Amit Tandon, Stand-up comedian

With his parents Veena and Subhash Chander Tandon, and elder brother Praveen; (inset) In between classes in engineering college

Operating a lathe machine during a college workshop

What was your fashion sense like? Mostly affordable T-shirts and loose denims.

Your fitness quotient?

None. I was driving 70 kms on a scooter every day in Delhi.

Your most prized possession back then?

The black LML Vespa scooter that my brother offered to buy for me.

And your biggest dream then?

To buy a Maruti 800 one day.

A good comedy from back then?

Andaz Apna Apna.

Who were your comedy idols?

I loved Johny Lever sir. He is still the best. What was a pivotal moment for you?

I wanted to take leave from my cushy office job, at the risk of being fired, to prepare for my MBA. My father was against it but my uncle said, “If you don’t take a chance, you will regret that you didn’t try hard enough, though you had potential.” I took leave the next day and cracked three of the top 10 MBA colleges.