Paresh Rawal

Yes, Gujaratis are humorous but that's not all there is to them. Gujaratis are independent, determined and very hardworking.

I like simple home-cooked food.

I want to make sensible commercial films.

I have done films only for the sake of money and sometimes, I have been duped into believing that the film is a sensible project.

Anyone in any part of the country will connect with 'Laagi'... because it has very strong emotions.

If my son is not performing well, I would not pelt stone on him - this is not the way a Hindustani behaves.

I am tired of doing stupid comedies. Though comedy has given me the breakthrough in the industry, I constantly feel the need to grow.

We knew no matter how well 'Phir Hera Pheri' does, it would always be compared to 'Hera Pheri.' Yet, we took it as a challenge.

I enjoy doing all kinds of roles, but I don't want to be restricted to comedy alone.

No actor can rise above the script of the film.

Ever since I got to know how easily skin donation can save the lives of serious burns patients, I have felt strongly about the issue.

Any role that is well-written, exciting and something that I am comfortable with interests me whether it's comic or tragic. It could be in a film, play or TV.

I'm fortunate to have got the opportunity to play interesting characters.

I admired actors like Dilip Kumar and Om Puri as a kid and acting was all I ever thought about.

In theatre, after the curtain rises, it's all about me. I can either elevate myself with my performance or be mediocre.

Theatre is an actor's medium while a film is the director's.

I have met Sunil Dutt-ji two or three times and though I don't have a special memory of these meetings, I know that he was a gentleman and a fantastic human being.

I would love to be part of dark comedies. I love them! They are no-nonsense, no spoonfeeding, and the norms and cliches are left behind.

It is good if newcomers have a theatre background. It helps in films.

If you look back on my career, I scared a lot of people with my villainous role in 'Naam.'

An actor can give his best shot but the script and dialogues have to have punch to make it more effective.

I believe that people should believe people around them, they should treat each other with kindness.

When it comes to me I follow the religion of humanity.

It's not whether I believe in God, but it's whether He believes in me.

Unlike films, theatre allows you to experiment as an actor, which is fulfilling.

Charlie Chaplin was known to be an acrimonious person. Not that I compare myself to him but I am quite brusque, too.

It's difficult to adopt mannerism of a real-life person and even add the nuances of your acting into it.

Sanjay Dutt is a prankster and brings life to the sets.

I have full confidence in Modi and his policies. Just like Gujarat, he will transform India.

The country needs a leader like Modi. He should come to the national level politics.

To make anything successful, you need a good writer.

As an actor, the experience that I have as a politician while sitting in Parliament - that helps me enrich myself as an actor. But I am an actor first.

I have enjoyed doing some films as they were well written like 'Andaz Apna Apna,' 'Hera Pheri' and 'Cheeni Kum.' These films were high on the comedy quotient as the characters were creating a comic situation.

Writing a comedy script is a difficult thing. I think if someone is attempting a comedy and then they fail then it's understood.

I know very well that I can never look like PM Modi.

Harin Pathak is like my elder brother.

I frequently visit Ahmedabad. My sister lives here.

I have done too many movies but too little variety.

I will never stop performing on stage.

It is not necessary to have a good sense of humour personally to do comedy well.

I began my career with Gujarati and Hindi plays in 1973.

My middle class values are intact.

I understand that everything is dictated by market value. But cinema is also an art. It saddens me to see great talent languishing for lack of proper roles.

Every time my capability as an actor would be questioned, I would put in double the effort.

I never felt like running away from my dreams.

Mumbai and Gujarat are the two places that can be termed as the capital of theatre.

Theatre has always been my passion. It never happened to me that theatre took a back seat in my life. I have never stopped doing it even after joining the film industry, and I intend to perform it lifelong.

I love Delhi for its historical value and the variety of food it offers.

I don't think kids of actors become good actors but exceptions are always there.

I cannot even open an umbrella properly. How could I ever have been a civil engineering student?