Mumbai, Jul 24 (IANS): Actor Pankaj Tripathi, who is known to bring realism into his roles, says an artiste is meant to understand the character's world view, social status and impact on his emotional status.

"As an actor, immersing yourself into a character is not just about delivering a few lines perfectly in front of the camera. An artiste is meant to understand the character's world view, their social status, demographic and impact on his emotional status, his inner complexes that stem from it, his vulnerabilities and so on," he said.

"An artiste's profession is such that by virtue of their work, there's leg room for them to think beyond their own selves. Often an actor is so immersed in his character, it affects him to the point where he becomes one with the pains and joys of the character," he said.

He added that such experiences enrich an actor to be a "better person because then you are able to condition yourselves to look beyond your own interest. It creates kindness and empathy in artistes".

"Artistes are thus more sensitive to emotions, struggles, complexes," he pointed out.

He says that actors are able to gauge human psyche better because their job trains them to study "human behaviour".

"It's my belief that playing diverse parts and being an artiste creates a better human being. You stand for something beyond yourself and are able to be empathetic towards people's crises, heartbreaks, weaknesses and strengths," he added.