"I just wanted to become somebody. I wanted to change the perception of people towards me. That was the basic reason," said the actor, a known name thanks to his work in "Namesake", "Paan Singh Tomar", and "Maqbool", to name a few.
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".