My career is too short for there to be any turns! But I would say that not everyone is noticed and accepted in their debut films. I was accepted both by the industry and the audience.
If you don’t come from film family, it takes time for people to register you. When you don’t come from film family, the connection with the audience takes time to build up; it happens eventually.
After a point, it doesn’t matter where you come from. There are many star kids who haven’t done well in the industry and rank newcomers who have done amazingly well.
I had learnt Kathak for six years from the age of eight and did a foundation course from Kathak Kendra in Delhi. I was not fond of classical dance, but today, I’m glad my mom made me do it.
I don’t know how I would react to the casting couch. I’m sure that at that moment, you won’t really know what to do. Whatever you do at that moment is instinctive.
I can’t stand on the roadside and have Pani Puri like before. But, at the same time, being an actor makes you feel special. People look up to you, want to know more about you, and shower you with so much love without even knowing you personally. It’s overwhelming.
I am an engineer by profession, but I knew I wanted to act. My parents always encouraged me, and when my father shifted to Mumbai for work for a brief while, I came along.
After graduating, I began auditioning for films while continuing to model. I did a few fashion shows, ad shoots, and even got a few Bollywood offers, but nothing great.
When you don’t come from a film background, getting the right debut is important and difficult, as you don’t have the sensibility to know what will work and what won’t.
It’s scary to imagine yourself failing. But I do know that in Bollywood, every Friday changes your destiny, and unfortunately, every Friday also changes the way people look at you.
