Yuvraj Thakur: Nobody just gets lucky, you have to make things happen

A page from the personal diary of Yuvraj Thakur I am Yuvraj Thakur. I am known in the TV world as Arjun of Channel V’s Humse Hai Liife. My journey in this show has been an interesting one in many ways on which I would like to narrate my story to all of you. Ever since I was in the first grade, I wanted to be an actor. To help me pursue my dream, my family shifted to Mumbai. Back then, I did not have any contacts but then I had realised that were no set rules to enter this field and that’s exactly how I worked. I used to go to a gym, where I once met a model who used to do small assignments here and there. He helped me with an audition. This was for a Raymond ad where they needed hulk like men. Though I was rejected at once, the casting director there was kind enough to take my audition. She liked me so much that she agreed to promote me. At the same time, a friend of mine clicked a few of my pictures that I kept on forwarding to various agencies. During this phase I faced a few hardships. I remember there was a day when I had just forty rupees in my pocket and had to go to four different places for auditions. God alone knows how I managed to go around with that kind of money with me. Today, people say I am just lucky to get this show but then I know how I completed this journey. I used to wear torn Vans slip-ons. So every time, I would go for an audition, people there would first look at my feet and then talk to me. I had planned to not buy anything till I got a break. After a small wait, I did get my first break in a TATA Docomo ad. That was a very special moment for me as it was my first assignment. There is always this fear when you are trying something new. At times one is even uncomfortable, but I feel if you do not seek that opportunity, you will be a loser. Hence, one must go beyond his fears and that’s exactly what I did during this shoot. Since I wasn’t that familiar with the camera, the cameraman had to ask me to open up. Surprisingly, it did turn out to be a good shot. I auditioned somewhere around five times for Humse Hai Liife. Even though I became familiar with the still camera, I was still to spread my wings. The production house wanted me to do Raghav’s character but since I did not fit the role well, they gave me the role of Arjun. Nobody just gets lucky, you have to make things happen.