Heeramandi actor Taha Shah Badussha, who is being loved for his portrayal of Nawab Tajdar Baloch in the hit series, recalled the time when he was struggling.
In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol.com, Taha said he would have to stand in line for auditions for as long as 12 hours at times and still not get the role.
Taha, who is originally from Abu Dhabi, shifted base to Mumbai in 2009 to try his luck in movies. And nine months later, he got his debut movie, 'Luv Ka: The End', as an antagonist. Next, he was seen in the 2013 movie 'Gippi' by Dharma Productions, for which Taha received positive reviews.
But his struggle period was long, and the actor said he wasn't getting any good roles, and he thought of doing Bigg Boss to get fame. Taha said nobody was giving him any roles, and he was desperate for work, but his mother stopped him, and he thanked her for that.
"Main Karne Ko tayaar tha Bigg Boss. I wanted to do Bigg Boss; mujhe koi mauka hi nahi de raha tha toh maine socha chalo thoda sa fame mil jayega, and uske saath main apni thodi acting dikhaon. So fame ke saath dkhaon toh shayad chal jaoon. Then thoda influencers ka waqt ho gaya tha toh socha following ho jaayegi. Kyunki following ke hisaab se kaam milta hai, and mere kuch following hi nahi tha. Toh maine socha shayad Bigg Boss mein jaane ke baad thodi following ho jayegi and uske baad koi aik role mil jayega," he told us.
He further said how his friend and mother guided him against it, and he waited patiently for the right role to come his way.
"Tushar, who is a good friend of mine, was always against it. I am so glad he is with me, and he always guided me and said, Aap ye matt karna kyunki, aap aik alag trajectory par chale jaoge. Aapke main roles cut ho jayenge. So my mom was against it too. I told her, Ki thoda paisa kama loonga, at least you don't have to spend so much on me. Classes, khana, and kapde ke paise. She said no and said she no. Main jugaad kar loongi, kyunki aik baar tu wahan chala gaya toh, you can't turn back time. So, she never let me go down that path, which was not meant to be where I wanted to go," he added.
Talking about his struggle period, he said his mother has been his rock, and she invested a lot of money in him. He also revealed how he would stand in lines for hours to get an audition and land some role or another.
"Main jab pehle audition karta tha, I have stayed in an audition line for almost 12 hours. Infinity Mall ke paas aik choti si jagah thi and bahut hi choti film thi, lekin uss time mere paas kaam nahi tha toh har film badi thi mere liye. Toh I stood in the line and got into the room at about 12:30 am at night. There were 500 people standing in the line, and I don't know why they were standing, but they were standing. Main bhi khada ho gaya kyunki agar aap line chod kar gaye toh aapko phir se peeche jakar khada hona padega. Woh sab kiya hai maine. Maybe I have not walked 10 km, but I have done the leg work. I have given every audition possible. I have 8–10 auditions per day. Kuch hi milta tha, chappal ke audition se lekar supporting role, junior maine sab kuch kiya hai, I have tried for everything. The struggle is real, and yes, the struggle has to happen. Jinko saamne se mil jata hai na unko uski value nahi hoti. But jab aapne har din line mein khade hue ho, you have attended your classes," he said.
Taha is really busy now, but he is thankful that this time has come back into his life. But the actor says he wants to stay grounded and never take his success to heart.
Heeramandi has been streaming successfully on Netflix since May 1.
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