's been amazing. I started working in films and theatre long back. I was a theatre
00:11actor and then I was casting with Yashraj Films and then after that I auditioned a lot
00:17of people. So, you know, I was able to gauge a lot of memory bank, a lot of tricks and
00:24talents that the other actors used. So, that made me sharp as an actor. After that, I auditioned
00:31a lot. I have auditioned a lot. And then yes, of course, I met a lot of good film makers
00:36like Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir, Rohit Shetty sir and Neeraj Pandey sir, Anubhav Sinha sir
00:42and they have always believed in me. They put their trust in me. So, you know, it was
00:48a great transition. So, the transition comes as a very positive thing and I really loved it.
01:18You know, you also learn a lot. And when you learn a lot, you become very sharp. It makes
01:42you really sharp as an actor. You know, if I want to play, suppose, an FBI agent, you
01:59know, and it becomes easy for you to play. You know, this is what I personally believe.
02:06First of all, I would like to thank Neeraj Pandey sir for giving me this opportunity.
02:15Okay. After that, when you read the script and when you meet your co-actors, your layers
02:22open up. You go into a lot of depth. And I will say that, you know, your co-actors really
02:28push you and pump you and really appreciate your performance. And that is really good.
02:35This is what is required. And when, you know, there are so many talented actors around you,
02:40it obviously pushes your limits. You know, how a character will behave in a certain position
02:52and you know, if he is being kept in a certain situation, how will he behave? So, yeah,
03:04maintain a diary, maintain a log. And obviously, in India, we have a lot of good friendship stories.
03:11You know, Panch Ratna stories also teach a lot about friendship. So, how to stand with
03:16your friend, how he stood with his friend and everything, that was really nice. So, yeah,
03:21basically, you have to mix all this and mount it.
03:25Oh, it is a very good revolution. The reason for that is that now every actor has a job.
03:37Earlier, there were a lot of selected mediums. Either you go to television or you go to films.
03:42But now there are a lot of people who tell stories, there are a lot of people who perform stories
03:46and stories are being told everywhere. So, every actor gets his niche. But the reason
03:51for that is that the competition has increased a lot and the mediocre actors will not work
03:56in the industry now. You know, you have to be on your toes, you have to perform well
04:01and you know, since that, good actors will always get a chance. Small or big, that depends
04:07on your luck and destiny. But everyone will get a chance.
04:10No, in my, the kind of work culture I have worked in, nothing like that. Very fair, very
04:22proper and you know, a good talent always gets recognized on whatever it's due.
04:27No, I think, what to say, quality is being maintained everywhere. Especially the big
04:38directors, their quality is being maintained 100%. And that is why it is not easy to mount
04:44a project. A project is mounted and a lot of people work behind it. There are a lot of
04:49approvals. So, obviously, their quality checks are done in their place and you know, a lot
04:54of people have to put in their trust in the project. Only then it gets mounted. So, quality
05:00will always be there. Yes, it is important to make quantity because the consumer is increasing.
05:05And when the consumer is increasing, everyone has their own way of consuming. Someone likes
05:11to watch something, someone likes to watch horror, someone likes to watch thrillers.
05:16So, you know, you cannot always comment on the quantity part. But quality, yes. All the
05:22top OTT and the cinema filmmakers, they are definitely taking care of the quality part.
05:36I think, it is important to make a movie with a lot of heart. And after that, it is his
05:42destiny. For example, when a child comes into the world, his parents, you know, they love
05:49him, they take care of him, they help him grow. But after that, what is his future?
05:54It is his destiny. Likewise, every film is a baby of the director. And what is his destiny?
05:59We cannot decide. The only thing what is there in the producer's hand or the director's hand
06:04is that we mount it with love and honesty. Remake culture will ultimately go away. The
06:12reason for that is that every movie is almost like a South Indian film or a French film
06:18or a Chilean film. But its dubbing is available in Hindi or dubbing is available in your regional
06:25languages. And since the dubbing is available, the person has already consumed it. So, the
06:31remake, its culture will go away sooner or later. The reason for that is that people are
06:39consuming content in some form or in some language. So, you have to bring new stories.
06:44Otherwise, it will be very difficult.
06:51Journey? This is my favorite question. People find the journey abroad very difficult. I still
06:58remember when I came to Bombay. I am from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. And I came by train.
07:05Obviously, there was no flight from our place at that time. So, there was no spotting at
07:09my airport. So, this was the reason for that. And nowadays, yes, it is a little easy for
07:17Star Kids. They stay in Bandra and all the director-producers stay in Bandra. So, I know
07:23it's a part of their culture and we have to reach there. And yes, I am not anti-nepotism
07:30but I feel that after a time line, if you have given a lot of chances to someone and
07:36that person is not able to perform. So, there are a lot of talented people behind you. You
07:41should give them a chance. Whatever on the basis of your talent or something. You have
07:46done it. You have launched it. You have relaunched it. But after that, even they should think
07:51that there are 130 crore people in India and everyone has a lot of talent. And if we all
07:57come out with this talent, then keep in mind that Indian cinema will go ahead. I mean,
08:03the thing to think about is that not a single Oscar has come in 100 years. So, you know,
08:08we have to think that why is that?
08:16No, I never felt the pressure of the same. Actually, nowadays everything has become so
08:22systematic that the same roles reach an actor who is written for him. You know, he looks
08:29like him or he can behave like him because there are a lot of technical grounds on which
08:33on the basis of which casting takes place. There is never any such pressure. Yes, sometimes
08:38it happens that you are finding a very good role and you run after it. You know, you try
08:42to speak to the director, casting director, producer. But again, it's all in the destiny
08:47and you know, a lot of people are making the decision.
08:53See, I respect Vikrant Messi a lot. He is a self-made actor. I don't know what is the
09:00reason. But if I talk about myself personally, I have given so much to this career that I
09:07want to die on set. You know, if you have to leave this world, then do it while working.
09:13So, this will be the biggest thing for me that, you know, while working, if you get
09:18martyred on set, then it will be a big thing. So, taking a break is never an option. You
09:22should always be able to, you know, work, work, work. Not just for yourself. I mean,
09:27obviously, everyone has to pay the bills. But you know, you should always be able to
09:31also work because of a greater glory of Indian cinema.
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