He has also appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam, Jhankaar Beats, Kucch Luv Jaisaa, Dil Dhadakne Do, Chameli and Shaurya.

He is also notable for his social activism: he participated in the relief efforts that followed the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and is also the founder of the anti-discrimination NGO, The Foundation.

While at the college he played on the school's rugby team and competed in the Western India Championships, winning a silver medal in boxing.

[7] Bose started his acting career on the Mumbai stage in Rahul D'Cunha's Topsy Turvey and Are There Tigers in the Congo?.

In 1998 he appeared in Kaizad Gustad's Bombay Boys with Naseeruddin Shah and starred in Dev Benegal's second film, Split Wide Open.

To prepare for his role as a roving water vendor, Bose lived in Mumbai's slums and observed a drug dealer for two weeks.

[10] Although Split Wide Open was controversial in India because of its depictions of sexual abuse,[11][12] Bose received the Silver Screen Award for Best Asian Actor at the 2000 Singapore International Film Festival for his performance.

[7] He also performed abroad in the Leicester Haymarket in England where he starred in the English version of Tim Murari's play, The Square Circle.

[13][14] In 1997, Bose was cast to play the role of Saleem Sinai in the BBC adaptation of Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children.

[15] After seeing Bose in English, August, director Govind Nihalani cast him in the villain role opposite Ajay Devgan in the mainstream film Thakshak.

Boosted by a successful soundtrack, Jhankaar Beats was a surprise hit in urban multiplexes[20] and went on to win several awards for its music.

He starred in Chameli opposite Kareena Kapoor, playing a wealthy chain-smoking Mumbai banker who is stranded in the monsoon rains with a prostitute.

[25] With his next effort, the romantic comedy Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Bose moved once more into mainstream Bollywood cinema.

The film follows the rocky relationship of Bose's commitment phobic Mumbai DJ Sid and his Punjabi girlfriend, Trisha played by Mallika Sherawat.

Critics noted the freshness of Bose's narration style which involves breaking the fourth wall, a device not commonly used in Indian cinema.

Before the Rains was released in the US and the UK and Bose's performance was praised by many critics, although the film received mixed reviews.

Bose also appeared in Shaurya, a military court room drama modelled on the American film A Few Good Men.

[44] He was scheduled to begin shooting his adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's novel, Moth Smoke in early 2010,[45] but the project was postponed after the film's financial backers pulled out.

[66][67] He also recorded the Terre des hommes audio book Goodgoodi karna, gale lagana; Sparsh ke niyam sikhiye (English: Tickle and hugs: Learning the touching rules), which is designed to give children resources against sexual abuse.

[citation needed] Bose has one elder sister, Anuradha, who is married to Tariq Ansari, the owner and director of Mid-Day Multimedia.