Kamal Ghorui
Aayush Sharma made his debut with ‘Loveyatri’ and was later seen in ‘Antim’. Aayush is married to Salman Khan‘s sister Arpita Khan and has two children. In a recent interview, he candidly spoke about his struggling early days in Mumbai, revealing how his decision to pursue acting was opposed by his father. Aayush had moved to Mumbai under the guise of pursuing a BMS degree at Jai Hind College. During that time, he was living comfortably renting an apartment in Bandra, employing house help, and even convincing his father to buy him a car. However, things took a turn when his college flagged his poor attendance.He recalled during an interview with Cyrus Broacha, “My father was called by the college and told that your son’s attendance is 9 percent. My dad came to Mumbai, he was quite ashamed. My mom was also upset and said, ‘What have we not given you, we gave you a house, a car, and you’ve brought us shame. We told the entire family that our child is going to Mumbai and will make something of himself.’”It was during this confrontation that Aayush finally confessed his dream of becoming an actor. “I told my dad that I want to be an actor. I showed him my photoshoot and my CD of my performances. It was a very important moment of my life.” But instead of encouragement, he was met with blunt criticism.“My father said, “Neither are you tall, nor do you have a physique, nor do you have a voice, nor are you good-looking. You have no personality whatsoever. When you walk on the road, nobody looks at you. Has anyone ever told you that you can become an actor?”“‘You are nothing close to Bachchan sahab, you are nothing close to Dharmendra ji. You are not going to be a hero at all. I am not going to pay even Rs 50 to watch you on screen.’”His father also made it clear that he wouldn’t support this path. “He said, ‘I have given you money, I have given you too much support. You pack your bags, come to Himachal and do business.’” Cut off financially, Aayush suddenly found himself on his own. Though he still had a house and car, his savings quickly dwindled. “Things came down to a point where I had Rs 20 left.”At his lowest, a friend stepped in to help. “My friend called me to say he had got a job of Rs 50,000 per month. When he found out about my situation, the next morning my account was credited with Rs 50,000.” Despite the setbacks, Aayush didn’t give up. He later returned home with a bold request. “I went back to Himachal and said, ‘Dad, I want Rs 10 crore to launch myself.’ That’s the number somebody gave me.”His father’s response, however, remained as sharp as ever. “He said, ‘Beta, tune dekha hai kabhi langde ghode pe paisa lagate ho? Main to chalo 10 crore beta samajh ke de bhi dunga, but tere ko dekhne kaun aayega?’ (Have you ever seen anyone bet money on a lame horse? I might still give you Rs 10 crore thinking of you as my son, but who will come to watch you?)” It was ultimately his grandfather who intervened and persuaded his father to give him another chance. “Luckily, my grandfather told my dad that he is the first one in the family who is trying to do something on his own. Give him a chance and a timeline and my father re-started giving me money.”
