'At 18, I Decided To Pursue An MBBS Degree, So I Gave Up Acting'

'In Krrish, I was playing Hrithik's child version.'
'I also did Ishq Vishk with Shahid.'
'In Aetbaar, I remember doing scenes with Amitabh Bachchan.'

The little boy who played Hrithik Roshan's younger version in 2003's Koi... Mil Gaya is all grown up.

Mickey is now an eye surgeon, who has lovely memories of going to work as a child with Amitabh Bachchan (Aetbaar), Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai (Dhai Akshar Prem Ke) and Shahid Kapoor (Ishq Vishk).

He quit acting after doing 300 plus ads and even working with Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love to pursue a career in medicine.

"Julia Roberts is the most beautiful human being I've ever seen in my life," Dr Mickey tells Patcy N/Rediff.com.

'I started acted in ads at age five'

My mother, a home-maker, had an opportunity to become an actress. She was offered a movie role but the family did not appreciate it, so it did not pan out.

One day, she was traveling with me in the train, and she met a friend who was working for an ad agency. That friend said, 'Your son is cute.'

Her passion was channelised through me, one thing led to another, a photo shoot led to calls, and it just grew from there.

I started acted in ads at age five. I think my first ad was Doy soap.

Then I worked in a serial called Gharwali Uparwali (2000), starring Mukul Dev and Nikki Aneja. It was a good experience.

I remember everybody would wear the same clothes. If one is wearing red, the entire family would wear red.

Later, Gharwali Uparwali Aur Sunny (2003) was entirely based on me.

'Nervousness has never been emotion for me'

In 2000, I did my first film, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke with Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai.

I remember meeting Amitabh Bachchan at the time too.

I was just starting off but nervousness has never been emotion for me.

My parents would say that I was this child, who would start dancing whenever something came on TV.

I would take off my shirt and imitate actors.

'Hrithik Roshan gave us Bounty chocolates'

I remember that my results had been announced around the time I did Koi... Mil Gaya and my sister and I had topped the class. Hrithik Roshan gave us Bounty chocolates; we were in Manali with him.

I would go to his house because he had to teach me his body language.

He was playing a mentally challenged person, and I had to have a similar body language, like the way my hands were, the way I would talk, walk, tilt my head...

I hold Director Rakesh Roshan in very high regard because his approach to everything was very family-oriented.

In Manali, we would have dinner together after the shoot.

There was a time when we had to come back for our exams and then go back.

He had called me up and and said, when you come, just get Jhama's Gulab Jamun for me. He is very warm and welcoming.

After my MBBS, my mother and I had visited him a couple of years ago.

We asked him, what do we do? Should we consider acting?

He said, 'First finish your education properly and become whatever you wish to specialise in. Acting is always there. You get that chance at education only once.'

'I remember doing scenes with Amitabh Bachchan'

In Krrish, I was playing Hrithik's child version, so I did not have scenes with Priyanka Chopra.

But during a shoot, people are together, especially for dinner, so I got a chance to meet her.

I also did Ishq Vishk with Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao.

I remember wearing white clothes and that Shahid had a Toyota at the time.

In Aetbaar, I remember doing scenes with Amitabh Bachchan. We drove in the same car.

'Julia Roberts is the most beautiful human being I've ever seen in my life'

Eat, Pray, Love was the last film I did. I was 17 or 18.

I met Julia Roberts but no recording was allowed on the set. It was a very strict system.

I think she is the most beautiful human being I've ever seen in my life.

She's beautiful and yet so humble.

'She carries an aura'

Julia Roberts and I had a good conversation for a couple of minutes, and she asked about me, 'What do you do? Where are you from?'

It was like a friend speaking to somebody, who was younger than her.

She made me comfortable on set.

When I would perform, she would also be around.

She would also guide me like, 'Don't do this, do that'.

She carries an aura.

'I became an eye surgeon because I had very high-powered glasses as a child'

At 18, I decided to pursue an MBBS degree, so I gave up acting.

My grandfather was a doctor, and my parents are highly qualified.

My father is a businessman and my sister is a lawyer. Education has always been important in our house.

I became an eye surgeon because I had very high-powered glasses as a child.

Back then, there was no Google and my mother was never counselled by the doctors that glasses are not problematic.

She was always scared that my eye number would keep increasing.

Later, I discovered it's such a simple thing that can be solved by lasers.

I have green eyes, and I would wonder why only I have this colour, and no one else.

Plus, my mom had cataract in her 40s.

I realised there are so many things around the eyes that this is something I want to specialise in.

I have been an eye surgeon for three years now.

I am interested in acting as long as my job as an eye surgeon doesn't get affected by it. Acting is my passion.