Vicky Kaushal Opens Up About His Struggle As an Actor and His Story Will Inspire You

In just a few short years, actor Vicky Kaushal has managed to become a household name. From his debut film, Masaan, to his current hits like Manmarziyaan, the young actor has proved his mettle as a truly versatile actor. 

But things obviously did not start out that way. Despite having a father who was in the film industry, Vicky chose to stay away from nepotism and even gave up on a lucrative IT job so that he could forge his own path. He recently shared his story of struggle with Humans of Bombay, and it is nothing short of inspiring. 

Read the full story here:

“During college, I decided to interview for an IT job just for the thrill of it. I wanted to experience the ‘nervousness’ -- wearing a tie and waiting for someone to give your resumé to. I already knew that I wasn’t ever going to choose that profession, even when I got the offer letter. My dad’s an action director and despite his hope that ‘Kaushal parivar ka chirag’ is going to get a job with a secure pay and a 9-5 schedule — I announced that I wanted to become an actor. But, I’d never known struggle like my father had. 
He went into films only for survival. When my mom married him - they lived in a small 10x10 room, with a chattai and a chair. My father built everything from there on. He didn’t have it easy - he had to hunt for our next meal. So he was very clear even if he didn’t bring his work to the dining table, he made sure to let us know where each piece of furniture came from. 
That’s why when I told him I wanted to act - he told me to be sure. Acting as a profession could not be a question mark for me. I needed to put 120% and not have a back up because then you can never put your full effort. 
So I tore up that offer letter from the engineering job and set out for auditions.
My first one was horrifying. It was for a small role in a big film and I realised how far from everything I was. On my way home, I was like ‘Vicky, ab toh tune job letter bhi phaad diya!’
I was afraid, but I literally couldn’t give up. So the next day, I got out of my house at 11 and set off to more auditions. I even started theatre and evolved as an actor. I wanted to learn the practicality. Finally Masaan released in 2015. And that’s when my dad saw my performance on a big screen. He was really proud -- when he got a phone call from one of his friends - saying ‘Vicky ke papa’ He called me in 10 mins saying ‘you know what happened? Someone called me Vicky’s dad today!’
So that’s it. The journey from being my father’s son to him being Vicky’s dad was what gave me hope… things were changing. And my happiest moment since then was when I first bought my own car with my own money. When you’re younger, you just say things like I’ll have my own Mercedes someday.. Never knowing when it’ll happen. 
So I took my mom to the show room and she said, ‘You remember when you were younger, you used to point out toy cars in those shops? And today you’re making me sit in your car.’
She had tears in her eyes. That was the moment I knew that I’ve retained my title as being the ‘Kaushal parivaar ka chirag,’ and I did it on my own terms.”

Now that's how you know that someone's a true star!