When I ran away from home to become an actor

A page from personal diary of Ravi Bhatia My dream was to be an actor, so I ran from my house to be here. It’s been exactly four years since then and it’s now that I have a lead role in Hamaari Beti Raaj Karegi on Sahara One. I am from a small place called Mandip in Simla. The people there either join their father’s business or do simple things and we are usually advised not to dream big, so dreaming to be an actor is beyond your limits. People there think becoming an actor is a dream that will never happen and so when I broke this news first to my parents they thought I was destroying my life. They advised me to take up my father’s business and sit in the shop. But, I always wanted to do something different. So, I finally planned to move out of my house to pursue my dream. I knew if I had to tell my parents about it they would never let me leave so I just informed my little brother. But, since I was moving out of the house I had to give them some reason and I told them I am going to my aunt’s house. From there, I came straight to Delhi and since I had my school friend staying there he helped me with my accommodation. Three days later, I informed my parents and also asked for some money as I wanted to do modeling but my father said he would send me money for my return ticket and that’s it. They were worried about my future. But I was sure what I wanted. They did not send me any money and I had only 4,000 rupees. So, I had to take up a job at a fast food center where I worked for three months. After that, I started working in a mall in Delhi and only after six months, I took a transfer to their Mumbai branch. I was finally in Mumbai but I had still not achieved my dream. I continued working in the mall for six months and then joined a call centre. I worked there for another eight months. I would work at night and give my auditions during the day. It was during this time I got my first break, Dharam Veer. I was playing a parallel lead for three months after which I started getting other shows like Mahabharata, Kitni Mohabbat Hai and Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. Now, I am finally playing a lead in Hamaari Beti Raaj Karegi and not just me, but my family too is happy about it. I had got 82 per cent in my Class 12 exams so it shocked everyone when I chose acting over studies. But now that I have completed my studies through correspondence and also made a mark in the industry they are all happy. This is how I grew and it took me three-and-a-half years but I am happy I took that step that day.