I Find it strange that you did nothing but wait even while Hazaaron took three years to release.
I shouldn't have [waited]? What would you have done? For three years every month they would say it's going to release next month. I was very confident of the film, so I waited. The moment I would think of doing something else they said
While waiting for the film to release did you not feel disillusioned with the industry? Did you feel like giving up?
I was just hoping that the film releases fast. There is an element of frustration that comes in while you are waiting -- sitting at home and just waiting for your film to release. I went through that but then I am generally a positive person by nature and that kept me going.
I felt whenever the time is right the film will release. I don't belong to the film industry and I knew I am not going to get some 20 opportunities to prove myself to be an actor or a star. I was quite realistic about Hazaaron not getting me any commercial success. I knew critical acclaim is possible. All I wanted from Hazaaron was a commercial film that I got eventually.
Is the negativity around you the reason you get irritated and shut yourself?
Yes it is one of the reasons I shut myself. It's hard to concentrate on your work otherwise and that's pretty much the intention of people who do this. I am not willing to give this up for anything. There is nothing that comes between my work and me. Nothing. Everybody around me knows that. That's common between my director Sudhir Mishra and me. I don't come between him and his shot. And there is nothing that can come between my performance and me.
People say you throw tantrums on sets.
There was a report about me drinking only juice on the sets. I was recovering from typhoid and my doctor told me to drink juice. How can this be termed a tantrum? My staff loves me like anything. They will do anything for me.
What I have realised is irrespective of all the negative stories that are coming up, the film offers are only getting better. How do I equate that? When I meet people and they say they are taken by my work. It's amazing to know how well people connect with my character emotionally on screen. Whoever has known or interacted with me talk to that person.
If I refuse a film the person is only going to say bad things about me. I can only do four-five films a year at this point of time. Eventually I am not going to do that many also. I am accepting four or five from 20 offers. When I say no, people build stories.
next month we are starting the publicity.
But you are in the news for all the wrong reasons all the time.
Sometimes people just like to write things about certain people. Because I am such a private person and I don't divulge too much information they still want to write things. That's one way of provoking you to say something. Keep writing bad things about you till you react.
I choose to ignore it. I talk to journalists who don't believe in selling their paper through gossip or are not a part of this kind of media.
While I am shooting if I have to keep thinking about these kind of things it really irritates you. It's like someone is constantly trying to pull you down.
I don't have any enemies. When you are on your way to a certain goal there are hindrances that come your way and not everyone is happy with your success. People used to tell me you might have to face this but now that I have to face things I believe it. I used to wonder why would anyone waste his or her time in trying to put me down?
There is no clarity about the status of your marriage.
I have spoken about it so many times but the same question keeps coming up. There is crystal clear clarity. Someone creates a controversy about you. By giving explanations you keep feeding to it. I refuse to comment on it any more.
How comfortable are you doing lovemaking scenes on screen (a scene with him and Soha Ali Khan was being shot before the interview)?
It's a part of my job and it's good to work with an actress who also considers it the same way. We think about the role, the shot, how we can make it better -- just like any other shot. There is nothing I feel at any point of time while doing such scenes because you have to concentrate on what you are doing.
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