Be it Titli, Brahman Naman, or Lipstick Under My BurkhaShashank Arora‘s acting journey is known for its unconventional path. Now with Made In Heaven he’s yet again talk of the town. 

In a heartfelt Humans Of Bombay post, he talks about his journey and how he sailed through the ups and downs, the rejections and the heartbreaks.

From joining theater to spend time with his crush in class V, to being surrounded by supportive parents who were art lovers themselves – he says he wanted to be an actor since the age of 10.

His dreams led him to LA where he kept auditioning, prior to which he joined a theatre group in Canada, and then came back and worked as a casting agent in Mumbai.

He did everything to be around the sets.

After sailing through 3000 rejections, he landed his role in Titli


I continued to learn–after each rejection I reflected on how I could be better. After Titli released, I got more projects & put in my all–everything I knew & learned.

There were moments that broke him and his spirit. Once, at a studio, a ‘big movie star’ looked him up and down and told him ‘Restaraunt westaraunt khol do‘-

This was my first heartbreak. But I realised I didn’t need validation, I just needed to focus. I needed to work on my acting no matter what.

But Shashank made sure to not let his learning process get hindered by rejections and accepted them as a part of life.

I still haven’t made it–but I’m going to keep moving forward. To keep getting rejected & keep learning from each heartbreak. It’s a part of this life that I chose for myself. So I’ll ride each wave of ups and downs happily until I reach the shore.

Read the entire post here.

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“I knew I wanted to be an actor since the age of 10. There was a girl I had a crush on in the 5th grade, I joined a theatre group to spend time with her. It worked for a while, but she started dating a senior, while I had a love affair with acting. My parents were lovers of art & supported me. Their only condition was that I should study the craft properly. So, after college, I went to a university in Canada to study acting. There, I joined a theatre group. I even worked part time as a translator for a company that held French plays to sustain myself. I’d get paid $10 an hour for it. With the dream alive, I kept going to LA for auditions. I wanted to test my destiny. But they wanted me to speak in a different accent. I wasn’t being my true self–something I needed to do. And my savings were running out. So I moved back home… hoping things would work out. I met a method actor, Rob Reece in Bombay, who taught me everything I know. Soon, I started working as a casting agent or an art direction assistant… anything to be around the sets. I’d also go for auditions daily. I must’ve received 3000 rejections before I got a role in Titli! But even then, there were things I still haven’t forgotten–a big movie star met me at a studio. I respected him so much, so I went up to him… & said they were considering me for the main role. He looked me up and down & said, ‘Restaraunt westaraunt khol do.’ This was my first heartbreak. But I realised I didn’t need validation, I just needed to focus. I needed to work on my acting no matter what. So I continued to learn–after each rejection I reflected on how I could be better. After Titli released, I got more projects & put in my all–everything I knew & learned. I still haven’t made it–but I’m going to keep moving forward. To keep getting rejected & keep learning from each heartbreak. It’s a part of this life that I chose for myself. So I’ll ride each wave of ups and downs happily until I reach the shore.” — Humans of Bombay in association with Amazon Prime Video India brings to you the real stories of people which showcases the good, the bad and the ugly – all that is a part of the chaos of life, through their new show #MadeInHeaven

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