Overview

• He told Esquire India he was paid ₹1,000 weekly by an unnamed producer who, he says, required ten cheek kisses with each payment.
• He describes much of the 1990s as a learning period dominated by second- and third-lead roles and uneven films.
• He notes marrying at 21 and becoming a father by 25, which he says heightened his need for steady income.
• He cites an early-2000s pivot with films like Dil Chahta Hai and a later dramatic showcase in Omkara as markers of his turnaround.
• He recently rewatched two decades of his films and remains active with Netflix’s Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins, with Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan up next.