Mumbai, June 18 (IANS) The upcoming episode of a ‘Tum Ho Naa – Ghar ki Superstar, hosted by Rajeev Khandelwal will see actress and Bigg Boss fame Archana Gautam speak up about her struggle and journey of entering the industry.
She also revealed how Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishan became the reason for her to take up acting as a full time career.
As in a conversation, Rajeev Khandelwal asked Archana, “aaj jo aap hai, aapki chhavi hai, I am sure Meerut ki aapki jo upbringing rahi hogi, aapki vo bohot alag hogi vo bohot different hai, aasan thaakya aapke liye Meerut se nikal kar Mumbai main aapni ek jagha banana.”
(The person you are today, the image and identity you’ve built I’m sure your upbringing in Meerut was very different. Was it easy for you to leave Meerut and come to Mumbai to carve out a place for yourself?)
Opening up about her struggles, Archana shared that there was a time when even paying INR 20,000 of her college fees seemed impossible, and her mother had to work overtime to collect this amount. To support herself later, she took up different jobs, developed strong sales skills, and worked hard to create her identity. However, when things did not work out as planned, she eventually returned to her hometown, Meerut.
Recalling the turning point in her life, Archana revealed, “Papa ne newspaper mein padha tha ki ek show aaya hua hai, Sales Ka Baazigar, unhone mujhe kaha ki ek baar try karo. Uss show mein apni sales skills dikhani hoti thi, kuch bhi bechna hota tha. Mera selection ho gaya aur wahan Ravi Kishan ji judge the. Unhone mujhe dekha aur kaha, Archana, mujhe lagta hai aap acting ke liye bani ho.’”
(My father had read in the newspaper about a show called Sales Ka Baazigar and suggested that I give it a try. The show was all about showcasing your sales skills you had to sell anything and everything. I got selected, and Ravi Kishan ji was one of the judges. After watching me, he said, ‘Archana, I feel you are meant for acting)
Intrigued by the story, Rajeev asked, “Ravi Kishan ji leke aaye aapko Mumbai main.”
Continuing the story, Archana said. “Ravi Kishan ji ne mujhe acting try karne ko kaha. Maine unke personal assistant ka number liya, mere papa ne unse baat ki, aur unhone humein Mumbai bulaya. Main, mere papa aur mera bhai train se Mumbai aaye aur unke ghar gaye. Unhone mujhse poocha ki mujhe kis cheez mein interest hai. Maine kaha, ‘Dekho, ab main Katrina Kaif toh ban nahi sakti. Maine kabhi bahut bada sapna nahi dekha. Mujhe toh koi chhota-mota role bhi mil jaaye kisi serial mein, toh bhi main khush ho jaungi.’ Unhone kaha, ‘Theek hai Archana, tum jao, main tumhe bulata hoon.’”
(Ravi Kishan ji encouraged me to try acting. I took the contact number of his personal assistant, my father spoke to him, and they invited us to Mumbai. My father, my brother, and I travelled to Mumbai by train and visited his home. He asked me what I was interested in. I told him, ‘Look, I know I can’t become Katrina Kaif. I never dreamed too big. Even if I get a small role in a television serial, I’ll be happy.’ He smiled and said, ‘Alright, Archana. You go ahead, and I’ll call you when the time comes)
–IANS
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