I remember distinctly that when I was a child I used to say that I will be a big actor one day. It may sound strange, but even my mother would sometimes say: ‘‘This boy will become a big man someday.’’ It was funny because I used to be very ugly.

My father was interested in theatre and I started acting with his encouragement. We passed through very difficult days as we had very little money. I used to say, ‘‘I am Alladin’s lamp — I shall rub myself and get whatever I want.’’

Sometimes I feel that my fun days — which people usually have in their childhood — have come to me now. Whatever I was not able to do as a child, I am doing now. I go down now and play cricket with the kids in the compound. I could not afford fun in my childhood, but I can now.

I used to fight a lot with my brother. I was a good student, but I was more interested in drawing and right from the start it was decided that I would go to an art school and not study. I enjoyed playing cricket, and was pretty good at it too. So, as you can guess, I wanted to be a cricketer. But I had to give up that idea due to our financial position. I used to go and watch the others practise. I just stood around and watched the kids play. If a ball came my way, I would catch it. One day the coach asked me if I knew how to play cricket, and I said no. He insisted I joined them. I had no shoes, no gear, nothing, but he gave me his bat. I always insisted on bowling, though, because it didn’t require shoes. Even now, when I play cricket, I choose to bowl.

I remember when I first got to act in a play I got Rs 75. And at home the deal that we had was that I would take 10 per cent of it and my father would take 10 per cent. The rest would go to my mother.

I started acting when I was very young: when I was three years old, I started with school plays. Having taken up acting as a profession, I have lost none of my interest in it.