32 minutes agoAuthor: Ashish Tiwari/Arunima Shukla
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'You are talking about struggle, my whole life has been like a roller coaster. I come from a family where there was no such thing as pocket money. It was a big thing to get two meals a day.
I have spent most of my life in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh. When I was in the fifth or sixth class, I used to go with my friends to take a dip in the Narmada river. The devotees used to throw coins in the river and all of us friends used to take out the coins and that was used to arrange for our tea and snacks.
At 2 pm at his residence in Versova, Mumbai, actor, writer and director Manav Kaun tells me the story of his rise to success.
After a brief silence, Manav says, 'Earlier my whole family used to live in Kashmir. Then we came to Hoshangabad. At that time I was probably in the 5th class. The financial condition of the family was not good at all. Father could not even afford to send me to a private school. To ensure that the year is not wasted, I was admitted to a government school. I was not good at studies, it was good that I was admitted to a government school, otherwise the money would have been wasted. (laughs)
As soon as I heard this I asked him – You have also been a national level swimmer?
Yes, this is true. One day when I was taking out coins from the river, a swimming coach noticed me. He showed me the way to move forward in my career as a swimmer. I have won swimming competitions up to the national level. I have a total of 14 national awards.
The funny thing is that I was about to get a government job through this, but because of my passion for acting, I had to reject it.
So when did you feel that you wanted to become an actor?
One day I saw a play in Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal. After watching it, I was introduced to a new world. For a few days, I could not stop myself from thinking about that play. Finally, I decided that now I have to do acting only, no matter what happens.
Did the family members not oppose this decision?
I first told my mother about becoming an actor. She told me- if you want to become an actor, then focus only on that. Leave everything else aside.
These words of my mother gave me a lot of confidence and I set out for Mumbai to fulfill my dream.
Manav Kaul with his mother in this picture.
Seeing the struggle in Mumbai, did you not regret your decision of becoming an actor?
Manav did not answer this question, but he definitely talked about his struggle in Mumbai. He said, 'The struggle in Mumbai was really tiring. I used to live here in a chawl with three friends. Along with the struggle to get work in films, I also used to do theatre.
There was also a problem of food and drink. I remember one day the three of us had only 75 rupees left. There was no other means of earning. We were not in a position to borrow money from anyone. It was almost time to leave the chawl. Then the three of us went to a friend living in Malad. Although he also lived in a chawl, he helped us.
He arranged for us to stay in a chawl of one of his acquaintances. We got a place to live. His wife also used to feed us every day. This incident made us understand that even if there is no work, you cannot die of hunger. Food will be arranged from somewhere.
There is an incident when one of the three of us got a job. He started earning 100 rupees every day. We thought that his job will benefit us too. However, it did not happen. One day we saw that he was brushing his teeth with toothpaste. I did not even have money to buy toothpaste. Not only this, I also found 700-800 rupees in his bag. Seeing this, my heart broke and I left the house at that very moment. That day I had to sleep on cardboard.
Even while narrating the story of his days of struggle, the smile on Manav's face did not disappear. It was as if he was saying that he has conquered these sorrows with today's success.
Without wasting any time, I asked him, what was the reaction of the family members on seeing you in this condition?
Once my brother came to the room. Seeing the condition of the room, he got angry at me and said- One day I will roam around with a bag. I will never come to your house after today.
He knew that I am stubborn and I am not afraid. This is the reason that even though my family members may have been a little angry, they have supported me at every step.
Why did you distance yourself from him after working in TV shows?
People in the TV industry work very hard. Shooting goes on for 17-18 hours. This makes a person very tired and this tiredness starts showing in the form of frustration. The same happened with me. I was tired of doing TV shows. I was becoming more and more irritable day by day. Finally, I refused to work in TV shows.
By this time I had reached a stage where I would only do that which would bring me happiness. I stopped taking decisions based on the world.
Manav Kaul has also worked with Madhuri Dixit in the web series 'Fame Game'.
Did you take a break from acting after doing your first film Jajantaram-Mamantaram?
Yes, this is true. After the first film, I took a break from full-time acting for some time. I only did writing and direction work in theatre. Everyone knows that the income in theatre is very low. When there was no money at all, I used to do episodic work in TV shows and side roles in films. I have also worked as a junior artist.
Then what was the reason that motivated you to work in the film Kai Po Che?
I had directed a film 'Hansa' which flopped. A lot of money was lost. At that time I was in dire need of money. Then I came to know that auditions were going on for the film 'Kai Po Che'. I also gave the audition and got selected.
After working in this film, I started enjoying acting. I did not get much fees for this film, but my debt was reduced a little. I was able to move out of the chawl and live in a house.
Usually one has to face rejection. How did you deal with this situation?
Due to rejections, I had lost confidence. If a filmmaker cast me in his film, I would start thinking that he must have some interest in me. I started doubting people's praise.
Is it true that during the success party of the film Kai Po Che, you did not even have money to go home?
Manav starts laughing loudly on this question of mine. He says, 'Yes, this is also true. Actually, after the success party of the film, I left the hotel to go home at night. When I put my hand in my pocket, I found out that only 22 rupees were left. It was not at all possible to go home with 22 rupees.
Then I made a plan. I went to an auto driver and said- Bhaiya I have only 22 rupees. Take me as far as your car can go as per these 22 rupees. Then drop me. The auto driver agreed to my request and dropped me halfway. I covered the rest of the journey on foot.
Manav Kaul with actor Amit Sadh in a scene from the film Kai Po Che.
Do you believe that your career got back on track after the film Kai Po Che?
Yes, I agree with this. After this film, I worked in films like 'Citylights', 'Wazir', 'Jolly LLB 2' and 'Tumhari Sulu'. I got a chance to work with Amitabh Bachchan in 'Wazir' and Akshay Kumar in 'Jolly LLB 2'. I worked with big actresses like Vidya Balan in 'Tumhari Sulu' and Madhuri Dixit in the series 'Fame Game'.
The characters of these films have given me a new identity in the industry. Now I am at a stage where I don't need any introduction. Now I don't have to struggle to get work. I am now free to choose the script of my choice. I didn't even get married so that I could remain free in life. (Laughs)
Recently I was seen in the series 'Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper'. This series has been trending on top 1 for almost 5 weeks on Netflix India. In the coming days, my series 'Baramula' is going to be released, the story of which has been written by a big director-writer like Aditya Dhar. Apart from this, I have the film 'Salaam Noi Appa', in which I will work with famous actress Dimple Kapadia.
There is a secret of my success. I have reduced my expenses a lot. I don't believe in too much pomp and show. Because of this, life has become very easy and beautiful…
