I don't follow anyone in Bollywood: Ankit Mohan

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Delhi boy Ankit Mohan has no godfather in Bollywood; neither does he believe in having a role model. Set to make his debut with Pankaj Kapoor's 'Mausam', he is confident and fears no competition.

'I don't follow anyone in Bollywood as my dad always says that if you want to live, live to leave a lasting impression,' Ankit told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

'If I try and copy someone, I will lose myself. The acting talent of many actors like Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan gives me a boost, but that's about it,' he added.

The 24-year-old, born and brought up in Chandni Chowk, left his family business of corporate gifts and shifted to Mumbai two years ago to pursue an acting career.

'I had no contacts. So I had my share of struggle. I started meeting people and got to know that Pankaj sir was looking for a new face to play a part in 'Mausam'. I auditioned for it along with 1,000 other boys and, luckily, I got selected,' he said.

Before bagging a role in 'Mausam', Ankit was seen in reality show 'MTV Roadies 4'.

'Mausam' has Pankaj's son Shahid Kapoor in the lead role and Sonam Kapoor plays his lady love. The film also features Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak and Aditi Sharma.

'I'm playing an air force officer, Ashfaq Hussain, a good friend of Shahid in the movie,' Ankit said.

The young actor said he was honoured to work with Pankaj Kapoor.

'I felt great working with legend Pankaj sir. I think he is the godfather of acting. After meeting him, I felt that he is the most noble and grounded person on earth,' he said.

'He himself struggled a lot in his life and this can be easily seen in the way he talks and behaves,' Ankit added.

Bollywood has seen a plethora of debut actors this year like Kartikeya Tiwari in 'Pyar ka Panchnama' and Ali Fazal and Zoa Morani in 'Always Kabhi Kabhi', but Ankit is not afraid.

'I don't feel they are competitors. Everyone has one's own forte. My funda of working is very different...I am open to do excellent work - be it on television or big screen. I don't really bother and don't have fixed priorities,' he said in a confident tone.