Quotes from Irrfan Khan

I've played many characters that have consumed me and owned me.

Hollywood isn't ready for an Indian leading man.

I can't think of a more pathetic situation for an actor than to do a film and not connect to it. And I pray to God that I never face that situation.

The sign of a good society is where talent is respected.

I don't want to do romantic roles where I have to lip sync to a song. A role that explores romance on a new level would suit me.

You cannot reduce the power of story with the tag of money because it's not a share market. So you must know the seriousness of the power of storytelling.

Cinema is changing every week, and multiplex audiences are demanding every week.

I am lucky that the Western world chooses me to play roles in their movies an television, whatever language it may be.

For me, acting is becoming naked in front of people, you know? And when you know in the back of your mind somebody is testing you, you cannot really bare yourself. That's a feeling I always have when I'm auditioning.

When you come out of the theatre and you don't even talk about that film or remember it, then it disappoints me.

In India, therapy is not part of the culture; it has not become such a big need.

It's always an inner wish of every actor to reach out to maximum audiences.

We don't have a culture of realistic acting in India.

I can recite poetry, but I cannot write it.

I cannot live anywhere else except India.

A film engages you emotionally and intellectually.

Sometimes when you're playing a very intense character, a disturbed character, you find other layers. That's much more interesting to me, rather than just playing 'intense.' I find it too boring.

What happens with every role, you have to trick yourself, you have to creatively find ways to explore the mental state of your character.

Maybe to become famous is to reassure yourself that whatever you're lacking inside, you've fulfilled that.

I've realized that my... let me call it 'destiny' or some force that has pushed me to identify looking for your comfort zone as a kind of limitation. And everybody has a tendency to fall into the comfort zone. I did that in the early stage of my career.

I will only do a Hollywood film when there is something special offered to me.

I was going through a crisis once, so I went to therapy because I was so unbearable for myself.

I am not ready to fit into the mould of commercial cinema.

Our Bollywood stars who talk of being part of 100 crore films, I think I belong to the 1,000 crore club.