Nostalgia { when I was 22… } Satish Kaushik, actor-director
“I had an inner conviction that I would make it”
At 22, where were you career-wise?
I’d graduated from the National School Of Drama, Delhi, and freelanced as a theatre actor. I’d worked with theatre director Amal Allana. I had the option of becoming a fulltime actor in NSD’s Repertory Company, but I took a train to Mumbai. I wasn’t confident but keen on fulfilling my dream of becoming a film actor.
Your bank balance then?
I opened my first bank account only after I came to Mumbai. My sister Shakuntala’s husband Ramesh Bhardwaj gave me ₹800. Raj Babbar helped me to open an account with that amount at the Juhu branch of Punjab National Bank.
Your relationship status?
I had a girlfriend who wanted to marry me. She was not sure I would make it as an actor, so she got married to someone else. I served cold drinks to the guests at her weddin
Your frame of mind?
Nervous. But I had an inner conviction that I would make it.
What was your fashion sense?
Ordinary. I was fond of wearing jeans.
Your fitness quotient?
At that time, becoming an actor didn’t require you to be fit as a Greek God. So, I never bothered about it much.
Looking back, what’s one thing you feel you should have done at 22, but didn’t?
I should have got into sports and gym workouts. But I am happy how it all shaped up anyway.
Your most prized possession at that time?
Bade Bhaisaab’s Rajdoot motorcycle. I was obsessed and rode it all around town.
An anecdote from that time etched in your mind?
“I served cold drinks to the guests at my exgirlfriend’s wedding”
SATISH KAUSHIK, Actor-director
Our group of friends—Anupam Kher, Karan Razdan, Anang Desai, Suhas Khandke— would celebrate our birthdays at Bangla Sweet House by cutting a big besan ka laddoo since we did not have money for a cake. After a dosa-bhature-tikki treat, the birthday boy had to arrange for food and booze in the hostel followed by coffee at a five-star hotel.