Vidya Prabhu: If there is one film you wish you had not done?
Chocolate. I couldn't watch it. I was only given the first half of the script. The second part I did not get even after the movie was over. (...)
Dipanita Nath: Why is it that unlike in the West actors in Bollywood are seen so rarely in the theatre? Do you miss the stage?
We don't have a culture of theatre. In America, theatre is alive. People are writing plays. Here when we do theatre, we either borrow scripts from abroad or there are few writers who are writing for a particular audience. So theatre movement itself is not so vibrant here. There are a few genuine people like Naseeruddin Shah who are doing theatre and doing it for the right reason. Sometimes, I do miss it but not in a way that I will leave cinema and start doing theatre. (...)
Suanshu Khurana: What were your growing-up years in Rajasthan like?
My father was from a feudal family and my mother was also from a reputed family. But our fortunes were on a downslide. So those were the days when they were trying to make their own identity but also holding on to their values. They looked down upon films, ditto for sports. They only wanted us to focus on studies. I would go to school at 6 am and come home at 6 pm. I would long for the time when this school business would end and I'd grow up and lead my own life. My father was a hunter, so I can never forget those nights when I accompanied him. They have left a strong impression on my mind. Whenever I get time, I look for jungles where I can go see animals at night. It's the most exciting moment for me.
Shiny Varghese: When you are shooting a film over a long period of time, how do you bring rigour into your work?
That's the nature of the profession. When you work with a story and shoot it for 5-6 months, sometimes you do half a scene today and half the scene four months later. In such cases, you learn as an actor, you pick up the skills. You are driven by both passion and skill and when the passion is gone, the skill takes over. But yes, when only the skills are working, then you are dead, the profession is dead to you and there's no fun.
Smita Nair: Are you stubborn as an actor?
Earlier, I used to be. But now I consider it a collaboration. It's more of a discussion and exploration together. It can't be either my way or his way, because then there is no fun making a movie. We both are there to tell a story, and bring our own elements to it. Like in Life of Pi, (director) Ang Lee had a particular design: he told me that for a particular dialogue, I need to turn and say it in a certain way. Very precise. Five years ago, it would have been very difficult for me. But now, I know how to adapt to that design and make it my own. That's also the function of an actor, to make a certain thing your own. (...)
P. Vaidyanathan Iyer: What do you do when you're not working?
When I do have time, I try to go away from the city, to a place where there are no people and just me. I also try to spend time with my kids. I watch documentaries. It takes time for me to get engaged by fiction.
Sagnik Chowdhury: You are an actor who gives a lot of importance to the craft of acting and filmmaking. Do you foresee a time when you would get into filmmaking yourself?
I dabbled in direction once when I was in television, but I did it because at that point, I was bored of acting. But direction doesn't come naturally to me. I'll definitely direct if a story becomes so compelling that I cannot live without sharing it. I wish I could do it. I wish I could write so that I could make films, because this is the best time to tell stories. The audience is ready to listen to stories, so it is the best time for a director. But I'd love to direct and act. Because as an actor, you have to wait for stories and present the other person's point of view'.
