Arshad Warsi: I have spent 25 years in Bollywood, and I am still looking for job

It’s been 25 years since actor Arshad Warsi stepped into Bollywood, but the feeling of amusement has not left him. The actor is grateful to all the people who believed in him, and says he has a long journey ahead of him.

After working as a choreographer in a song in the 1993 film Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, Warsi made his acting debut with Tere Mere Sapne, which released on December 6 back in 1996. Since then, it has been a journey full of ups and down.

“I am surprised as well as happy about completing 25 years in Bollywood. Mujhe laga nahi tha ke mein 25 saal tak tik paunga idhar. It used to be so frightening when I used to see all my peers disappear one after the another. I used to think ‘ab agala number mera hai’,” Warsi tells us.

Looking back, the 53-year-old shares, “I was petrified to make my debut because I had never acted before. I was so scared of doing a film. I tried my best not to do a film. I am one of the rare breeds that tried his best to get out of the film. Because I was so scared of failure”.

“I was scared of failing, and then walking around, with everybody saying ke ‘yeh bechara hero banne aaya tha idhar’. From going through a bad phase to working non stop, I have seen it all. I’m grateful for all the people who had faith in me, and continue to have faith in me, and the audience. I feel there is going to be another long journey ahead of me,” expresses the actor, adding, “So, (the truth is), I have completed 25 years in the industry, and I’m still looking for a job because that is how the industry is”.

For a long time, he assumed that it is sheer luck that he is getting work, “I was like, ‘Arrey, people think I am an actor, wow’. So, it has been a surprise element all the time for the longest time”. As he explored more characters, he got more confident about his craft, and now can proudly say, “I know my job. That phase is over where I would be like tukka lag gaya. I definitely have some little talent in me”.

He also confesses at one point people in the film fraternity had a bad impression about him, and used to give him bad looks. “After a long time, I realised it is because of the people I hired, like my managers, who had been rude to all of them,” he admits.

He rectified his team, as well as his way, and that has worked in his favour. Over the years, he has impressed the audience and critics with his performances in projects such as the Munna Bhai series, Ishqiya (2010), the Golmaal franchise, Jolly LLB (2013), Seher (2005) and Asur. And he has a lot of projects lined up.

“I feel grateful for every day that passes. Because if you face reality, one can say, ‘I’m getting old’, and work can go slow. But it doesn’t look like it. I am too busy all of a sudden,” he says.

In fact, he is loving to experiment after shedding the fear of failure. “I don’t take failures or success too seriously. Also, I don’t give up very easily. These are the things which have worked for me subconsciously,” concludes the actor.