I began my journey as a captain when I was just 21-22 and leading the Indian side for so many years has helped me also grow as a person. My growth as a person pretty much has happened on the ground along with teammates.
All the losses that I had, I think they were important, just because it helped me grow as a fighter, helped me grow as a person.
There's nothing about my NBA journey that I would change - the teams, the cities, the teammates, the fans have all helped me grow into the player and person that I've become. Every time I moved, I saw the bright side. Always, I saw opportunity.
In Telugu, they treat an actor or actress with great importance, and the Kannada industry is like home for me, I feel most comfortable working here.
You say the character [of Leo Bloom] was meek and insecure, and you could've been describing me as well. I was a very shy person in those days, and working with Zero [Mostel], who was bigger than life, helped me grow. Zero was a strong influence on me.
I still can't believe that I was accepted by Telugu audiences because I don't know Telugu. Without knowing me, the Telugu people gave me their unconditional love.
In Telugu filmdom, audiences like to see their hero dance, fight and play a larger-than-life character. It's precisely why most of our commercial films do extremely well and get remade too.
True, I was born and raised in Chennai, fluent in Tamil, but essentially, I am a Telugu guy and a Telugu actor.
It's empowering and uplifting to hear the Special Olympics athletes share their journey and what's helped them to get to where they are today. I had no idea how much I'd learn and grow by taking part in Special Olympics. It's made me think about my own journey and what's important in life.
I started to see acting as a real science. That really helped me grow as an actor.
I've had so many coaches that have helped me along the way through my journey, who understand me and know me as a person.
My past has helped me grow as a person.
It's important for me, when looking at a role, to decide whether or not to take the journey of that character. Will I grow as an actress? And will I grow as a person?
Working with Sukumar was amazing. He's someone who trusts his actors and allows them to experiment with dialogues and scenes. When you're working with him, you learn a lot subconsciously, and that helped me in discovering the actor within.
Acting changed my life. I say God and then acting. Because becoming an actor, I've gained a new respect for humanity. And I believe that it's also helped me to grow as a person. It's been one of the biggest blessings and expressions that I could have ever been gifted with.
I've just grown as a person. I think that's what helped me grow as an artist.