MUMBAI MIRROR (June 1, 2012)

 

Before I became an actor, I was a ruffian who spent his time out on the streets. In fact, my mother felt I’d never make much of my life. Not that I cared. I was a model and happy with it.

Hero just happened to me. I never had any expectations, so I never went through any struggle. I had approached Subhash Ghai a year earlier for a henchman’s role opposite Sanjay Dutt in Vidhaata but he turned me down saying the role had been given to Gautam Sarin. Then someone took me to Saawan Kumar Tak for a role as Anil Kapoor’s friend in Laila. But Saawanji wanted me to shave off my beard. And I couldn’t do that because I was sporting a stubble for Dev Anand saab’s Swami Dada, where I played a henchman.

Asha Chandraji, a famous star trainer suggested I join her classes and I thought, why not? It was while attending her classes that I met composer Usha Khannaji’s brother Ashok Khanna, who was very close to Subhash Ghai. When I went to meet him, he asked me if I’d like to play the hero. I laughed it off and left. I think he’d seen my Charminar ad and liked my look. Some days later, I was loitering with my friends at a café called Gaylord when the phone rang. I don’t know why but I knew it was for me. Subhash told me I was on for his film Hero. My reaction was… okay. Like I said, I had no expectations from myself. I don’t know why Subhash chose me. Maybe because my real life personality was close to the hoodlum I play in the film.

In real life, I was known by More >