One of the major turning points in my life came when I met Chandni (who I later married), on a trip to Pakistan in early 2004. I had gone to Karachi with ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh for a performance at the Mohatta Palace that was once the residence of Fatima Jinnah, Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s sister. Today, this has been converted into a museum. Even on our first meeting, I knew that Chandni was my soulmate and we were married the following year. This had huge and positive repercussions on my professional life later.

I was born in Karachi and had moved to UK as a six-year-old with my parents, and so held a British passport. When I was about nine, we shifted to Mumbai where I studied and subsequently worked. Marriage to a Pakistani woman, who was of Pakistani origin, meant that staying in India was no longer an option. So, we decided to move to the UK. This shift opened up many more vistas on the professional front.

My children have also changed my life completely. In 2006 when my wife was in her third trimester, I decided to participate in the Mumbai Marathon (which I do each year) since there was some time to go before the delivery. I left for Mumbai and the baby decided to arrive early and I missed being there by my wife’s side. So, when my wife was expecting our second baby in 2009, I wanted to make sure that I was there. But around then I was on a 25-day outdoor shoot I negotiated with the producers and went home to London for a couple of days. My daughter arrived on February 14 and it was definitely the best Valentine’s Day of my life.

At this juncture of my life, I’m balanced between my latest movie, Don 2, as well a reality show, Foodistan. I’m standing on an edge, just waiting for the waves of change to turn my life around — yet again.

(As told to Saimi Sattar)