I’m a Mumbai boy and was well-acquainted with Bollywood even in my early childhood. Having filmmakers Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt as uncles ensured that I was familiar with the Hindi film industry early in life.

However, my interest lay in animation. So, after graduating from Mumbai’s Sydenham College I did a course in animation. Around this time my uncles asked me to join filmmaker Vikram Bhatt as an assistant director for the film Raaz (2002), and I agreed.

The first turning point in my life was my decision to become an actor. I was 22 years old and it was a major resolve because I’d never wanted to be an actor before this. I remember Mahesh uncle trying to convince me to give acting a shot during the making of Raaz. But I refused, preferring to stay behind the camera.

However, his plans for me prevailed and I debuted with Footpath in 2003, which didn’t fare well. But I decided to move on and not get bogged down by this. Luckily, my second film, Murder, was a hit and gave me the confidence to continue as an actor. Soon offers began to pour in. I played the lead in films like Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005), Gangster (2006) and Jannat (2008). I also shared the screen with Ajay Devgn in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010).

The most defining moment in my career has been Mohit Suri’s Murder 2 which has made over Rs 35 crore and has been my biggest hit till date. I’ve just finished shooting Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai and am currently working on Milan Luthria’s Dirty Picture and Kunal Deshmukh’s Informer. All the characters I’ve played are special to me and I always look for roles that are interesting, edgy and different.

(As told to Lubna Salim)