'I
Don't
Come
From
A
Film
Family
Or
Grew
Up
Watching
How
Actors
Pick
Their
Films'
Q.
Over
the
years,
we
have
noticed
that
your
choices
of
films
have
become
more
defined
irrespective
of
their
box
office
fate;
be
it
Kapoor
&
Sons,
Baar
Baar
Dekho
or
Ittefaq.
What
has
brought
about
that
change
in
you?
A.
I
wouldn't
say
there's
a
change
but
it's
just
a
different
background
that
I
come
from.
I
don't
come
from
a
film
family
or
grew
up
watching
how
actors
pick
their
films.
I
have
my
own
sensibility
and
instinct.
I
am
among
the
younger
and
newer
generation
of
actors
in
the
industry
and
feel
it's
my
responsibility
to
give
the
audience
something
new
with
a
twist
or
at
least
try.
Some
may
work,
some
may
not.
That's
the
attitude
that
comes
inherently
with
not
being
from
the
film
industry.
Q.
You
had
once
mentioned
about
how
you
like
to
involve
yourself
in
the
screenplay
aspect
of
film-making
when
you
are
working
on
a
film.
Did
that
happen
with
Aiyaary
too?
A.
It
depends
on
every
director.
I
think
that
applies
more
to
first-time
directors
with
whom
I
have
worked
with.
I
have
worked
in
a
certain
amount
of
films.
So,
you
put
your
experience
up
forward
and
whether
they
want
to
take
it
is
up
to
them.
In
case
of
Aiyaary,
there
was
no
question
about
doing
that
so.
Neeraj
Pandey
is
somebody
who
is
known
especially
for
his
stories
and
screenplays.
I
am
a
big
fan
of
his
film
'Wednesday' which
didn't
even
have
a
single
filler
scene.
'Aiyaary
Is
My
Most
Relevant
And
Real
Film'
Q.
Your
co-star
Manoj
Bajpayee
said
that
Aiyaary
is
going
to
be
his
career
best
performance.
Do
you
echo
a
similar
sentiment
with
your
act
in
the
film?
A.
I
am
hoping.
I
feel
that
every
film
of
mine
is
a
career
best
film
(laughs)
But
well,
that's
for
the
audience
to
decide.
I
genuinely
feel
Aiyaary
is
my
most
relevant
and
real
film.
First
of
all
it's
a
spy
thriller
and
then
in
that,
it
touches
upon
so
many
subjects
which
are
so
relevant
to
us
in
this
country.
That
makes
it
a
very
interesting
watch.
You
won't
find
anything
fake.
We
ain't
putting
up
anything
just
for
the
sake
of
glamour
quotient
or
the
commercial
aspect.
'Today
I
Have
A
Better
Understanding
Of
The
Relationships
In
The
Industry'
Q.
In
one
of
your
early
interviews,
you
had
spoken
about
how
it
wasn't
easy
for
you
to
connect
with
the
film
industry
because
you
approached
everything
from
a
realistic
point
of
view
as
a
non-film
guy.
Have
things
changed
for
you
over
the
years?
A.
I
think
the
industry
hasn't
changed
but
it's
me
who
has
changed.
(laughs)
One
of
us
had
to.
I
am
more
aware
now
and
have
a
better
understanding
of
the
relationships
in
the
industry
and
how
the
work
functions
here.
That's
exactly
what
growth
means.
Especially
for
me
because
I
have
no
other
reference
in
my
head
or
within
my
family
and
friend
circle.
So,
I
had
to
experience
everything
firsthand.
Only
when
you
experience
a
certain
things,
you
learn
and
understand
and
get
your
method.
Over
the
years,
I
have
been
trying
to
develop
a
instinct
and
work
by
whether
it's
about
picking
the
director
or
story.
I
have
learnt
to
stick
to
my
own
instinct
and
make
my
own
decisions.
'I
Have
Never
Done
Any
Film
Under
Pressure'
Q.
Considering
that
you
have
been
in
the
industry
for
a
fair
amount
of
time
and
have
built
relationships
here
from
the
scratch,
does
it
become
difficult
for
you
to
say
a
'No' to
a
film
without
offending
the
other
person?
A.
No,
I
think
that's
one
advantage
which
I
have
for
not
being
from
the
film
industry.
You
don't
feel
obliged
by
certain
relationships
to
say
'Yes'
to
a
film.
I
have
never
done
any
film
under
pressure.
'Everything
Is
Heightened;
Whether
It's
About
Two
Films
Releasing
Simultaneously
Or
A
Film
Changing
Its
Date'
Q.
Box
office
clashes
ain't
a
new
thing
in
Bollywood.
It
has
been
very
much
prevalent
in
the
industry
for
years.
However
in
the
recent
times,
it
has
become
too
hyped
with
everyone
making
it
a
talking
point.
Why
do
you
think
this
has
happened?
A.
(takes
a
deep
breath)
It's
because
of
social
media,
awareness,
websites
and
media
in
general.
Every
information
is
available.
Sometimes,
even
box-office
is
not
so
well-known.
People
ain't
aware;
they
watched
a
film
for
a
film.
They
didn't
judge
it
on
the
amount
or
number
which
it
made
on
a
Friday.
Just
like
how
that's
changed,
everything
is
heightened.
Whether
it's
about
two
films
releasing
simultaneously
or
a
film
changing
its
date!
The
marketing
strategies
have
changed.
With
times,
things
have
changed
whether
for
the
better
or
the
worse,
we
don't
know.
We
are
currently
living
in
times
where
everything
is
highlighted
and
is
available
for
everyone
to
see.
That's
just
the
current
situation.
I
wouldn't
say
if
it's
good
or
bad.
(pauses)
One
thing
I
would
say
is
that
people
should
watch
the
films
for
the
films
that
they
are
and
not
depend
on
certain
media
information
or
websites
or
other
things
to
influence
their
decision
making.
That's
more
important.
'I
Have
Always
Tried
To
Put
Content
First
Before
My
Role'
Q.
Considering
that
the
content
today
is
a
driving
force
for
the
audience,
does
that
add
a
certain
amount
of
pressure
on
the
actor
when
he/she
is
signing
a
film?
A.
There's
always
a
pressure
on
the
actor
when
he
is
signing
a
film
in
today's
day
and
age.
I
have
always
tried
to
put
content
first
before
my
role
or
anything
else.
The
kind
of
films
that
I
have
done,
be
it
ensemble
or
different
genre,
I
have
always
followed
that
norm.
There's
an
added
pressure
with
the
change
that
the
country
and
the
audience
is
going
through
in
terms
of
their
interest.
It's
up
to
us
whether
we
choose
to
cater
to
that
or
not.
There
are
so
many
different
kinds
of
films
being
made
today.
The
lines
between
parallel
and
commercial
cinema
have
blurred.
It's
purely
up
to
us
as
to
what
pressure
we
have
to
take.
The
pressures
are
both
ways.
'Experiences
Are
Making
Me
Only
Better'
Q.
Lastly,
from
a
quintessential
outsider
to
six
years
of
Sidharth
Malhotra
in
the
industry,
how
would
you
define
your
journey?
A.
It's
just
the
beginning.
As
I
said
before,
everything
is
happening
first
hand.
So,
I
think
these
experiences
are
making
me
only
better.
It's
a
gradual
progression
of
every
kind
of
understanding
whether
it's
on-camera
or
off-camera.
Eventually,
I
am
developing
my
own
instinct
which
I
am
far
relaxed
to
hear
about...which
I
think
I
didn't
have
in
the
beginning
when
it
came
to
having
an
instinct
on
scripts
and
directors.