Once my role went to a person ‘referred’ by a superstar: Ashish Bisht
Actor Ashish Bisht is taking small, yet careful steps to make it big in Bollywood. He made his debut opposite Raveena Tandon in Shab (2017), and will next be seen again in Onir’s directorial.
Ashish, who had to struggle a lot to even make ends meet before getting into acting, feels that one needs to have a godfather in the industry for perfect guidance.
“Mujhe aisa feel hota hai ki agar aapko koi guide karne wala ho, toh aapki journey easy ho jaati hai. (If you have someone to guide you, your journey becomes smooth). As a newcomer, you have no idea about what is right or wrong. I have seen a lot of strugglers in Mumbai. Sometimes, they go down the wrong way. And when they realise it, it’s too late. So, one should have a person to guide,” he says.
A lot has been said about how connections in the industry help new faces to get a big project. Ashish says, “Connection bhi kaam karne se banta hai (Connections happen when you work). I did advertisements before films, and Onir spotted me in one such ad. It’s only when you meet people that you establish a connection. There will be times when your friend will say, ‘Meri film mein chance nahi hai, par mere dost ki film mein try kar le’.”
However, a recent experience has left Ashish bittersweet. “A big production house had almost finalised me for a role in a big-budget film. But ek actor hain, industry ke superstars mein se ek — unhone kisi ko bheja audition mein. The said person’s audition was bad; but eventually, he got the role. I was the director’s first choice, but the producer went ahead with the ‘referred’ person. I had been prepping for almost a month for this role. I was disappointed, but one has to fight on,” says Ashish.