Abhimanyu Singh

Even though I have been receiving offers left, right and centre, I have been a little choosy about my projects.

The police or any higher authority should never try and criminalise people for their sexuality. It is something that is to great extent given by God.

It does take a lot of time to establish yourself with your own hard work.

Srideviji is a powerhouse performer. She has been my favourite actor since my college days and to share screen space with her is a dream come true for me.

Playing a sadhu is not easy at all.

After my debut in 2001 in 'Aks,' where I had a small part, I had to work really hard to get work in the industry. For almost three years, I had no work.

I was introduced to the world of films by Manoj Bajpayee and trained under theatre actor Makrand Deshpande.

I have stopped expecting from films. What I expect never happens.

Luckily, 'Rakta Charitra' did well in the South and I started getting a lot offers from the Tamil and Telegu film industry.

I know Sanskrit, which has similarities with Tamil, so it helps me understand the language.

I guess some characters always remain the same, and Macbeth is one of them.

People in the South want heroes to be their own, whereas it is easier for them to accept a villain who hails from another state.

Eventually, after the hero and heroine, it is the antagonist who comes with the most anticipation in any film.

The first thing that strikes a person when it comes to Southern film industries is the hard work, professionalism and the punctuality that people religiously adhere to.

Sandalwood is a force to reckon with. People from all over are investing time and money here because the films have good reach and reap good rewards as well.

I used my television phase to save myself as an actor for the bigger screen.

A run-of-the-mill bad guy role does not satisfy me creatively.

As a boy from Patna, I've always dreamt of a chance to showcase my talent.

The first two days that I rode a horse, I had someone controlling it with a rope around its neck.

It's not easy trying to get into the psyche and behaviour patterns, which are far removed from one's own personality. Some intense characters linger long after it's over on screen.

Acting gives you freedom to express your thoughts.

In 'Rakht Charitra,' I had equal screen space to that of the lead.

10 Endradhukulla' is a thriller and the characters are all on the run. The film travels from South India traversing through the North, to the mountains where the climax takes place. Mine is a different kind of character; he is very suave and stylish and only later it is discovered that he is not what he looks like.

People in the South are very organised and are thorough professionals besides being good paymasters. They are very disciplined and start and wrap up work on time.

I can't begin to tell you what a pleasure it was to work with Vikram. He is such a brilliant actor and so hassle-free.

The first eight years in Mumbai were specially tough. I knew during the first two months of my stay that there's no point waiting for hours to meet producers. They won't meet you and definitely won't give you a role.

I decided to do theatre intensely. I joined Makarand Deshpande's group Ansh. He became my guru. That's where I met Anurag Kashyap and Kay Kay Menon. These were the people who supported and inspired me.

I'd have gone berserk if I hadn't met Sargam Singh, an actress who soon became my wife. Within a year of our marriage our daughter Ameli was born. Sargam gave up her career to look after me and our daughter.

When you work with Vikram, you give your best. It brought out the best in me.

Not many people know that it was Manoj Bajpayee who recommended me for a role in 'Aks.'

More than anything else it pleases me to know I've made people back home in Bihar proud of me.

I'm very much a family person.

Mythologicals and historicals have always found takers in India. The audience identifies with them and they make for good family viewing.

Rohit Shetty liked my acting in the movie 'Theeran,' which released in 2017. He believed that I would justify the role of a baddie in 'Sooryavanshi.'

I believe films are the mirror of society we live in.

Personally, I believe that playing the lead antagonist is always better than a character artiste, whose weightage isn't much.

I was pleasantly surprised that south directors started creating roles for me after watching 'Rakta Charitra.'

Acting in different languages doesn't stop you from growing; on the contrary, for an artiste, it helps a lot.

Getting back into shape is always a difficult task for me.

I have done a lot of television serials in order to make ends meet.

In Bollywood, it is common for shoots to have unexpected delays and go well into the night, but shoot schedules in the South are mostly wrapped up by evening, unless absolutely required.

There is no such thing as playing someone else's character. Every actor takes a character and makes it his/her own while enacting it on screen.

It is a big deal to play the antagonist in a Rohit Shetty film.

Karthi is such a wonderful human being. He is always focused towards improvisations and keeps working on it.

I think once you get noticed as an actor you get roles irrespective of the characters you portray.

I have always tried to portray each role as differently as possible.

I have learnt the hard way that neither success nor failure last forever.

Gulaal' gave me a chance to channelise my restlessness into a character that had layers of complexity.

I realised that if I wanted to act, I needed to join theatre where I could improve my acting skills first and also show my talent.

I'm not the type who will go and ask people for roles.