“Belonging to a lower middle class family, my life was all about making ends meet. My father worked hard to feed us thrice a day and fulfill our basic necessities. Almost everything seemed like a luxury we couldn’t afford. In class 8, I remember trying toddy on my way back from school. When my dad figured that out, he sent me to live in a hostel. That’s when my life changed – I was an introvert earlier, but once I moved, I turned into a brat. During my intermediate, I changed three streams and attended only about 20 days of college in two whole years. The rest of the time was spent in theatres. I would watch the same film about 15 times. Somehow, I managed to pass intermediate and get a degree! When I was doing my Master’s, one of my friends made a short film – they were a rage back then. When we screened it in college, I received great response for my acting. That’s it! I decided I’d become an actor. But things weren’t great at home. Although I loved cinema, I had to put my dreams aside and do a corporate job. I moved from Hyderabad to Bengaluru and then to Delhi, to apply for government jobs, while working at an ice cream parlour.
As the popular saying goes, when you wish for something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to make it happen; That’s exactly what happened in my life. I acted in a couple of small feature films, worked as an assistant director for a while and a few years later, Mallesham happened. All my life, I received a lot of criticism for being dark, having bad skin and not being tall enough. It always made me think why we didn’t care about people’s skills more than their looks. Fortunately, people noticed my skill and passion and here I am today. The journey had many turbulences, but it brought me here and made me an actor; while I learnt my biggest lesson : it’s honestly never too late to do what you’ve always loved!”
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