My father was in the army and I had a very strict upbringing. I was taught that serving the nation was a priority and so my parents wanted me to join the defence forces. At one point of time I dreamt of becoming a fighter pilot. However, by the time I was in Class 10, I was clear that I wanted to be an actor.

After graduating in English Literature from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College in Delhi I went on to study business management at Delhi University. After this I did my Masters in journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

I moved to Mumbai in 1996 to realise my dream of becoming an actor. The first five years were a struggle and my first role was that of a dead body in the serial Andaaz, produced by Himesh Reshammiya for Zee TV. It was the serial Shanti - Ek Aurat Ki Kahani that turned the spotlight on me.

But the most significant turning point came in 2001 when I bagged a role in Ekta Kapoor’s Kyunki... Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi in which I played the role of Anupam Kapadia. The character soon became a household name and it got me instant recognition. After this, offers started pouring in and five months later I became the host of the game show, Khul Ja Sim Sim.

I had made my foray into Bollywood before Kyunki... happened. Mahesh Bhatt and Tanuja Chandra liked my work and cast me in Sangharsh opposite Preity Zinta in 1999. I have also acted in Ravi Chopra’s Baghban and Baabul, Mahesh Manjrekar’s Pran Jaaye Par Shaan Na Jaaye, Raj Kanwar’s Andaaz and Shirish Kunder’s Jaan-E-Mann: Let’s Fall in Love... Again.

I am now looking forward to the release of Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. I play the comic role of a cop who is constantly trying to nab Akshay. I am currently also playing a negative role in the soap Na Aana Is Des Laado. I believe in doing good work and I am constantly working towards improving my acting skills.

(As told to Lubna Salim)