Hindi films are so deceptive. I thought Mumbai was this big, grand, beautiful city with sea-facing flats.
With 'Mumbai Calling,' I was surprised it was ITV that went for it because it didn't traditionally seem like the kind of programme they would make.
It was a very big decision when I decided to leave B. Tech to come to Mumbai. But they were always supportive. At one point, I felt I shouldn't do it. My mother encouraged me then.
I have several Gujarati friends in Mumbai, and I keep eating from their tiffin boxes whenever we meet. I love Gujarati food!
I left my cushy job as an engineer in New Delhi in 2008 to pursue acting in Mumbai. I figured roles will start pouring in as soon as I landed in the city, but my bubble burst quickly.
In the early '90s, I was disillusioned after the blasts and riots in Mumbai. I was in college and started thinking that religion was the root cause of all these evils. While my father told me not to blame religion because of a few bad people, I wasn't convinced. The faith was restored after I started writing my first book.
I love trying out different cuisines. In Delhi, I love Megu at the Leela, and TK's at the Hyatt. I also enjoy Khan Chacha's rolls. In Mumbai, it's Royal China and Shiro. And in Bangalore, I like the food at Bricklane.
I have grown up in Delhi in a way, and I keep coming here often. But, and I am sorry to say, I'll always be nervous when in Delhi. In my college days, I have had my bum pinched around so many times. So yes, in Mumbai, I can just walk around and do what I want to do, but in Delhi I'll always be scared.
Mumbai is a spider web. You do a film and make 10 connections and do something else and make 10 more connections. You keep moving like that.
I came to Mumbai in 2000 to do a hotel management course. Following this, I worked as a marketing executive with Hotel Sheraton in Muscat for a year. It was in 2004 that I participated in the Gladrags Mr. India contest and bagged the most popular model award. After that, I did few ramp shows and ads.
Sachin is the soul of Mumbai Indians, and I am sure he will guide Bhajji as he takes on the responsibility of captaining Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai's infectious. Once you start living in Mumbai, working in Mumbai, I don't think you can live anywhere else.
I love India. I love the people, food and the environment. Yes, I am from London, but right from when I was a toddler, I've always lived between Mumbai and London.
I was distributing DVDs in Mumbai in 2006, and that is when I got my first TV show offer - 'Left Right Left.'
In Mumbai, I found, people practiced a showy, demonstrative kind of love, one unafraid of affection or emotion.
I was born in Faridabad and I spent a major part of my growing up years in Delhi before shifting to Mumbai. Delhi-NCR is still very special to me.
While growing up, I lived in a traditional joint family in Mumbai's suburbs.
I have seen extreme lows because of factors that were not in my hands - be it not having money to buy my first bike, dropping out of a prestigious engineering college without having a single rupee in my bank account, living with seven boys in a single-room kitchen in Mumbai, or eating nothing but khichdi every day. But I cherish all those moments.
I'm very loyal to my south fans and the industry there. So, it's hard for me leave all the love, respect, and admiration and shift base here. I'm a Mumbai girl and have lived here for most of my life. At the same time, I've spent 10 years of my life in the South and feel like a south Indian at heart.
When I came to Mumbai from Dubai to become an actor, I used to entertain people at parties by showing some card tricks.
I turned atheist in the '90s when India went through troubled times - communal riots, bomb blasts... Mumbai, where I live, was badly affected. I blamed religion; also, extremists on both sides - right and left.
For my first Bollywood movie, 'Ekk Deewana Tha,' my mum also came over because Mumbai was completely new to me, and I'd heard it's a huge city.
Since 2005, I have not spent much time with my family. In fact I have spent more time at the Taj Landsend in Mumbai. It was my 100th visit recently, which means I have spent more than 400 days in that hotel, and that is a lot more than I have spent with my family.
The challenge starts when you first come to Mumbai. But it's momentary if you win an award.
After 'Chandni Bar' there was a shutdown of such bars in Mumbai. After 'Page 3' people started avoiding such events. 'Traffic Signal' exposed the money flow through the mafia. I'm not apologetic about the brutal truth in my films. Almost 70% of my films are based on reality, and 30% I fictionalize or change to suit my film.
We are Punjabis from Amritsar, though I was born and brought up in Mumbai and did my Bachelors in Mass Media, specializing in advertising and marketing.
I was born in Mumbai. We stayed in a joint family. But in 1994, my father had to shift to Pune for business. I started working at a very early stage. Immediately after my SSC board examination, I took up odd jobs in shops, as I wanted to contribute to my family.
Moving to Mumbai was difficult, as survival was a major concern. I was not from a very well-to-do family.
In Mumbai, you have to act in real life, too.
I can't stand the slow pace of Jaipur anymore. I like staying in Mumbai, as everyone is on the move.
'The Xpose' was just an experiment, a small step into Bollywood. It wasn't my acting debut, as reported in Mumbai. I've done a couple of Punjabi films.