WHEN I WAS 22...Dan Dhanoa

"At 22, my bank balance was zero. I spent what I earned!"

- DINESH RAHEJA

 Dan Dhanoa, Actor

What career options did you have at 22?

I had just completed my cadetship with the Shipping Corporation of India (Merchant Navy) and become a Second Officer. But there were no jobs due to a slump, so I started modelling. My first advertisement was for Elpar Suitings, which was a super hit. Films weren't on my mind till Feroz Khan signed me for Jaanbaaz as the villain.

Your equation with your family then?

I got along well with my parents-Major General (Dr) Sardar Singh Dhanoa, and Capt (Dr) Paramjit Kaur Dhanoa, both doctors in the Armed Forces. I was sent off to boarding school when I was 10

Dan's get-up while playing Danny Dyer in Mard; (Inset) While shooting for the film in Ooty years old. I remember my father was very unhappy when I began working in films.

What was your frame of mind then?

I was a happy soul with an easy temperament. My thoroughbred Army background and Doon School education made me disciplined and straightforward. It stopped me from being manipulative or cunning.

Your bank balance?

Zero. I spent what I earned.