Tom Wilkinson says his approach to acting is “crude”.

The star portrays Graham in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which follows a group of ageing people from the UK as they travel to India. The think their hotel will be luxurious, but it isn’t as expected when they arrive.

Graham is at a turning point in his life and Tom has explained how he prepared for the part.

“My approach to what I do is surprisingly crude,” he told Cover Media. “If it’s well written you don’t have to beat it all up. I was intrigued by the idea of someone wanting to go back to the point when he felt his life changed. I’m interested by the idea of the idea of a life divided… going in the other direction, is it possible to reclaim that happiness.”

While Graham loves India, Tom wasn’t as enamoured. He struggled with how busy the country was and wasn’t prepared for it to be so different from England.

“It’s vast, you really know the meaning of culture shock. My character is meant to relate to India in a way that I can’t. But that’s OK. I didn’t get a sense of an awful place, I just thought, ‘How can people live like this?’” he recalled.

Tom adapted to his surroundings and got though filming fine. However, he has no burning desire to repeat the process in the future.

“I wouldn’t go back voluntarily but I wouldn’t be scared of going back,” he explained. “People are so paranoid about people getting food poisoning they put you up in these palatial hotels. It makes it worse, you’re living in the lap of luxury. It’s a land of contrast.”

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is out in the UK on February 24.