For Irrfan, it was all about being famous

Mumbai: Irrfan, known as one of the best performers in the country, says as a child his only motive was to become famous and change people's perception towards him.

"I just wanted to become somebody. I wanted to change the perception of people towards me. That was the basic reason," said the actor, who is known for his work in 'Namesake', 'Paan Singh Tomar', 'Maqbool' and most recently 'Life of Pi'.

The 46-year-old, who was speaking at the launch of author Vikas Swarup's book 'Accidental Apprentice, added: "Initially, I wanted to become famous - be it a player or whatever. But I didn't get any support from my family."

Irrfan states that the wide open field that acting is, led him to pursue a career in Bollywood.

"When I was a kid, I used to think that there are 11 players (in cricket) so there is a limitation. Then I thought actors can be many, there is no limit and you have to work on yourself as there is nobody to choose you and your talent can become a weapon. So, that's how I chose acting," he said.

Irrfan will soon be seen in Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns'.