What made you return to India?

I started doing stand-up comedy in the US. In 2003, I came to India on holiday. A friend asked me to do a show at Habitat Centre in New Delhi. I did not think anyone would show up but 500 people did. After the show, I got a standing ovation. So the organisers extended my show for another night, and I got a great response again. So I decided to stay back, as the market here is very good.

I was happy about being a stand-up comedian. But two years ago, I thought I should act in films, as I wanted to return to the acting I had trained for.

I came to Mumbai to do a one-off show for The Times of India. After that, I got an offer from Zoom TV to do a show called Ek Rahen Bir. So I moved to Mumbai and got myself a rented one-room apartment in Bandra (in northwest Mumbai).

When did movies happen?

I got a call from Vikram Bhatt's office, as someone from his office had seen my show. So they asked me to come and meet Vikram Bhatt for a small role in Mumbai Salsa (2007). I met Vikram. I was asked to play one of the leads.

After Mumbai Salsa, I returned to stand-up comedy. I was also doing a comedy show for CNBC called News on the Loose.