21 minutes agoAuthor: Kiran Jain/Arunima Shukla
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In today's Struggle Story, the story is about TV industry's popular actor Anirudh Dave. Born in Jaipur, Anirudh's first dream was to become an actor. When he came to Mumbai to fulfill this dream, he faced obstacles at many places.
Due to lack of money, he had to work in the club to survive. In 2020 he was affected by Covid. The condition became so bad that he had given up hope of living.
We met Anirudh Dave at around 4 pm. After some formality he told us his story.
Anirudh told that he has been associated with acting since 2008.
At the beginning of the conversation, the first question we asked Anirudh was about the times of Covid. Anirudh had corona in 2020. Anirudh told, 'That time was really very terrible for me. Didn't know when I got Covid and when I got admitted to the hospital. I was admitted for 57 days.
To keep himself calm he used to sleep on his stomach. I used to do this because if I turned on one side, someone nearby would be counting their last breaths, and if I turned on the other side, someone would be dying. Had to see all this every day. In such a situation, no person could remain positive even if he wanted to.
There came a time when I had lost hope of living. Tell yourself, how difficult it would be for a person who always has a doubt in his mind that he may die the next moment, to spend every single moment.
My life had become like that of a small child. Couldn't do or say anything. There were injections at various places in his hands. Had to wear diapers. Meaning it was the worst life.
Saying this, Anirudh starts crying. After remaining quiet for 2 minutes, he drinks water and consoles himself and tells the story further.
Anirudh told that he got infected with Covid while he was shooting in Bhopal. He was admitted to Chirayu Hospital in Bhopal.
He says, 'I had accepted that I would not survive. I was forced to think what would happen to the family if I was no more. At that time my daughter was only 1 year old. At that time, I started remembering all my good and bad deeds.
Along with the family, people from the industry also helped a lot. At that time each injection was worth around lakh rupees. The cost of one oxygen cylinder was Rs 2-3 lakh. A lot of money was spent in 57 days. In such a situation, parents had to ask for loans from people. People from the industry also helped a lot financially.
I always pray to God that this moment never comes in anyone else's life. To be honest, this is my second life. Otherwise I had lost all hope of living. After recovery, I had repaid everyone's loan.
What was the first project you did after going through this accident?
He said, 'During this time I got the offer of the film 'Kaagaz 2'. In this I had to play the role of an army officer. To be honest, I was not completely prepared for this character. There was problem in lungs also. I couldn't speak long dialogues, but I didn't want to lose such a big opportunity. I knew that I would have to face a lot of difficulties in playing this character, but I was ready for it.
I prepared for everything from running, so that I could have the courage to defeat a soldier in a race. I did all these things under the supervision of a doctor. After complete preparation, I told Satish Kaushik Sahib – Sir, your army is now ready. He was very happy to see this.
In the film Kaagaz 2, Anirudh (Laal Ghere Mein) has worked with actors like Darshan Kumar, Anupam Kher and late Satish Kaushik. Made under the direction of V.K.Prakash, this film is released on March 1, 2024.
Tell me about your family?
In response, Anirudh said, 'I was born on 21 July 1986 in Jaipur. Both mother and father were teachers. I was always fond of acting. It can be said that my first dream was to become an actor. Although the family did not know this for a long time.
Every morning he used to get ready for college and leave. Then he used to go from place to place with the drama troupe and perform street plays. Used to act on social issues. Every time the effort was to make people aware through their act.
One day someone came and told his father that his son was making people aware by acting with a drama troupe at the traffic signal.
Then the man asked the father a question – What does your son do? On this, father said – After getting ready, he goes to college, it is not known what he does after that. In this way my father also came to know that I do drama.
I got a lot from Jaipur in terms of acting. The big theater artists there helped a lot. They made me believe every step of the way that I could do anything. Even today I am thankful to those people.
Anirudh married TV actress Shubhi Ahuja in 2015. Shubhi had worked with him in the TV show 'Yaaron Ka Tashan'.
Before going to Mumbai, you moved to Delhi, any special reason for this?
Anirudh says, 'Before going to Mumbai, I wanted to learn the tricks of acting from the National School of Drama. This was the reason why I first moved to Delhi, but I was not selected here (NSD) the first time. Even though I did not get admission here, there would hardly be any faculty left with whom I have not worked.
What was the reaction of your parents when you came to Mumbai?
Anirudh said, 'He was afraid that being a teacher's child, how would I survive in Mumbai. Despite this, he always gave importance to my work. Even today he tells me – Son, don't worry, your ATM is still alive.
Like every struggler, I too had to struggle when I came to Mumbai. Took financial support from parents for a few months, but then stopped. Kept trying for films and TV, but was not getting work.
During this time a person said to me – You are very good looking. In such a situation, you should work in a bar selling wine. There your job will be to go to different bars and sell wine. In return, you will get Rs 500-700 per day.
Something had to be done to earn a living, so I did this work. This work was done for about 4 months. After this I got a job in the 2008 show 'Rajkumar Aryan'.
Anirudh with father and daughter in this picture. He shared this picture on social media on his father's birthday.
When did you try films after TV?
Just a year after coming to TV, Anirudh was seen in the 2009 film 'Tere Sang'. After this he remained missing from the silver screen for a long time. Regarding this he said, 'I always wanted to be seen on the film screen. Initially I had earned a lot of money by doing TV shows. So much that no one in the entire family had earned.
Around 2016, I planned to take a break from TV shows for some time and tried films. Luckily, I got a job in the film 'Shorgul', but after that there was a shortage of work.
Gradually all the money also started getting exhausted. During this period, he had also rejected offers from many good shows. Then when things did not work out in the film industry, I returned back to the small screen. After this I worked in the TV show Yaaron Ka Tashan.
Tell us about the film Chandu Champion?
He told, 'Chandu Champion is a very good film. In this I have got a chance to work with Karthik Aryan. He is really a great artist, as a result of which he is at such a high position today. Karthik fully supported me in whatever rehearsals I wanted to do during the shooting.
Anirudh will also be seen with Kartik Aryan in the film Chandu Champion. Made under the direction of Kabir Khan, this film will be released in theaters on June 14, 2024.
I got a call from casting director Mukesh Chhabra for the audition of this film. The film's director Kabir Khan also liked my work very much.
The offer for this film came when I was dubbing for the film Kaagaz 2. The entire shooting of the film was over. In such a situation, it was a matter of great pleasure to get the offer of another film immediately after one film.
Now take a look at Anirudh's career graph…
Anirudh has worked in TV shows like 'Woh Rahen Waali Mahalon Ki', 'Yaaron Ka Tashan', 'Patiala Babes'. Recently he has also been seen in the film 'Kaagaj 2', in which he has worked with actors like Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik. In 2021, she was also seen in the Akshay Kumar starrer film Bell Bottom.
