Good-looking actor
Avinash Mishra, who started his acting career a few years ago with
Sethji, is going great and has managed to do quite a few challenging roles. The young actor, who is currently seen playing the role of a mentally challenged man, has been able to make a mark of his own in the industry with no backing and Godfather in the industry.
In a time when his contemporaries love to be on social media and deal with the pressure of being on social media, Avinash likes to stay away from it and is only there because of societal pressure. Recently, Avinash spoke to ETimes TV for the special segment
Tellyblazer and talked about his journey in the television industry, his struggles and rejection period. The 25-year-old actor stated that he wants to be known as a good actor rather being called stylish.
Did you always want to be an actor?I always wanted to be an actor. There was no second thought about it. I didn't even have a plan B or for my career. When I was a kid, I would tell everyone I want to be a hero. I would say to people ‘Mujhe hero banana hai’. But my family was not very serious about it. They thought it was a phase and he is a kid and he would change his thinking. But after I completed my 12th, I became serious and told them that I want to become an actor and want to go to Mumbai.
Then they slowly accepted it but they asked me to complete my graduation first. They told me to get a graduation degree and then move to Mumbai.
How was your initial period and what are the challenges you faced when you decided to be an actor?When I came to Mumbai I had a struggle period of 6 to 7 months. But before coming to Mumbai I went through a great struggle in Raipur which is a small city. I was very thin in my college days. I was 53 kilos and it was a difficult task to gain weight and look like a hero. I pushed myself very hard for it and got my photoshoot done. Since Raipur is a small place, they don’t have acting institutes so I did a few workshops. I did many ads so that I could earn some money before I move to Mumbai.Later, when I came to Mumbai, I started with TV ads, print shoots and after the fifth month I got my first TV show. So, I think whatever struggle and hard work I had to do I did in Raipur before landing up in Mumbai.
How supportive your parents were with your decision of being an actor considering the insecurity attached to this profession?My parents have always been very supportive and I feel very lucky about it that they have always stood by my decisions. Whether I was in school, college or when I came to Mumbai, they always supported me. Initially, I needed them the most because I had to survive in this city. I needed money to pay the rent, for travelling, then you need that support. Otherwise, the journey becomes very difficult. I know a few people whose family did not support their decision and they had to go back home after some time as they did not have money to survive here.I believe every parent should support their kids whatever profession they choose. I feel blessed that they understand my journey. They knew where I needed them or where I would face difficulties, so we have to push him or support him. They knew where I needed their motivation to grow in life.
Do they keep a check on you daily because you have been shooting during the pandemic?Initially, they were scared for me how I am managing things on my own here. But now they are fine. They know I am a sensible person and can handle responsibilities very well. They know I must be taking all the precautions while shooting. They call and keep a check on me but not daily as I am shooting. But they know that I can take care of things. They have that confidence in me.
Since, you come from a small city called Raipur and you did not have any Godfather, how did you bag acting offers and knew where to go for auditions?Honestly, when you step in Mumbai it is most difficult because you don’t have links, Godfather and you don’t know anything. You don’t even know where to go for auditions. But I feel whenever you are doing something like this, homework is very important. While I was completing my studies, I used to look for information about the places where auditions happen in Mumbai. I would search on the internet and on social media there are many audition groups so you get many hints as to how to go about it.So, I remember when I was in Raipur I got to learn about a place in Mumbai called Aaram Nagar, Versova. When I came to Mumbai, every morning I would get ready and just walk in to any audition. So while doing this I learnt about other places where these auditions happen. Then I bagged ads, print ads and then my first serial. I feel homework is very important when you walk into a city like Mumbai.
Have you faced rejections and how have you dealt with them?Yes, I have gone through many rejections. If you don’t face them you don’t enjoy your success. As an actor I feel it is necessary to feel the pain of rejections. I feel till the time you don’t see rejections you are not a good actor, you won’t be able to fit in every kind of role. When you face rejections you get to learn about your negative points and you work on it for the next time. I remember when I would go for ad films the coordinators or casting people would not even speak to me.They would look at me and reject me. They would tell me if I was not fit. I think all the actors at some point in their career have faced rejections.
Do you remember your first day on the sets of your first TV show? What was it like?My first TV show was Sethiji. I remember my first day on the sets it was like how it was my first day of school. I did not know anything and the makers knew I was completely a fresher and had no idea about anything. So, everything was taught to me whether it was the camera angle or anything else. All in all my first show was like a school for me and I have learnt a lot.
Since these days social media has become a very important part of an actor's life, how much do you enjoy being on it?No, I don’t enjoy being on social media. In fact, if I get a special power then I would remove all the social media platforms from all over the world. I am on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook just because of the 'Samajh ka' pressure. Otherwise, I would not join any social platform. I am more of a spiritual and a book person. I like to travel and meet people personally rather than spending time on social media. I like to be in nature's lap and feeling it.I believe in these things more but I know in today’s generation, my contemporaries are more active on social media.
Do you feel the pressure of being highly active on social media do bag projects and how do you look at this process of actors getting projects because of their social media followers?The sad part is people get cast because of the numbers of social media followers they enjoy. I don’t take that pressure of having a certain number on social media but I do feel sad about the system how it works. I feel you are pushing the industry into the wrong hands. We need to understand the difference between actors and social media influencers. I don’t get this logic that if you have an ex number of followers you get cast for a show, web series.Getting cast for a music video, I still understand but for acting why I don’t understand this logic. I feel if someone big banner is casting a celebrity for an acting part just because of his social media following, it is really sad. This whole year we spoke about
nepotism but ideally I feel this topic should have been discussed. I wish people would come up with a similar term for this too, like nepotism because I know so many good theatre actors get sidelined because they don’t have social media followers. They are willing to work but they are not getting work because they are not active on social media.
Go on....I don’t feel like clicking my pictures for social media all the time or being dressed for it every time. I feel bad when people say 'oh Avinash is a very stylish actor'. I don’t want to be called a stylish actor, I want to be known as a good actor. There are times when I want to wear a simple shirt and a trouser that’s it. I will feel great if they call me a better actor and not a stylish actor. It will be a huge reward and award for me.
How do you deal with trolling on social media?Yes, I get hate messages sometimes. But as I don’t surf that much on social media I don’t see too many hate messages. If I come across these negative messages I just ignore. Because they are sitting idle they are doing it but it is not my job to read them. It is human nature if you read them you might get affected so I just ignore them. I delete it many times and just focus on my work.
The entire last year we heard about nepotism. Is there any insider vs outsider in the television industry as well?I don’t see nepotism at all in the TV industry because everyone is an outsider here. People belong to different cities, backgrounds and they have come here for work. Everyone is getting work. I feel the TV industry gives you a lot of work. Because not everyone is able to crack or make it into movies. If you are hardworking and talented television helps you to make your mark in the Showbiz industry. I feel people find lots of work in this industry.
