MUMBAI: Srushti Mishra, who plays the role of Ragini in Rahul Kumar Tewary’s Ram Bhavan, did not have a childhood dream to become an actor, nor did she have dreams of fame. In fact, it was her mother’s dream that became hers.
“Honestly, I never imagined myself becoming an actor. It was never a childhood dream. I actually aspired to become a Navy officer or start my own restaurant someday,” she shared. But fate had other plans. She added. “Interestingly, my mother had dreams of becoming an actor when she was younger. I suppose, in some beautiful way, she manifested this path for me—and now, I feel like I’m living her dream.”
Academically, she holds a B.Sc. in Physics because she wanted to become a Navy officer. She said, “But then the lockdown happened. During my research, I found that girls now need a degree like a B.Sc. to qualify for Navy or other government jobs—you can’t just be a 12th pass. So, I chose physics. I started acting in my second year.”
Like many newcomers, the struggle first began at home. “One of the first challenges I faced was convincing my family that I truly wanted to pursue acting,” she said while adding that she had a hard time with being social and overcoming it was a task for her. But she didn’t let them hold her back and realized that she should be focusing on the most important thing here—her craft.
She said, “In the process of fighting all these smaller battles, I unintentionally neglected the most important part, my craft. I realized that while I was busy overcoming my anxiety, I wasn’t giving enough attention to honing my acting skills. So, I shifted my focus, started working on my craft seriously, and to this day, I continue to work on it every single day.”
While she pointed out that it is still the beginning of my journey, she has done numerous commercial modeling projects, been featured in movies like Singham Again and Bad Newz, made a cameo in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, and is currently seen in Ram Bhavan.
Srushti hasn’t gone through any formal training in acting and started her career with theater; however, she soon realized that she won’t be able to balance between theater and commercial acting, as they both are very different. She shared, “Everything I’ve learned so far, I’ve learned on the field—on camera. Directors used to scold me, but they always guided me. Somehow, touch wood, every director I’ve worked with has helped me, guided me in their own way.”
“Even in the early days—whether it was for ads or modeling—the directors and photographers always showed me the way. I’ve never come across anyone who didn’t help me. Some have explained things with love, and some have scolded me. Even Randeep sir scolds me a lot—but always with the intent to teach. Both Randeep sir and Madan sir explain what Ragini should be doing in a scene. If I step out of character for even two seconds, they immediately call it out, saying, 'What happened? Why did you drop out of character? That’s how I’ve learned—on-field, on-camera,” she ended.
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