I was born and brought up in Howrah. In the late Sixties, it was not as well connected with Calcutta as it is today, thanks to the Second Hooghly Bridge. There were ponds and paddy fields and it was far removed from the concrete jungle that it has become today. My father was into theatre. So I also took a keen interest in local jatras from an early age. I first performed on stage at the age of two when my father carried me on his shoulders in one scene.

I was part of a joint family, known as the Mukherjee family of Howrah. We had a huge house and I had many cousins for company. We used to fly kites, swim in the ponds, climb trees and play dang-guli, marbles and football with a tennis ball. It was such fun.

I never got into any kind of mischief though I loved to live life beyond the prescribed syllabus. I was forever cycling or jumping into the ponds for a swim. I was so fond of watching films that I went to see one just the day before my maths paper during the Madhyamik exam. Fortunately, I did well and cleared all my papers.

I have always been close to my mother but father has always been an inspiration for us — me and my younger brother, Neel. We both shared the same bed till I passed my Madhyamik exam and I shared a fantastic equation with him even though he is seven years my junior. He used to be very stubborn but I took advantage of my physical strength to overpower him, almost always.

From Howrah we moved to Hastings in Calcutta in the Eighties. I experienced the first pangs of separation as I entered a different world altogether.

I was selected to study drama in the US but did not have the funds required. So I responded to an advertisement in a magazine and my world changed thereafter. I was able to bag a scholarship to go to the US for further studies. That reiterated my belief that if you really want to do something you can always do it, provided you try hard enough.