Undeniable though it is that many Indian Muslims misguidedly consider Pakistan their haven, the immeasurably greater number who take intense pride in being Indian and who connect deeply with the country are hurt and angered at our patriotism being under scrutiny.Collection: Patriotism
'Bombay Boys' is among my favourite movies and my favourite performance of myself.Collection: Movies
Granted, patriotism is not a tonic that can be forced down people's throats.Collection: Patriotism
It is very tough to make a short film. It's like writing a short story, which is tougher than writing a novel. You can't afford to faff around; you can't indulge. You have to get to the point.
It's completely beyond comprehension that you just can't say anything without offending somebody or the other.
Nowhere else, perhaps, is the Quran recited so much and understood so little as in India.
During the shooting of 'Manthan,' I lived in the hut, learnt to make cow dung cakes and milk a buffalo. I would carry the buckets and serve the milk to the unit to get the physicality of the character.
Humans are the only ones who are the custodians of other people's morals.
I am from a place called Sardhana, which is near Meerut.
You can't make a film for your personal satisfaction. That is why I detest the cinema of people like Mani Kaul.
My dream is to produce a generation of actors who realise what the function of an actor in a movie is supposed to be.
I can say with pride that I have a brother who served with distinction in the Indian Army.
I have the highest regard for the police forces.
I feel anxious for my children because tomorrow, if a mob surrounds them and asks, 'Are you a Hindu or a Muslim?' they will have no answer.
I had decided never to dye my hair because by doing that, it doesn't make a man look young. In fact, I feel the wrinkles on a man's face become more prominent when you dye your hair.
I am the king of old school romance.
I had many doubts while writing my autobiography. I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested to read about my life.
A person takes his own path. My father tried to guide me the best way he thought I should go, and it didn't work. I went the way I wanted to.
I was lucky to land up in Mumbai when serious cinema was just beginning to flower.
One would marvel on the screen the way Shammi Kapoor walked, Dilip Kumar cried, or seeing Dev Anand's style. And then, one day, you are in the same space with them. It's very unreal.
When I see an emotion being enacted by a great actor, I always feel I can never do that.
People think I am joking when I say my favourite actors are Shammi Kapoor and Dara Singh.
There are some movies that you feel like doing because of the script. Some because it sounds like fun, some because that's the director you want to work with, some because it's a project that you want to be involved with, and some because you will be paid lots of money. But the bottom line is I must feel like doing it.
Finally, I have realised that it is important to look good.
I have gone into every project with the same enthusiasm and the same hope, but some have worked out, and some haven't.
My dad occupied a government position, deputy collector, in a city called Nainital, so we had access to the cinemas at any time. I saw my first movies when I was very young.
Somehow, Hindi movies never took me in the same way Hollywood films did. Even at the age of five or six, I could see the difference in the quality of execution.
What drew me into being an actor was that I never got cast in the school plays - and it used to kill me.
I've always found people with physical disabilities interesting to watch: how the dynamics of their body work, what makes them move this way or that.
'Macbeth,' I am ambivalent about. I don't like that play, in fact.
Shakespeare is a seminal story-teller. I don't think he imagined he was writing classics or that he was writing great poetry. I don't think he dreamt his work would be staged 400 years after he died.
Playing the good guy is boring. I love twisted, flawed characters.
I do enjoy thinking about the past.
I have had enough of an interesting life to not embellish it in any way.
I am hard put to think of a single positive thing that commercial Hindi cinema has achieved.
I don't think cinema has the power to change anybody's life.
Don't opt for acting as an escape from education.
When my brother came home from NDA (National Defence Academy), I felt, 'Wow, I should like to wear that uniform.' But I didn't want to join the army.
Film industry people don't read books.
The film industry does not interest me greatly. The people, I don't mingle with them much. I meet them when I have to.
Unfortunately, in our country, crying is mistaken for good acting.
The only serious function films can serve is to act as a record of their times.
I feel that cinema can't change society or bring a revolution. I'm also not sure of cinema as a medium of education. Documentaries can be educative, not feature films.
People should know what the India of 2018 was like. They shouldn't end up seeing only Salman Khan films 200 years later. India is not like that.
I am totally for first timers. I always hear them seriously. I have done so many films with first timers, and I've never regretted it.
My agent wanted me to audition for Dumbledore's character after Richard Harris died. I was asked if I would like to audition for it. But I wouldn't audition for it.
I am never comfortable working with stars.
In theatre, there is a unique feeling of everyone working as a team, which you never get in films.
I don't take reviews seriously. I don't even read them. Who is this person blasting forth his opinion? What's his worth, and how different is he from any man on the street?
I don't look at my work as an avenue for generating more work. For me, my work itself is sufficient.