Puneet Issar

“In 2004, I was visiting my cousins in San Francisco and we were in a restaurant talking in Punjabi. We suddenly saw heads turn. And one of the Americans at the restaurant abused us and called my cousins, 'turban-headed Osamas.' That strengthened my resolve to make a film that highlights the issue.”

“I feel Karna is the noblest character in the 'Mahabharat,' and Duryodhan is reason for the war between cousins.”

“Americans need to embrace Sikhs more and Sikhs need to take the initiative to educate people about their religion.”

“I am an artist. An actor performs, whether it's in front of the camera or a live audience.”

“In prose, if you forget a line, you can say something else in the same context.”

“Duryodhan was a prince fighting for his throne. He was powered by ambition and aspiration. Parshuram is godly. His fight is against injustice at a larger societal level. I've enjoyed playing both the characters.”

“It's wonderful when you're performing and the audience responds to it.”

“Given a chance, I would love to host a television show as I have good communication skills and am fluent in Hindi, English and Urdu.”

“In 2017 I started writing 'Mahabharat An Epic Tale' and it took me two years to write it and prepare the production with Rahul Bhuchar of Felicity theatre, and we launched it on the 17th of Nov 2018 and it was a super success.”

“At a broader level, 'I Am Singh' is an anti-racism film.”

“I have proved myself as an actor and now I want to show my fans that I am a good dancer too by participating in a dance reality show.”

“There is nothing wrong with falling for someone.”

“I used to work out for eight hours a day, which includes running, boxing and martial arts.”

“I feel it's a great challenge to play Raavan.”

“I believe that history is written by the victors, but what about the vanquished? They also have a story to tell.”

“In the heady days that followed the success of 'Mahabharat,' I was young, vain and didn't care much about the story. But in the next two decades, I read a lot on the epic.”

“Age is just a number. It's all in the head.”

“Many star kids constantly get compared to their fathers and are unable to match their parent's mettle. But I am proud to say that my son has taken the legacy forward.”

“As you age, you should be graceful.”

“God has been kind, people have given me a household name. Even after 30 years, they think I am Duryodhana.”