Ashish Kumar left a huge mark as the plain clothes cop in Aryan Khan’s acclaimed show, The Ba***ds Of Bollywood, despite being there in just one scene. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actor spoke about his experience, his journey and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Ashish Kumar aka plain clothes cop of The Ba***ds Of Bollywood opens up about his experience: “Aryan Khan was very chilled out; NEVER got angry…Red Chillies Entertainment team is very professional; time ke pehle paise de diye the…”
How did you bag the show?
I had sent my pictures to casting director Nandini Shrikent. Their assistant called and asked me to audition for a cop character. I was apprehensive at first as I was told that I don’t have more than 1 or 2 scenes. Yet, I auditioned for the role. The next day, I got a call saying that Aryan had liked my audition. They informed me that I had just 1 scene, but assured me that ‘accha scene hai; tum accha kaam karoge’. Then, I met Aryan and he appreciated my audition. He explained to me about my character and we did rehearsals. That’s how it got finalized.
How was it working with Aryan Khan? Many actors have stated that he goes for multiple takes and that he has a clear vision…
Initially, I was wondering how Aryan would turn out to be. But from the first meeting until the last, he gave me a lot of respect. He would talk like a buddy and was very chilled out. We would discuss how we should go about doing the scene. Until he was not satisfied, he would keep going for retakes as he wanted every shot to be perfect. Moreover, he never got angry at anyone, even if some actors goofed up or didn’t act as required. He would simply ask for another retake.
The Red Chillies Entertainment team has also been very kind and professional in terms of money and other matters. In fact, jo time diya tha, uske pehle hi paise aa gaye! The EP (executive producer), Bonnie Jain sir, and all the others who coordinated with me treated me respectfully. I wish other production houses would also treat me the same way as Red Chillies.
Where are you from and how did you get into acting?
I am from Seoni, Madhya Pradesh. I studied in a nearby Kendriya Vidyalaya and used to participate in plays in school. Hence, I always had the desire to be an actor, though I had no idea how to go about it. My mother dissuaded me from pursuing acting and advised me to finish my education and take up a job. I agreed with her as I come from a middle-class family and hence, earning money was paramount.
I shifted to Bhopal for my engineering course with the aim to dabble in MBA later, though it was always at the back of my mind that I should act. One day, I was sitting in the college lab with my friend. There was a newspaper lying nearby in which an ad of Bharat Bhavan was published. Its like Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre where people perform plays. The friend, who was a localite, told me that there are people who teach acting in Bharat Bhavan. I reached the venue and asked around if acting was taught. But I didn’t get any positive answer. I went the second time and again, I was told that acting wasn’t taught. The third time, I met Sanjay Mehta ji, a prominent theatre director. He gave me my first chance. I worked with him for some time. I had reservations with the idea that you need to do the same play and play the same character 50 times. I used to wonder, same naatak same tarike se baar baar karne ka kya matlab hai? I was immature and it was not right on my part to think so.
Then, I met another director, Alakhnandan, and worked with him. I also worked with Alok Chatterjee. I also got enrolled in a drama workshop. I remember the teacher asking, ‘Who all are here just to attend the drama workshop and have no plans to enroll in the drama school if they get selected?’. I was the only one to raise my hand! Someone told me, ‘Pagal hai kya? If you get admission in the drama school, toh bahut acchi baat hogi’. However, I was brainwashed by a close friend, who also wanted to be an actor and who had knowledge about Mumbai. He told me, ‘Humein yeh sab thodi karna hai. We are going to Mumbai and work in Hindi films’. Shockingly, when he got selected, he took admission in the drama school. I was very hurt.
I decided to make a fresh start. I came to Mumbai in 2013 and did a lot of auditions. I played the lead in an episodic show of Balaji Telefilms, called ‘Gumrah’. I also did a cameo in another TV show, ‘Sadda Haq’ and worked in a few more TV serials. I also acted in Kumud Mishra’s theatre production.
But I didn’t have proper guidance. Now, it’s much better and actors even take online classes. I did an intense acting workshop with Neeraj Kabi to hone my craft. I dabbled in voice training under Asif Ali Beg, acting workshop of Rishabh Mittal and a free workshop by Mumbai Theatre workshop.
I couldn’t afford the workshops of Saurabh Sachdeva and Atul Mongia. So, I used to see their videos and also watched many films to get better.
In between, I thought of applying to FTII (Film and Television Institute of India), but I could not afford the fees at that time. Also, my family was against my desire to act and not take up a stable job. That’s why I dropped the idea.
Moreover, I was clear that I am open to acting in films, TV serials and web series but my character should have a pivotal part. At times, I would get offers to play the role of one of the friends of a hero in a TV show. It would be a one-year commitment; they were ready to pay Rs. 3,000 per day and the work was for 30 days in a month. That would amount to Rs. 90,000 every month, which was good money. However, I didn’t want to build my profile in this manner. If money was the goal, then I would have taken up a stable job, right? Why did I enter this profession then? However, I did take up ads.
In 2018, I returned home after my mother had paralysis and had to undergo hip surgery. Meanwhile, my father ran a shop and he suffered losses. We were in debt. My father asked me to support the family. I agreed to be with them for a year or two. I decided to contribute in solving the financial troubles and side by side, also work on my craft. We started a clothes shop through a loan secured under a state government scheme. 3 years went into all this. The desire to act never diminished and hence, I returned to Mumbai in 2021. My family could not support me here and I took yoga classes to sustain myself while also looking for roles. In 2023, I auditioned for The Ba***ds Of Bollywood.
What would you like to tell aspiring actors?
I am not in a stage to give advice. Yet, I would suggest that if you are from a lower middle class and if your parents are dependent on you, toh fir soch samaj ke iss line mein aana. That’s because your chances of making it are between 3% and 5%. Whenever I say this, some tell me, ‘Why are you saying this? You should motivate the aspiring actors’. But I don’t want to be the one ruining someone’s life. If you are extremely talented, like Nawazuddin Siddiqui or Manoj Bajpayee, then your chances of succeeding increase to 10% to 20%. And if you don’t have the required talent and still want to jump into this line, then be very careful and think about it many times.
There have been allegations that you created a new Instagram handle. Many are wondering how you suddenly came out of nowhere…
It’s not true. I had an account on Instagram for a long time but I used to not use it frequently as I was going through problems at home due to my mother’s health and I was also working on myself. Moreover, I am an introvert and didn’t have the time and will to use the app.
How do you react to the feedback coming your way?
I am very happy to know that everyone has appreciated my acting. However, I am very self-critical and I feel I could have done better. Nevertheless, I’ll always be grateful to Aryan Khan and Red Chillies Entertainment for this opportunity and for enhancing my self-confidence.
How did your parents react to your role in The Ba***ds Of Bollywood?
They are very happy and it means a lot to me. There are times when someone would inform my father that their son has got a lucrative job and will be paid Rs. 1.50 lakhs per month. Some other person would inform him that his son bought a flat. Whenever he would hear something of this sort, he would be sad and go silent. Middle class ya lower-middle class mein paise se upar aur kuch nahin hota. Here, success is measured by how much you earn. As a result, getting this part in such a big show has made them very happy.
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