He may have played over-the-top characters in films, but off the screen, actor Dhanush is calm and he likes to speak less. Talking about his approach towards acting, he tells us, “I am a very competitive person. Even if I am playing video games with my children, I compete with them without mercy. But, you should know where to compete and what to compete for.”

The 38-year-old’s third Hindi outing, Atrangi Re, released recently. After Shamitabh (2015), in which he was seen alongside actor Amitabh Bachchan, he shared screen space with actors Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali Khan in the new film. Dhanush says he has no apprehensions about sharing the screen, “I’ve always been comfortable. Sara is hardworking and dedicated. She gave her everything for the character, Rinku. It was nice to see a youngster, who has done just three films, put everything on the line and understand the value of the jackpot character she had landed.”

Meanwhile, his film choices have been great over the years. In fact, he’s won two National Film Awards as an actor. But he surprises us when he says he didn’t even read the script of Atrangi Re before signing it: “It’s Aanand L Rai (filmmaker), that’s it! I don’t need any more details. I have immense faith in him and Himanshu Sharma (writer), and if they insist they need me for a story, I’ll know it is something special. Himanshu had mentioned about the plot when we were doing (Raanjhanaa; 2013) eight years ago.”