India, Feb. 16 -- F ilmmaker-actor Tigmanshu Dhulia had the audience at the 25th Bharat Rang Mahotsav in splits recently as he recalled how he got married at just 22, with only Rs.40 in his pocket. Setting the context, Dhulia went back to his third year at the National School of Drama (NSD). "Third year mein jo chuttiyan hoti hain, unke baad hum log ek mahine ka play karne bahar jaate hain," he said. It was around this time that his now-wife Tulika re-entered his life. "Mera 7th-8th class ka attachment tha. mere colony mein saamne rehti thi," he shared, adding that while he was at NSD, her family had shifted to Noida and she would often visit him. "Aur kuch aisa hua ki uski shaadi-vaadi ki baat hone lagi," he said. The turning point, he laughed, came from NSD itself. "In those days, student strikes at the drama school would routinely make it to the third page of a newspaper, complete with large photographs. Itna jalwa tha NSD ka." During one such strike, Tulika helped him paint placards. "Maine kaha likh do zara achhe se bana do. hum neem ke ped ke bahar dari laga ke baithe the. Vo bhi mere bagal mein baithi huyi thi," he recalled. The photograph was published and her family spotted it. "Ghar walon ko pata chal gaya ki ye NSD par jaati hai. bawaal! Shaadi!" he said, mimicking the uproar. With pressure mounting, the then 22-year-old decided to marry her, but there was a problem. "Mere paas birth certificate bhi nahi tha, kyunki main ghar pe paida hua tha Allahabad mein," he said. With just Rs.40 in his pocket and support from his NSD friends, Dhulia found a filmi workaround. "Birth certificate doctor bhi de sakta hai hip ka X-ray kar ke. bone size se pata chal sakta hai banda 22 ka hai ya 25 ka." So one night, the group headed to Safdarjung Hospital. "Main gaya raat ko Safdarjung. apna hip ka X-ray karaya. X-ray liya aur phir lagaya to phir shaadi huyi," he said, smiling. Looking back at his student days, Dhulia added fondly, "Mere teen saal yahan bilkul pooljhadi jaise nikle. they were amazing days," recalling theatre work, friendships and late-night paratha runs at ITO....