When I was around twenty years of age I had to choose a career for myself. I personally felt that I was fit for the career of a journalist, cartoonist, novelist, film script writer or film actor. I was also interested in politics but I felt that I should wait to cross 35 before I take to politics seriously. First I tried to get a job of journalist and cartoonist in newspapers like Times of India, Indian Express and Free Press Journal. I was moving around with samples of my writings and cartoons but the thing is there was no vacancy in any of these three big newspapers of 1980s. I tried to get a job as a film journalist too but I met with failures even there. I could write novels but the problem was there was hardly any novel publisher in Mumbai. All the big publishers were in Delhi and I could not afford to go to Delhi every now and then. Had I been in a place like Britain or America I would have become a prominent novelist because I had all the making of a terrific novelist. Then I thought of trying to be an film actor. Now I was staying at Bandra those days and Bandra, for your information, is located in Bollywood area. The region from Bandra to Andheri can be considered as Bollywood area. Today I stay at Andheri and that also falls under Bollywood area. While I was trying to be a film actor, a tragedy occurred. My dad expired. Since my dad was an employee of Customs I was offered a job in Customs under the quota which is reserved for children of custom employees who die while on duty. I reluctantly took up the job in customs. But I had decided that the moment I got a job of a journalist or film actor, I would leave customs. But the thing is I got stuck up in customs for 14 years.
Today I'm a successful journalist. As far as film acting is concerned I'm still willing to accept a role in film provided it is a meaty role and I get good signing amount. I had got a modelling offer when I was in Indian Customs. But the thing is Indian Customs was a Central Government organisation and its employees were not allowed to do any kind of side business. I did ask Assistant Commissioner of Customs whether I could do modelling side by side with customs job but she refused to grant me permission and she told me that if I did modelling along with the government job, disciplinary action would be taken against me and I would be facing the risk of losing the government job. Hence I had to reject that big offer which if I had accepted might have had catapulted me to a great height in modelling world and also might have had made me land in film acting business.
For your information, somewhere in the year 2000, I was called for screen and audition tests by a prominent producer and I even passed those tests and got a lead role to play in a TV serial. I even attended the shooting. But after two sequences were shot the serial got shelved. And then I dropped the idea of trying for acting assignments. Somewhere in 1996, one casting director called Shetty rang me up and offered me a role of police inspector in a film which had Manisha Koirala as the leading lady. It was a role of a side hero. The main hero too was a newcomer. I read the script and I found that I was suitable for the main role. I then told the producer that I either be given the main role or I quit. I refused to do the role of side hero. The producer tried to persuade me to do the role of side hero but I refused and left the set. If you ask me whether I had performed anytime on the stage then my answer would be 'yes'. I had performed a Japanese dance along with five other boys and six girls when I was in fifth standard in St Theresa's Convent at Vasco Da Gama in Goa. The dance was taught to us by the foreign nuns and after the performance my role in that particular dance program was appreciated the most by the audiences present over there. After that I did participate in debates and elocutions in school as well as college. These were my only experiences on the stage. But the thing is I never felt drawn towards theaters. I was attracted towards films. I like to perform in front of camera rather than on a stage.
Anyway, I can contribute a lot along film line even today. I'm already a film journalist. But besides that I can even write film scripts and act in films. I can even become a film maker. Since I'm already a successful journalist today, I'm wondering whether now I should try to make it big in Bollywood as a film script writer, actor and film maker. I can't decide. But if I get a good acting offer and paid good signing amount I might accept that offer. So i would like to wait and see as to what the future has in store for me. Bye!
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