MUMBAI: Actor Aasif Khan returned to the fictional world of Panchayat through the third season, to the delight of his fans. But did you know the actor was denied entry to Bollywood couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s wedding when he was working as a waiter?

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In a recent interview with new company, ABP UNCUT, the actor looked back at his journey, and getting popular with his roles in the OTT space.

In the podcast, Aasif revealed that he worked as a waiter during the initial days of his struggle in Mumbai. He went on to share that he was washing dishes in the kitchen of the same hotel where actors Saif and Kareena got married back in 2012. Kareena and Saif had a grand wedding at Taj hotel in Mumbai.

In fact, the actor revealed that he had asked his manager for permission to meet the Bollywood stars, and that was denied. “I cried that day as I could not meet the actors despite being so close to them,” he said.

That day pushed him to try harder and find a way into Bollywood. After around a month, Aasif shared that he got an appointment with a casting agency, where he was belittled for his looks.

“The manager of the firm told me…. ‘Don’t take my feedback personally, I am giving you honest feedback. Neither your looks are attractive, nor your body is very good, why would anyone cast you’,” he said.

When Aasif asked about what he should do, the casting person advised him to learn acting first and get the basics right. That is when he decided to go back to Rajasthan, and enrolled himself in a theatre group in Jaipur.

He worked in the theatre group for six years and returned to Mumbai to try his luck in the industry again.

Earlier in an interview to Hindustan Times, Aasif talked about his initial days in Mumbai. He said, “In 2010, I convinced my mother (Firdaus) and I went to Mumbai to become an actor. To sustain, I started working as waiter at a hotel. After few months, when I was working in the kitchen department, we had a party which was Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s reception. First time I saw film stars and Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan. Soon after, I left that job, started working in a mall and giving auditions. I was told to learn acting and do theatre”.

Aasif’s journey in the entertainment industry started as a casting assistant. When it comes to acting, he began as a junior artist. He was seen in Salman Khan’s Ready and Hrithik Roshan’s Agneepath. He also featured in Akshay Kumar-starrer Toilet Ek Prem Katha, and India’s Most Wanted, alongside Arjun Kapoor.

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The actor made his OTT debut in 2018 with Mirzapur, where he played Babar, a loyal aide. He was also seen in Paatal Lok, Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega and Mirzapur 2, apart from Panchayat.

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Credits - Hindustan Times