Raj Arjun - The Setbacks in Your Life Make You Stronger and Those Failures Are a Big Part of Who You Are Now and What You Will Become (Award Winning Actor from India)


No matter which field you pursue your career in you have to work hard to make it happen. Either being in the army or being a doctor or an engineer or an actor you need to make sure that you have to constantly work on yourself every day to make your skills and mindset better.

 


Tell us about your background and journey.

My story began when my dad came to INDIA along with his 6 other siblings after the partition. They came to Bhopal and planned to settle there. They started from scratch and after years of hard work they finally established a business of crockery. So, there I was, born in a businessman’s family in Bhopal. I have 4 siblings and my mother was the caretaker of the house at the moment.

While growing up I realised that I have an interest in acting. I started watching Hindi movies and then probably in my teens I discovered that I want to pursue acting so I joined theatre and there I was learning and enjoying every bit of plays and theatre.

I started my journey by working with Mr. Sanjay Mehta and along the way, I worked with a lot of known theatre personalities including Habib Tanveer Sahab and then in 1999, I moved to Mumbai. And from that point the roller coaster of my journey began, I struggled a lot initially and that struggle made me who I am today.

And yes, my journey was quite good because the number of times I failed I took it as a lesson and that encouraged me to do my 110% the next time. The setbacks in your life make you stronger and those failures are a big part of who you are now and what you will become.



Did you ever think or dream of being an actor?

Actually yes, I always wanted to be an actor and at times I thought that if I couldn’t become an actor then there’s probably nothing for me. And as soon as I realised that I didn’t have much of a choice I started working on my skills and tried to improve by each passing day and make my journey worth it. 



How can one approach their career and have the confidence and belief to become an actor?

No matter which field you pursue your career in you have to work hard to make it happen. Either being in the army or being a doctor or an engineer or an actor you need to make sure that you have to constantly work on yourself every day to make your skills and mindset better. If you want something then you have to earn it you cannot just sit back and wait for everything to happen on its own, you have to put in the effort. 

To become an actor to you need to work on every little detail, you need to learn how to stay in the character and how to make every dialogue look flawless because when you get an opportunity to act then you have to ace the audition, you need to make it look like you are the perfect person for that role or character. 



If not this, what would you be doing?

If I didn’t have any work opportunities in Mumbai I would go back to Bhopal and pursue my career in theatre over there because there is nothing except acting that gives me joy and satisfaction. So, there is no backing out from it. 


For a complete outsider with inroads, what advice would you like to give?

People might think that being an actor is very easy yet fascinating but it is not true. You have to do a lot of work on yourself. When you see a person acting you automatically think that this person makes it looks so glamorous and easy as if it was a piece of cake for him/her but the truth is actors spend hours to make every dialogue and expression perfect.

So, if you are not willing to dedicate all of your time and power to it then acting isn’t for you. You need to have a positive and stable mindset because if you don’t then you will not be able to portray the character perfectly.

And film industry actually has a lot of competitors so you need to make sure that your talent and your hard work pays off and you stand out from the rest of the population. You need to grab the opportunity and show that you are the right fit for it. 


What is your mantra of success?

I see my work as an opportunity to work on myself. My mantra for success is to solely focus on my work, give it my 110% and respect it. Whenever I am working on something I always try to look on the bright side instead of focusing on the negative side.

If you set your goals and you are truly determined to make it happen then everything will turn in your favour, you just need to believe in yourself and your talent. 


Which is your favourite book and why?

I recently came across this book by SADHGURU – YOU’LL GET ANYTHING YOU WANT, and my philosophy for life is something like that. If you want something then you start manifesting for it and you believe in it. And then eventually things start to happen in your favour. Then there is another book ‘SECRET’ it also revolves around the same message that if you believe in it then you can make it happen.

These books are an example of a positive mindset and positive life so yes, that’s the reason that these are my favourite.



Brief Bio:

RAJ ARJUN is an Indian actor who established his existence in the film industry with ‘SECRET SUPERSTAR’ and hasn’t looked back ever since. He is a versatile actor who contributed to the industry by playing a number of different characters. Some of his great and recent works include Sabka Sai, Thalaivi, Secret Superstar, The Miniaturist of Junagadh, Shabri, Dear Comrade, Watchman, etc. Recently he was awarded as ‘THE BEST ACTOR – MALE’ for his short film THE MINIATURIST OF JUNAGADH and he also received a ZEE CINE award for ‘BEST PERFORMANCE IN A NEGATIVE ROLE’.


Interviewed by - Vanshika Jain