When someone's decided that they want to act, then they could probably join a theatre or get into the assistant director or they could apply for a casting assistant's job or could start giving auditions and keep working on them. There's no fixed path to the destination and it all varies from person to person. But the important things to keep in mind are consistency, hard work, self-belief and networking.
1. Tell us more about your background and journey.
I was born and brought up in Delhi in a family filled with creative people. My father writes for films and television while my mother paints and draws beautifully. I used to be a studious guy until I got into college and started participating and winning pageants. I'm an engineer and the best thing that I learnt from that phase of my life is "jugaad".
I've been playing guitar and keys since I was a kid and hence I've been on stage since kindergarten. So that love for the stage pushed me to join theatre when I got into college and things kept taking their own path and I stepped into acting professionally. Zaahir, the theatre group that I was involved with developing a lot of confidence in me. Once I was done with my graduation, I moved to Mumbai and did a couple of projects behind the camera to learn about the world I had decided to step into.
I was the production intern on Mirzapur S2, then I assisted Mr Nitesh Tiwari on a KBC Promo film, Mr Kamlesh Soni on 3 Ad films and Mr Anupam Mishra as well on 2 Ad films. Once I started giving auditions, Covid-19 happened and so I had to come back to Delhi. I had auditioned for Udaariyaan before the lockdown had happened and fortunately, this got converted and now here I am, taking "mere sapno ki udaariyaan", all because of my parents' blessings and the amazing producers of the show, Sargun Mehta and Ravi Dubey.
2. Did you ever think or dream of being an actor?
To be honest, I had never thought of being an actor as a kid but I always used to dream about becoming one. Like I said earlier, the love for the stage, the love for being up there and performing has always pushed me to do things. I've always been an entertainer be it on-stage or off-stage. I love to entertain people and it was my time to ask myself that what do I wanna do in my life, the only answer was to entertain the masses. And I felt that there's no better way to do it but by coming in front of the camera and making my presence felt and obviously, entertaining the crowds.
3. You are portraying the role of the lead heroine’s cousin in "Udaariyaan" TV series. Can you tell us more about it?
Yes! I'm playing Tejo and Jasmine's cousin's role in Udaariyaan. On-screen, Tejo and I are more of best friends than brother and sister as she shares and discusses everything with me as both of us have zero interest in leaving our country and going to Canada, unlike Jasmine. I'm here helping hand whenever she needs to do something goofy or whenever she has to go out of the way to get something done and similarly I trust her blindly with whatever she decides. We get a lot of appreciation for our bond on-screen and that is because in real life too we're equally goofy and understanding. On the other hand, Jasmine and I are pretty chill cousins as well. I'd support her most of the times but not when she's doing something which could end up being a problem for Sandhus.
4. How do you feel when you hear people appreciating your work?
I feel that for any performer, there's nothing that matters more than people liking and appreciating their work. More than money, I think, an artist thrives for appreciation and recognition. That's how it is for me. I feel blessed that people are liking my work and appreciating it as well. Thanks to social media, there is an endless number of people who message me on an everyday basis, showering their love and blessings. And it's just so unreal at times that I feel like I'm living a dream. Also, my favourite critics are my parents, my sister and my friends who give me feedback without any filters. A big virtual hug to everyone who's supported me and who's showered their love and blessings on me.
5. How can one approach their career and have the confidence and belief to become an actor?
The belief has to come from within. A person has to be confident enough in their heart to decide what they have to do and that person must be absolutely sure about their own capabilities. There would definitely be times when one faces rejections and when one questions themselves but that's when you need to remind yourself why you started in the first place and you must always keep your eyes on the prize.
When someone's decided that they want to act, then they could probably join a theatre or get into the assistant director or they could apply for a casting assistant's job or could start giving auditions and keep working on them. There's no fixed path to the destination and it all varies from person to person. But the important things to keep in mind are consistency, hard work, self-belief and networking.
6. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced along the way, and how did you respond to them?
The biggest challenge that any actor faces is rejection. There have been times that I got finalised for a project and then at the last moment, I was replaced by someone. Obviously, these moments are really disheartening but like I said, whenever you're at rock bottom, remind yourself that why you started in the first place. Then there were times when I couldn't find the right opportunity. The solution to that is to keep your network strong. You never know where your luck clicks and once that happens, things start rolling one after the other.
7. Outside of acting, do you have any other major interests or passions?
I've been a musician all my life. I'm a guitarist and a vocalist. I love to write songs and raps. I used to play a couple of sports but basketball and snooker are my favourites. I even used to play basketball for a Delhi based club. I like to discover new artists and I absolutely love to travel and socialise and meet people from different runs of life. I hope that acting makes me do everything that I love!
Abhiraaj Chawla - Indian TV Actor
Interviewed by: Farhana Khatoon
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