The first turning point in my life was meeting — and falling in love with Pearl. I was 19 and knew immediately that I wanted to marry her. My parents flatly refused and told me that I could marry her only if I left home. I was just out of college and I didn’t have a job. But I realised that I really was a spoilt brat and decided to start earning a living. I joined an advertising agency and within two to three years I left home to marry Pearl.

The second turning point came when I was offered the role of MA Jinnah in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. I was also a theatre actor at the time and the money that they offered me was really paltry. I asked for more but they refused. It was at this point that my elder daughter Raell told me not to let go of the opportunity and to take up the challenge — which I thankfully did. As a result, just from being a stage actor I was catapulted to the international scene and that too with a movie that won nine Academy Awards. Whenever I travelled abroad, I was well recognised and sometimes even referred to as ‘Mr Jinnah’. So, this role brought a lot of recognition.

The other significant point in my life was when I decided to retire from Lintas, the advertising agency that I was heading, and began working as a consultant. Of course, I was a bit nervous as I was starting out on my own. This was certainly the most interesting phase of my life. It made me realise that unless you take a risk you will never know your strengths. I live by what Friedrich Nietzsche said: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

My first marriage to Pearl was a turning point. So, was my second and so too my third. I loved getting married and I loved the three divorces as well. Another turning point now is that I have decided never to get married again.