Producer, screenwriter, director, actor and television host. Having a father who was a screenwriter, and mother who was also a screenwriter and an actress, he grew up in the world of film. At first he studied trade at a college in Mumbai, but he left his studies to work in film. He worked as camera assistant on Lamhe (1991) by Yash Chopra and director's assistant on Himalay Putra (1997) by Pankaj Parashar. He founded the production company Excel Entertainment with a friend and had his debut as a director and screenwriter with Dil Chahta Hai (The Heart Desires, 2001). The film won a Filmfare award for best film and script in 2002. This was followed by Lakshya (2004) which was well received, and after this he made a commercially successful action crime film Don (2006), but it was not appreciated by the critics. The short documentary Positive (2007) was part of Mira Nair's project for raising AIDS awareness. He started acting in 2005, at first small and then bigger roles, working as co-screenwriter and producer on the films he was in. He received a Filmfare award and Indian Film Academy award for best supporting role in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011). He returned to the director's chair in 2011 with the sequel to the previous film Don 2.