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MUMBAI: Actor Vishal Singh, best known for his stint in TV show Saath Nibhaana Saathiya, has shifted his base from Mumbai to Los Angeles, and he reveals that he in fact has been living there for many years.
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“The day I left the show, I moved to LA. I got my O1B visa (issued to foreign nationals who have exceptional abilities or achievements in their field) and then I came back ,” tells the actor, who left the show in 2016, adding, “My visa got over recently and I lost my social security card, so I had to renew both of them. I am doing all that and then I can start shooting for anything again. It is pretty much like moving here but I am doing a lot of back and forth to see my family as well."
Singh’s journey in LA started when he was offered to be the face of a brand there. “Eventually I started walking for their Fashion Weeks, so modelling also kept going on the side. I changed my visa status from B1B to F1B, which is the work visa, which is as good as having a green card,” he continues, “I also started doing my own show called Pepito’s America, it was submitted to Emmys, and we even made it to the nominations. It’s an American show and I am the only Indian in the star cast. I can’t officially shoot right now for anything further because my visa has expired but the moment that is done, I will start shooting for the next project.”
The 38-year-old is proud of how far he has come, but there will always be one part of him missing his family back here in India. “My journey from Bhatinda to LA has been amazing. I am very close to my family, so the worst part about living abroad is that they’re not here with me. But, thankfully I have many friends here, so I still feel I am in Mumbai. Besides not being with family and cooking myself, it feels like home here now,” he quips.
Asked what promoted him to move abroad and Singh admits he wanted to explore new avenues breaking the monotonous cycle of working on the small screen. “I have done television for 13-14 years, and we used to shoot for 30-40 hours. But, now the new bunch of actors on the block don’t want to work beyond 10-hours or so. I’d still love to do television, but then you should forget that you have a life, for at least 6-7 months because you are shooting every single day,” he states, adding that if he still decides to take up work in India, he would prefer OTT.
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“That way I can work both in India and LA. You can shoot for two months and then you will be done. I am also able to manage living here because now with the web, you don’t necessarily have to physically be present at all auditions, you can just self tape and send it, you’ll get a call if they like it,” the actor reasons.
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Credits - Hindustan Times
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