Filmmaker turns Rapido captain, heart-warming story of resilience goes viral: ‘The stubbornness of success'

Indian Express

4 days ago

Ratnam E M Kalra, a content creator known for his compelling storytelling videos, recently shared an inspiring story revolving around Viraj Srivastav, a former assistant director who now works as a Rapido captain. After losing his father, Srivastav made the difficult decision to leave his home and mother behind to make a name for himself. But the journey was far from easy, as he had his own share of hardships his way.
'Main aadhi duniya ghum chuka hun, mera passport triple hai par kismat kab kahan le jaaye (I have travelled half of the world. My three passports ran out of pages, but you never know what destiny has planned for you),' Srivastav says in a viral video shared by Kalra.
Now a Rapido captain, Srivastav couldn't complete his studies due to financial problems following his father's demise. 'Main bahut roya maa ko miss kar ke par waapis jaane ka tareeka nhi pata tha (I cried buckets as I missed my mother, but I couldn't return to her),' he adds.
As the video progresses, Kalra says that Srivastav was his Rapido captain. Srivastav revealed that he had worked as an assistant director in Zee TV's popular daily soap Qubool Hai, starring Surbhi Jyoti and Karan Singh Grover. His first salary was around Rs 2,250, and he further received an offer from a TV production house.
Sharing his musical skills, Srivastav reveals that he is proficient in drums, congo, ukulele, and is trained in thumri, a semi-classical vocal form in Hindustani music. 'Marne se phle jo meri iccha hai na, wo karke rahunga, kursi pe baith kr rahunga. Roll, Camera, Action, bol kar rahunga (I'll anyhow achieve my dream of becoming a director. Before dying, I'll sit on the director's chair and say roll, camera, action),' Srivastav says.
Kalra, who shared the Instagram reel, wrote, 'It turned out to be such a special coincidence because I was his first ever Rapido ride. He was just trying it out as a part-time thing to earn an extra buck on the side. But he was special, stubborn, stern and so so talented.'
Watch here:
A post shared by Ratnam E M Kalra (@ratnamemkalra)
The video resonated with several social media users, amassing over a million views. 'tu matt pahuncha, main pahunchuga (you don't reach me, I'll reach there),' content creator-actor Kusha Kapila commented. 'This reminds me of that scene in tamasha jab ved talks to that rickshaw driver. 'Wat wat wat wat',' another user wrote.
'The stubbornness for success is what makes the difference,' a third user reacted.