Hailing from Delhi, Nikhil Mehta came to Mumbai to pursue his dreams at the age of 14. He planned to study but he gave so much to acting that he never got time to! Here, he shares how Mumbai has been so kind to him and made him what he wanted to become, a successful actor. He has done nearly 75 television commericials and is now doing lot of television shows!
Q) Despite being a trained dancer and musician, what made you choose acting as a career over these?
A) Actually I came to Mumbai with the dream of becoming a singer but acting happened. When you are in Mumbai you just cannot escape the temptation to try your hand at acting.(laughs)
Q) The vibe of Delhi and Mumbai are different, so was it easy for you to get used to the environment of Mumbai?
A) When you are determined to do something, these things never matter. It did not matter to me at all because my focus was to make a career here in Mumbai. And I would like to emphasize the fact that our government is taking steps to curb population, so in the long run, population will not be a problem!
Q) Your dairy milk add “kuch shubh kaam karne se pehle meetha kha lena chahiye” became very popular and you gained recognition through that advertisement. Tell us how you got that add and did that add open doors for new opportunities?
A) I went for audition for that advertisement for about ten times. By the time ten auditions already went through, the casting director changed. Then again I gave audition for the same add for several times and two boys were shortlisted and finally I was casted. That advertisement was not specifically special for me because by that time I had already done some commercials, but it is always nice to add something more to your wing!
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Q) Was giving auditions tough for you as a newcomer when you started?
A) See it was tough but I took it very positively. I went to give auditions with my friends always and we always enjoyed the process that way. We learned a lot during those days and came to understand how this industry works.
Q) Did you ever feel that all these hard work was going in waste when you were struggling for work?
A) From Amitabh Bachchan to many other legends, everyone has been through a state where they were apprehensive about their careers. Getting such thoughts is common for actors when they are just starting but eventually things work out anyway.
Q) What would you advise to aspiring actors?
A) Just keep doing your work, do not think about your result because hard work will eventually pay off!