I had ₹500 when I had come to Mumbai: Disha

Actor Disha Patani talks about the time when she had moved to Mumbai; adds everything she did then was a ‘job’

From times full of struggle and rejections, to now, starring as the female lead in Baaghi 2 that’s being touted as one of the year’s biggest openers at the box office, Disha Patani has come a long way. The actor is, of course, proud of her success story, but says that the trying times have taught her to be “super careful” with her choices.

“I’m not from a filmi background, so I don’t know if my films will always work and if people will give me a second chance. Therefore, I’ve to be super careful. I love acting and I want to keep getting the chance to perform,” says Disha, who believes in learning a lesson, even from rejections. There have been “so many of them”, she recalls. “A film was supposed to start and they replaced me with someone else. That was my launch film. But everything happens for a reason. I learned early that rejections make you stronger. Each time you feel there’s something missing in you, you get that motivation to work harder.”

The actor’s mantra all along was to keep moving forward. “I’m a very positive person. Maybe I was not prepared [at that time]. Also, I left my studies and I came to Mumbai. For a college girl to come to a new city, where I didn’t know anyone wasn’t easy. I was living alone, making my own money and never asked my family [for money]. I came to Mumbai with ₹500 and after a point, I didn’t have any money. I used to go for a lot of auditions, mostly for TV commercials, as there was this constant pressure on me that if I don’t get a job, how I will pay my rent. Everything I did was a job until I started to enjoy acting,” she says, adding that she didn’t have any friends at that time. “My life was [like]: work, come home and sleep!”

Disha made her Hindi film debut with MS Dhoni: The Untold Story in 2016, following it up with an Indo-Chinese film, Kung Fu Yoga, the next year. Baaghi 2, alongside rumoured beau, actor Tiger Shroff, is her second big film. The actor admits she was waiting for something that’ll help her “improve her acting skills and people’s perspective” about how they look at her. “I want them to see me as an actor,” she says.

Starring in the sequel, did Disha feel any pressure to match up to the first film that featured Shraddha Kapoor alongside Tiger? “For me, this was a fresh script. I was always very confident while shooting,” she signs off.

A film was supposed to start and they replaced me with someone else. That was my launch film. But everything happens for a reason. DISHA PATANI, ACTOR