Irrfan Khan and Manoj Bajpayee’s influence as a child led me to start theatre. I was involved in doing theatre at inter-school competitions. However, I was not satisfied. Because I was winning Best Actor awards at those competitions but I knew I was not the best. As a result, I was admitted into a college that was reputed for its theatre – D.G RUPAREL COLLEGE. For 5 years, I rigorously did theatre. Our rehearsals used to start at 7 am and end at 9 pm almost every day. By the end of my graduation, I was a much better actor. I felt it. However, I did not realize that while I was genuinely striving to become a better actor, I lost my contacts in the film industry. Several people who contacted me during these years were either ignored or were greeted with mediocre tests. People in the industry lost faith in me and I had to pay for it. I fell to the ground faster than I had climbed the peak.
While rebuilding and during the lockdown, I learned a great lesson. The industry requires connections. Either you belong to a family from the industry or you should know how to sell yourself. You need to have people who will stand for you if you desire to sustain in the industry.
Also, while working as a non-fiction writer, I understood that the competition is fierce. Some people are dying for work. You quote Rs. 15,000 for a 3-minute script and somebody is doing it for Rs. 5000. Either you cut down your rate or you provide something extraordinary. The client should either get the project for a lesser amount or they should receive something out-of-the-box.