Quotes from Neeraj Kabi

I like to enter my characters through a physical form first. The first thing I find is the regime of the character - when he wakes up tomorrow, what activities does this person engage in - that's my entry point. Once I get that, then it becomes easy for me.

Adopting mannerisms is called mimicry. That is not a good way to do things. You don't start to imitate somebody, the way he walks and talks, that is a very irrelevant element of acting.

If the way I've performed a scene isn't to the director's liking, I discuss it, try to understand why he doesn't like it, and incorporate the suggestions. But sometimes I also take a very strong stand.

I like to play Gandhi, but I've got tired of it, though not bored of it. I have to go through the physicality of losing weight.

For me, theatre and cinema are both pillars of an actor's life; I'd feel very half-baked if I was only doing one and not the other.

Relationships have become like pizza and coke, which might look fancy but has nothing good to offer.

The audience basically likes complex characters, and bringing out the complexities is the actor's job. The audience doesn't have the script, the actor does.

My biggest inspiration has been life for me. Basic survival has been my biggest teacher. Surviving in Mumbai for so many years has been a huge ordeal.

The struggle is to sustain the quality. When I look at my work and the kind of responses I'm blessed with, I feel I need to do so much more.

To be honest, making films is so expensive and their shelf life is limited. On the web, content remains... you can watch it after five, eight, 10 years... There's a huge audience and content on the web is accessible at the click of a phone.

There's a lot of opportunity on the web that you couldn't imagine some years ago. People are experimenting at a fast rate.

I don't know if I can call myself the poster boy. But yes, I am fortunate that a lot of work that I did was on the web. It has definitely got me some really good roles and a great audience.

You have to train yourself, think, contemplate, and work on your craft every day.

I'm a self-taught actor, which means that I had to learn everything on my own, as I wanted to know the craft deeper and deeper.

I put a lot of pressure on myself, I can't say today is a bad day, I can't do that to myself. Whatever it takes, I have to deliver a scene.

Money is very important to me, but its source is important too. As of now, I can say that I will never ever do films that demands me to sell my craft.

I like characters that are complex. I don't like people who are simple to play and are either black or white.

I didn't want to get into any Amazon Prime Video show just like that. I was waiting for a big series to come where the script is good, the role is good and where there's great talent.

I'm not a method actor. The techniques that I follow have been created and practiced in my own journey, ones that I have researched, formed and invented.

I'm trying to do work that makes meaning and sense to me and the audience. But I have no qualms. I'm always willing to be a part of commercial cinema.

The cast you are working with is important because it involves a give-and-take relationship. For me, when you have strong performers, multiple things happen, the magic of creation happens. That's where you build the craft.

When you watch me on the screen, you should not be able to recognise me. If people say, you're a natural and an organic actor, that's an insult. If you're being yourself all the time on screen, that means you don't know how to act.

I remember watching 'The Lunchbox' that released around the same time 'Ship Of Theseus'. Both films found space in the independent cinema circuit. But at a personal level, 'The Lunchbox' is one of the favourite films.

There are many actors who have not been trained, but self-taught means one cannot be limited. It means you're continuously learning.