New Delhi, July 30 - He says he has worked as a bouncer and freelance writer abroad 'to pay his rent'. And now Congress veteran Arjun Singh's grandson Arunoday is making his acting debut in Bollywood - in a negative role - without making his grandfather pull any strings.

'My grandfather is an important man, but he doesn't know any filmmaker. He doesn't know anybody in the industry. I refused to take any help from my family,' 26-year-old Arunoday, who will star in 'Sikandar', told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

'I'm trying to make it on my own, but considering the family I come from, people take no time saying that it (films) is because of that (family contacts). I take great pride in saying that my family has got nothing to do with it,' he added.

But weren't there any restrictions from the family on his choice of a career?

'No. My grandfather is pretty lenient and my parents are as odd as I am. Nobody really cares whatever I do as long as it makes me happy,' he said.

Shifting to 'Sikandar' by Piyush Jha, the debutant says he is playing a Kashmiri terrorist named Zahgeer who 'has been thrust into a life he never asked for' and 'trapped in something he never wished'.

'He hates himself, but at the same time he is fiercely proud and I try to bring in an emotional dichotomy in the character,' he said.

Set in Jammu and Kashmir, the film centres on a teenage boy, who dreams of playing football at the national level, and his friend (Ayesha). Things take an unexpected turn when he finds a gun on the road.

Starring child actors Parzan Dastur and Ayesha Kapoor in the lead, the movie also features Sanjay Suri and R.