‘Was asked to send pictures without clothes’

Actor Ankit Siwach started his career on TV in 2017, but his modelling career began 12 years ago in Delhi. “I quit modelling in four months, after I saw what that world was all about. I wasn’t allowed to use my brain,” he recalls.

He adds, “I always thought everyone was good. But that becomes a weakness. You think everyone has demons and you can ignore them, but those demons just chew you up. There were instances when I was asked to send pictures without clothes. I was asked to attend parties that weren’t related to work.”

But, he says Delhi prepared him for the “bigger battle” in Mumbai. “When you see people standing like vultures to eat you up, you tend to break down. You feel like quitting. I’ve been through a lot of mental issues. But, I’ve also worked in the corporate world and I know it’s the nature of those in power to exploit others. I’ve faced a lot of proposals, people

I’ve faced a lot of proposals, people have also been direct at times, asking to compromise. ANKIT SIWACH, Actor

have also been direct at times, asking to compromise, if not for work then to make a career. I’ve been given examples of actors. ‘You think you can make it big without compromising,’ is what

many say,” says the actor. Interrupt him and ask if he has ever been forced, and Siwach denies anything physical. However, he reveals that he was forced emotionally. “When I was 18-19, at the start of my career, they (predators) tried to manipulate me. I was forced emotionally and made to believe that (compromising) was the only way to make it happen. After coming to Mumbai, it didn’t happen.”