‘Manoj Bajpayee and I paid Rs 2,000 rent per month when we moved to Mumbai, it's not possible today,' says Saurabh Shukla

Indian Express

2 days ago

Shekhar Kapur's 1994 film Bandit Queen gifted the Hindi film industry a new crop of actors who moved to Mumbai and eventually went on to achieve great things. This included the likes of Manoj Bajpayee, Saurabh Shukla, Gajraj Rao, among many others. In a recent interview, Saurabh shared that back in the 1990s, they did not care much about the money they were making, and weren't too stressed about what their future would look like. Saurabh said that it is not possible for a struggling actor today to be as relaxed, because the economics of the business are different now.
In a chat with the YouTube channel Filmore India, Saurabh shared, 'I never imagined that I would start working in films.' He shared that after working in theatre for a few years in Delhi, and then working with Shekhar in Bandit Queen, he gained the confidence to build a career in Mumbai. He moved to the city with dreams of becoming a filmmaker.
Saurabh shared that while his parents were worried about him, he had a very relaxed attitude. 'My parents were worried about how I would earn my livelihood. Even though they were artistes themselves, they were fully aware that in the field of arts, there is a level of uncertainty, they used to worry but I never worried about this. I used to think, 'Something or the other will work out'. You are immature. You think, 'I'll eat at some friend's place or even if I go hungry sometimes, it's okay'.'
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Recalling his move to Mumbai, Saurabh shared that he moved to the city with Manoj, and the two were roommates when they first started living here. 'When Manoj and I moved here, we moved into a rented room in DN Nagar and we paid Rs 24,000 rent for it for the entire year, which was a lot for us in those days. Both of us paid Rs 12,000 each. But at least, we were confident that no one can throw us out for a year. We thought that we have a place to stay, we will sort out the food as well. Whosoever earns more, they will manage the food. But now, things are different, A new kid coming to Mumbai, who wants to live here, and if they have to give Rs 60,000, how will they do it? They don't have the luxury of enjoying that immaturity. They can't afford to think that it's okay even if I don't have the money. They can't pay someone Rs 6 lakh as rent, it's a lot of money,' he said.
Saurabh said that the luxury of going with the flow is not something a new actor can afford. Saurabh was last seen in the film Raid 2 with Ajay Devgn and Riteish Deshmukh.