In Starry Nights GEN Y, actor Vicky Kaushal talks about his journey, struggles and fellow actors of the industry
Today, I stand on the same platform as the people I used to look up to and that is my biggest milestone,” says actor Vicky Kaushal when asked about his definition of success in the forthcoming episode of Starry Nights GEN Y. The show hosts candid conversations with Bollywood’s Gen Y celebrities about their personal and professional lives. It also shares the gossip doing the rounds of the Bollywood world.
The actor, recipient of The National Film Award talks about his reel and real life in-depth on the show. He is accompanied by his mentor, and director of Uri: The Surgical Strike Aditya Dhar in an engaging conversation with Komal Nahta.
Giving his parents due credit for his success, Vicky says “While growing up my mom and dad made it very clear that they are going to provide us with all the necessities but never with luxuries. That is something that Sunny (Kaushal) and I had to earn ourselves.”
He was all praises for versatile actor Rajkumar Rao saying, “I used to feel that if I have bumped into Rajkumar at the auditions, I know I’m not getting the part.”
He even shared about his self-doubt and self-believe phase. He says, “The first time I said to myself that I wanted to be an actor, it wasn’t a full stop, it was a question mark.”
Recalling his struggle days, the actor says, “My allowance in my early days was Rs 600 per month which came up to Rs 20 a day. A life lesson learnt in my upbringing and hence, whatever I earn now, it’s really special to me and I hold onto it.”
Speaking about fellow actor Ayushmann Khurrana, he says, “His selection of scripts and the way he has just moulded a niche for himself is absolutely amazing. It’s a dream for every actor.”
The actor never thought of being an actor, it was his passion for acting that brought him here. “During my engineering tenure, I visited an industrial place and that made me clear about my goals. It made me realise what I didn’t want to do in life. So I channeled my thoughts and interest only to find that performing is what I love the most.” He goes on to add: “My father was quite astonished when I broke out the news of pursuing acting as a career. He was always of the opinion that one of the family members would have a sedentary life with a desk job paying fixed income on monthly basis and vacationing in Diwali with all the family members.”
Sitting next to him, Aditya recounts his journey in the industry. “It was patience and perseverance that took me more than 10 years to finally get my big break as a directorial debut with Uri,” says he.
Talking about his life changing moment, Aditya says, “I had given up. I was packing my bags to leave for the US when suddenly my brother calls me and makes me realise about the research and efforts I have put in my work. He instructs me to write the screenplay and give it to just one producer. Believe it or not, I struck gold and went on to make a blockbuster hit, else if I would have met rejection, I would have given up on this completely.”