The writing process for me is pretty much always the same - it's a solitary experience.
The writing process is more... it becomes a case of more like a diary for me. I mean, I write stuff down all day whenever I'm experiencing something that I think would be important for me to look at later on. You know, whether it be for writing lyrics or just for a memory, like, 'Oh, my gosh, I can't believe I was feeling that way at that time'.
When I finished reading '100 Years of Solitude,' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I got really sad. I thought, 'This will never happen for me, for the first time, ever again.' Then I opened 'Beauty Is a Wound.' It's a completely different story and writing style, but it has a similar place in my heart now.
Yashraj liked my writing style, and they had a concept in mind, so they hired me to write. That's how 'Luv Ka The End' was born. It was fantastic working with them. They are very professional. For the first time, I did not have to ask for my cheque. It was sent home, in time.
In ways I don't entirely have the words for, an experience, thought or a lesson isn't real for me until I've written down.
I think God has it written down for me, that without training and working hard you will never achieve desired results. All three times I have had to toil my way into the Olympics. Talking about pressure, well that is something you have to learn to deal with in sports.
There's such an adrenaline rush for me on stage and having all these people look at you. There's an adrenaline rush from not having things written down, too.
Littera scripta manet - 'The written word will remain'. That's true, but it won't be that much comfort to me.
I was learning book-keeping at the age of 12, but it never stopped me from pursuing literature. Over the years, I grew to love the written word.
I made the wrong decision myself in my career. I tried to battle against the system. I should have never done that, but I didn't have anybody else who showed me how to do it before. I did everything on instinct.
No officer wants to be involved in a justified use of force proven unnecessary after the fact, any more than soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan wanted to make what proved to be the wrong decision in a shoot-don't-shoot situation. Those decisions, even if justified, live with you forever, believe me.
I'm not religious, I'm not romantic and I live purely by logic. I make every decision by logic and sometimes that leads me to the right and sometimes to the wrong decision.
Everyone knows what it's like to make the wrong decision for the right reasons. For me, wrong decisions are the heart of drama - a character who's always making the right decisions is boring.
For me, romance isn't an over-the-top act. It's someone offering to help and to support me. Or if that person thinks I'm making the wrong decision, he'll tell me. I want him to be honest, because being that honest takes a lot of guts.
Anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur like someone else is actually looking in the wrong direction. You don't look out for inspiration, you look in. You have to ask yourself how can I be better today, at solving the problem I am trying to solve for my company. I wouldn't encourage anyone to be like me. Just be like you.
Every time you think a negative thought, it's one step in the wrong direction, for me.
Nobody's ever asked me to pay for a meal before I've eaten it, I've never been pulled over just because I was driving the wrong kind of car in the wrong kind of area at the wrong time of night.
I've learned to steer away from the wrong kind of woman for me.
Ali even told me in the ring, 'You can't beat me - I'm your Lord.' I just told him, 'Lord, you're in the wrong place tonight.'
When I'm auditioning for something, if it's not me, I really hope the part doesn't go to me. You know what I mean? I don't want to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. If it's me, wonderful. If it's not me, there's space for all of us.
