It’s a dream come true: Aashish Raj Bidkikar

With Bollywood paying a lot of attention to Hyderabad in recent times, city actors are getting a chance to make their dream debuts. The latest to join the list is 24-year-old Aashish Raj Bidkikar with the film Daawat-e-Ishq. Aashish, who is seen in the film’s trailer with Parineeti Chopra, talks about the pains of a struggling actor and the joys of finally seeing himself on national television.

He was 18 when he started pursuing his acting dream under the guidance of Ratna Sekhar Reddy, the founder of Samahaara theatre group. From plays to ad campaigns to various short films to also a start-up, Aashish was a part of it all.

“Like all other struggling actors, I went to Mumbai and tried to pursue my dream. But I had to come back to complete my MBA,” he says.

Back in the city, Aashish was looking for acting opportunities when he got the lead role in the Telugu serial Puttinti Pattucheera, that he has now quit. Two months into the shooting of the serial, he got to know that Yash Raj was holding auditions in Hyderabad for an upcoming film.

“I had to wait for a long time before I got my second call. The hotel where the second round of auditions was taking place was right next to my television soap set. I went for the audition during a break in the shoot and had to rush back immediately to change for my next shot. As I was about to give my shot, I got a call again from YRF, asking me to return. I had to ask them to wait for 10 minutes till I finished that particular shot and then rushed back again,” he says. That was not the case only for the audition. After getting selected too, Aashish had to juggle both the shoots and ended up working for 41 hours at a stretch.

“The only sleep I got was when I was travelling in the cab from one set to another,” he says, adding that it certainly is a dream come true. “To be in a YRF film was big and then working with Habib Faisal was huge,” says Aashish. He also fondly remembers the time he spent on the sets where he talked to Parineeti about his acting career.