Hi y’all! I’m back, with some more stories of my Bollywood adventure. Wanna know what I’ve been up to lately?
I’m playing the main lead in a soon-to-be-aired Sony HD camera TVC! It took me back to, err, the city of sin that is Bangkok, where, as y’all know, I shot previously for a Farmer’s Insurance TVC and had some, erm, out-of-ordinary experiences. Btw, that spot’s on air now, so please take a look.
Back to the Sony HD shoot… It was quite the experience ‒ and you’ll agree with me, too. We shot in a zoo and I got to work with a tiger cub, adult elephants, giraffes and an orang-utan! Wicked it was.
But what you’ll find more amusing is this: the people in charge of hair and make-up took a shine on me!! They took extra time to tart me up; I’m pretty sure the make-up guy was not supposed to apply lip gloss on me but nevertheless continued to with great enjoyment *tablepalm*. And they didn’t stop right there. They looked me up on Google and rummage they did, ‘cos they managed to find an article from my old work place from ages ago! Thought I had seen the last of them as the shoot ended, but then it occurred to me that they could still get me through FACEBOOK!!! What’s with Bangkok, guys? I seem to be a magnet for unwanted attention there… Aaaarrrgghh.
But you know what? I almost missed out on this fantastic opportunity to be on TV and have my mug plastered on billboards across India. The shooting schedule was clashing with my August: Osage County run. As great as the opportunity was, I was on two minds in accepting it. The thing is Primetime Theatre Company, that is Lilette Dubey took a chance on me when I was new to Mumbai and I couldn’t simply abandon them a week before the show. But Lilette being the incredible person that she is, pronto roped in a replacement actor ‒ so that I could be freed up to go ahead with that shoot. And I’ll always be grateful to her for this magnanimous gesture.
Before this Sony ad campaign came along I went through a proper dry phase. The calls for auditions just stopped, the walk-in ones that I went to lead to nothing (i.e. not getting short-listed for further rounds), the momentum built up the last few months simply fizzled out. Testing times they were, in which I could’ve easily lost heart. Then I realised it was all momentary… I kept on marching forward with the belief that work that is good for me and is meant for me will somehow find its way to me… And look where it got me! Rewarding as this industry is, it can be a lonely and taxing place too, esp. when you’re out of action for sometime. You’re on a roll and abruptly, you’re in a state of lull. But these are times which will make-or-break you. SO, fellow aspiring actors and dreamers, in good times and bad, maintain a never-faltering belief in your ability, in yourself, in your dreams ‒ and you’ll get there.
And oh, I’ve something promising to share with you… There’s a talent hunt’s going on for the role of main lead of Aashiqui 2! You’ve to record a 2-minute showreel comprising of two to four acts (with at least one scene and one song) from Aashiqui and upload it to Vishesh Films’s specified Youtube channel by the 17th of April. You bet I’m going give it a proper go, so I’m on a gruelling (hindi) elocution routine at the moment. When that is all recorded I’ll put it up here for you to judge, so watch this space!
Until next time, love and best wishes ‒ always…
Danny x