Quotes from Farhan Akhtar

I think if I had a choice, I'd like to be in a film with De Niro.

When I made my debut as an actor in 'Rock On!' I was confident to get in front of the camera.

The more time you have, you should dedicate it to do creative work.

Every movie gets exactly what it deserves.

To me, 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' is definitely a landmark. It has taught me so much.

I am a boring looking guy with a common face, ugly scars and a toothy smile.

A corrupt society is terrible for humanity and great for business.

Hrithik is the go-to guy for queries related to diet. He is great with expressions and is funny in real life. I wonder why someone hasn't cast him in a comic role yet.

I think it is important to time yourself to make the right choices. It's not responsible to go ahead and say a 'yes' or 'no' on a whim.

It's only when a project or film doesn't work, that you think about what you could have done differently - whether you chose unwisely, or was there something in your application in that role, as an actor, as a director or as a producer, that you could have done better.

Definitely, I feel that there is a need for more female producers, directors, and writers.

Difficulty does not deter me. In fact, I find challenges exciting.

There is a certain highlighting of issues, be it emotional, be it social, or simply an entertainment one: they can be written or directed by a woman differently, with a different voice. I feel that their voice needs to be given more stage and more space.

I'm a bit of an extremist.

Film festivals are important, as they often provide an opportunity to look at a film from a fresh perspective.

When you go to a film set, of course you're going to do your job, and you're excited about being there, but you somehow feel fatigued that you are just doing this day in and day out.

The first time I re-discovered the joy of watching an action movie was when I saw 'Die Hard.' It was a completely simple plot - a guy goes to meet his wife, and the building gets taken over by terrorists - but I was completely blown away. Great characters, and it moved along really fast.

Music was something I had put aside to make movies. Somehow I earlier felt there was only so much creative energy allotted to your life and only that much time to pursue your creativity. But I was wrong.

You have to be grateful for what you have, but you're always pushing further.

Filmmaking, whatever the window dressing or the scale of a film may be, is eventually about telling a story.

After 'Rock On!,' when I started acting, and I sang in the film, people asked me, 'What was the need to sing in your film?' and things like that. I really don't have an answer for it. In terms of what made me do it? It just felt like the right thing to do.

If I don't work out, I lose weight instead of gaining it.

Even within escapist cinema, if you find a good story to tell, it will do well.

It amazes me how much noise there is on a set while people are trying to focus and do their jobs. But there's some kind of order within that chaos.