Anil Kapoor says it has become "cooler" for actors to work on one or two films a year, something that did not exist when he started out in Bollywood.
The actor said he used to feel like a misfit as he preferred to "prepare" for his parts.
"People used to say that I'm artsy. Some used to call me a 'jhola wala' actor. They used to say that I prepare a lot for a character. Hard work was considered negative at that time. I think we should appreciate people who work hard.
"Now this has become cooler. It's a good thing if an actor works hard and does only one film in two years. Earlier, if we did one film at a time, people would say that he has no work," the actor said in a panel discussion with film critic Rajeev Masand during the ongoing Jagran Film Festival.
Kapoor, who successfully transitioned to meaningful character roles because he always chose films instinctively.
"The reason I did some of the films was the story. There were so many where the director felt that the other actors or actresses had a better role. I have never looked at it that way because if a film is successful then the media and the trade will try to built a cast system around it," he said.
"I have never bothered about it. It used to affect me a little bit (earlier) but I always knew what my instinct was when I signed the film. I have so many examples where the films were successful because I went not for my role but for the overall story which was very good," he added.
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