Aditya Deshmukh: The rejection that you actually go through as a struggling actor or as an actor, you start valuing things

MUMBAI: Ziddi Dil Maane Na actor Aditya Deshmukh calls his life journey a roller coaster ride.

"My journey is just like a roller coaster ride. I have done my graduation in arts and sociology. I worked in TCS as an HR executive then I did my MBA in marketing from Rizvi College in Bandra and then I worked as a senior marketing executive for an advertising agency. Finally, I landed up in acting. I've done so many things in my life that would never actually make anyone believe that I'll end up in this industry," he said.

But since childhood, he always wanted to be an actor.

"What really satisfies me is that as an actor, this industry teaches you something. Life teaches you everything. Life slaps you and it slaps you so hard that at times, you feel very numb because it hits you directly on your heart and you feel so numb that you feel like a needle is poking in your heart. It is going that deep and you're just feeling numb," he said.

"The rejection that you actually go through as a struggling actor or as an actor, you start valuing things. And that's how I believe that whatever has come my way, I have started valuing it. Because that's how an actor actually evolves. I would say this industry has taught me that I started experimenting on myself," he added.

In the industry, he has seen his downfall more. "I would say my 8 years of my journey have seen how the industry prospered from theatres to digital platforms. So I have seen so many changes. I would still say I feel like there's a lot to learn," he said.

Everyday is a challenge for him. "When I go to the set, there are so many characters on the show, my character Faizi itself is challenging for me. So everyday you just learn something and always try to be a learner more than a teacher to someone else. Because the more you learn, the more you keep yourself grounded, keep a low profile. When I go to the set, I'm completely blank. At times, I feel I just show that I don't know anything. And that's how whenever you ask questions I believe that you should be very much shameless in asking questions. Yes but the questions have to be relevant (laughs)."

"So be shameless, ask whatever queries you have. The way the industry has evolved, the same way actors have also evolved. Like I believe that I have evolved a lot. This industry has actually taught me. Till death, I would say I'm still learning. I remember that 4 years back Amitabh Bachchan Sir said that he's still struggling so who are we to say how is our journey as an actor and what have we achieved and fulfilled in our life."

For him, every character is special. "Whatever I have done, I have done different kinds of roles. But one character that I would say was difficult for me to was to understand Ashutosh Kulkarni from Kawach Mahashivratri. The show started with a leap. I was playing the negative role in that. I had to maintain the Marathi accent. Being a Maharashtrian, born and brought up in Mumbai in a Brahmin family, Marathi language is not a challenge but the performance as well as the way it was written, I think it was a challenge," he said.

"To adapt to that character so well, it was a task. Sooner or later everybody was convinced and I was also convinced with my character, so it was amazing."

He has been doing negative roles all his life, but for the first time since last year he started playing a positive role. "Last year my show for Colors was called Naati Pinky Ki Lambi Love Story in which I played the parallel lead. The character's name was Vikas, who was a very submissive, simple living and high thinking guy. That character was a little challenging for me because I had never played a positive character before," he said.

It was a challenge for him. "I know Tanu Tiwari ma'am was creative. She believed in me. She thought I really nailed this role so well. And she had that belief in me so much that I didn't realise that I'll be able to pull it off that well. Finally when we saw the first episode of my character from that show, it was mind-boggling. I was like, 'wow! I did it. And they just loved it.' And the director who directed me in Naati Pinky Ki Lambi Love Story, is the same director of my current show Ziddi Dil Maane Na. So we had those moments, we kept talking about our previous show," he said.