My struggling days were crazy' - Jaskaran Singh

Everyday several people land up in Mumbai, with their knitted dreams to become a star. However, it is very crucial to be at the right place, at the right time to grab the golden opportunity.

Tell us something about yourself.

I am an Indian. I'm was born at Indore, after that I did my kinder garden from Bombay. Then my Dad wanted to open up a business in Chandigarh, so I moved there. Till my 5th grade I was in Chandigarh and then later I shifted to Bhopal because my grandparents stayed there. So, I feel I am very fortunate to have lived in all the corners of India. In fact this has even helped me in my acting career because I'm not bound to a particular accent and I'm very fluent with my Hindi, as I've also learnt Sanskrit for 6 years.

How did acting happen to you?

Actually, I always wanted to be an actor. But my father made one thing very clear to me that in case acting doesn't works, then he is not going to provide me with any kind of support. The reason being, I'm not from an extremely well-to-do family and my father taught both his sons that you should learn it the hard way. So to begin with, I took up a job as an operational analyst in 3G Company and got into the comfort zone of working. The day my Boss told me I was going to be promoted to an Assistant Manager designation, I resigned because I wanted to try my luck in the acting industry. While I was staying with my brother Karan Singh Grover when he was associated with the show Kasauti Zindagi Ki, he guided me as to how to begin and go about and that's how I started struggling.

Can you share something about your struggling days?

Nothing came to me easily and I had to struggle a lot. Initially I played a cameo in Nagin on Zee TV and after that Miley Jab Hum Tum happened.

I have had no God father and my struggling days were crazy. As I told you after I gave up my job, money got over and I had no monetary back up. Consequently, to overcome the financial crisis, I took up a call center job. I used to work the entire night because then my job was from night 10pm till morning 10am. Then I used to be at my toes the entire day for the auditions, come back home at 7 pm, sleep for an hour, get up and work out for another half an hour and get back to the call center job again. Speaking out the truth, for one and a half years I've slept for only 1-2 hours in a day and I'm not exaggerating.

Do you think Miley Jab Hum Tum has been a turning point in your career?

I would say that it was a very good break and the show had been really popular for all of us. Doing a television youth show, was like a dream. The show got me a lot of recognition but after the show got over; call it the pros or cons of tasting a little success, I had the darkest phase of my life, which ended with Do Dil Ek Jaan after 3 years. Till three years I didn't get any offers, things used to be finalized and get cancelled at the very last moment. No work happened to me after Miley Jab Hum Tum, and this phase happened immediately after I got married. It was the darkest phase of my life but it has made me very tough now.

How did you cope up with the stress and emotional breakdown?

I started working out twice a day. Moreover, I started getting trained at Martial arts and I learnt it for nearly three years. I got myself indulged in a lot of gaming. My brother Karan and my wife Ashwini supported me a lot and never let me go down.

Has television given you good friends?

I'm in touch with everybody from my past show Miley Jab Hum Tum. Recently I went to Arjun Bijlani's marriage; I met Mohit Sehgal a couple of days back below my building. And just few days back I messaged Sanaya Irani when she performed at Jhalak. Yet, I would say the only 3 am friend I have in this world is my brother Karan, and I think I am also his only best friend.

How do you relate with your on-screen character Mach-Mach in Do Dil Ek Jaan?

Well I would relate with Mach-Mach more than I related to Uday in Miley Jab Hum Tum. Mach-Mach is more like me and he is more real. He has only one best friend, he is very emotional, gets angry and cracks stupid jokes. He will shed tears when he realizes his best friend Raghu has been hurt. So, at a personal level also, I'm very emotional and I think it is very important for an actor to be expressive.

Monica Varma