Pankaj Kapur

As a kid I wanted to be a pilot.

When you get confidence from your director, as an actor, it is all a matter of how your director says, 'This is how much I can get out of you.'

I might not do it again and again, but I would like to test waters which are considered forbidden for me. It is a human tendency.

If you have to make a story in 10 rupees or you know that at this stage you can get only 10 rupees then you cut down on your expenses. But when one has made four-five films one likes to broaden the horizons.

We compare everything with what is being done in the West. Even the film reviews are written like that. It is sad because we are trying to belittle ourselves.

I have been fortunate to get different types of work, but by and large till 90s for actors like me there were not many opportunities besides playing brother of the heroine or friend of the hero or young college villain after the earlier new wave was consumed by television.

From the initial days of my career I have always given importance to two things. One is to heed to directors instructions and the other is to have faith on my action director.

I was required to jump from a parachute into a lake and for this I was dangled in the air 100 feet above the ground with the help of a harness. It was scary in the beginning as I had never attempted such a thing before.

The desire to hear a story, and a story well told, triumphs over Internet, film and television sometimes.

I have been rather selective, doing not more than two or thee films a year, so that leaves me with plenty of time to prep for my plays and theatre activities.

The Urdu or Hindustani language we use isn't popular in theatre these days. It was a language that was being used in cinema from the 1950s until the '80s. It is a very communicative language.

It's a bit unusual that I'm the novelist and the actor who is reading out his own material.

My real uncle was a pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF). I was very enamored with him because he had a great personality. He used to look dashing in his uniform.

There is a perception that I do certain kind of films. That's not true. I am open to any good scripts with a good role.

My first love and my first instinct are acting.

I believe your children should work on their own and make a name for themselves. By doing this they become confident. My parents did this with me and I tried to do the same with my children.

I think younger generation is much smarter than us. I am happy and proud of my kids.

Television has been a powerful medium and it has been a huge part of my life at least 15 years.

If offered a good role, I would like to work in a good Punjabi film. This land has produced great writers, poets and actors.

I became a writer out of the desire to express myself.

In India, writers are underpaid. Universities should start new courses to create more opportunities for them.

I was looking to play different characters, and films didn't offer many choices.

So, 50 films, 3 National Awards, 74 plays and serials later, here I am playing Professor Das in JL50,' who understands time travel. When in reality, I'm not tech savvy at all.

While pursuing engineering, my passion for theatre grew. So, I told dad I wanted to pursue acting - 'Do you really want to be an actor or are you drawn to the glamour?' he asked. I convinced him of my passion and applied to film schools.

Delhi is where I began practising theatre, it is always special to perform in the capital.

Every actor must go through the process of learning and not just be in a hurry to become famous. They should learn to live in small amounts and not to try and copy others.

Children should be kept as normal as possible. At a very young age, they are not even aware of the happenings around them. You need to do whatever you can to grow them normally.

I know that people in Dubai are particularly well read, educated and intelligent and that the audience in front of me will come looking forward to an evening that is different from watching a film. That is the kind of crowd that goes to a theatre or a play and I am hoping to see many of them in Dubai.

Even Dopehri,' if somebody has a bit of imagination, the way it's written, they will be able to see that it's a screenplay with dialogues.

Most of the theatre work that you see in India is very verbose and the visual is whatever you can create on stage.

In a play, a few actors perform a few characters, and they need to perform those characters with a certain level of believability so that audiences can actually understand and see them as those characters.

There were certain things that I tried to do on 'Karamchand.' Initially, they were hated, but eventually everyone loved the characterization.

I admit TV is a far cry from the films that I started my career with, like 'Ek Doctor Ki Maut.' It's like reading Chekov and then going on to a comic strip.

I agree I'd like to do more work. But the right kind of roles has to be offered to me. I'm not saying the roles need to be realistic all the time, though that's what I like connecting with on screen.

I admit I'm choosy. That's because I like to concentrate on what I'm doing.

As an actor you are supposed to do some kind of action in case it is required. I remember this sequence where I was pulled up by a wire 100 ft above the ground. This was my first time that I was hung with a wire and I was a bit scared. But I must say it was a very beautiful experience looking down at everybody from a height.

I believe that the performance of my actors is of utmost importance to make a good film.

If you continue working hard and be honest towards your work, then success will come.

My wife and I often have debates about who studied in a better school and when I list KVM alumni, she kind of loses the argument.

When I was doing theatre in Mumbai, actors won't come because they had television. For many years, I did theatre religiously and in Mumbai, I saw people disrespecting it and it hurt me very badly.

The director needs to have a vision and clarity in his mind. It's not enough to know the story, he or she should have the knowledge and efficiency to execute it articulately.

Small events and some songs and dance do not make a film. A film needs to have a proper structure and there has to be an output which would be relevant to people who watch it.

I have always taken up films that I like. And in the process if I have done films which bring out something that could do society good, I think it's great.

As an actor, I am not comfortable with an artificial beard.

To be very objective, I am here in this field for thirty five years, and I always knew that Shahid has an incredible capability as an actor.

'Jersey' is a very strong story and is driven by emotions.

Content-driven films can make money - something that is gripping, is a journey of revelation and is relevant is cinema.

Over centuries, we have attached too many meanings to religion.

I must say that Bengaluru has been one of the best places where I've performed and I would love to associate with the theatre scene here on a personal level.

If you want a good play and a show, you need time to prep for it. Artistes must be allowed to practice without being charged for the practice sessions. Let the auditorium charge for the tickets.