MUMBAI: My good friend, Aniruddh Dave agreed to do an episode of Share and Grow Spotlight even though I contacted him on an extremely short notice. I was really thankful to him for giving me his precious time. He is an extremely talented actor and is even a Rashtrapati Award winner. His insightful and persistent attitude towards life is motivational, and it makes one introspect about their own issues.

One of the best things about Aniruddh is that he doesn’t shy away from talking about any topic. From his struggles and losses to his triumphs and wins, he talked about them all. He is a very well read guy, his “muhaavras” about life can inspire someone into climbing the Everest. His undying enthusiasm for life and his never-ending tryst to reach beyond his limits is awe-inspiring.

He spoke at length about how he won his Rashtrapati Award and his persistent love towards his craft. He tried to unsuccessfully get into the National School of Drama and consequently worked in theatre. He has worked hard to reach the level he is at today. His mantras for life, his focus towards being the best at what he does is something that should be emulated by everyone.

When I probed whether Aniruddh wants to “die with the paint on” aka die acting until his last breathe, he politely asked me to check out his caller tune. Even his phone caller tune is the melodious and popular song “Jeena Yahaan, Marna Yahaan” from the cult classic Mera Naam Joker. When this song started to play during the episode, Aniruddh almost came to tears and his passion towards his arts was incredibly moving.

I have always felt that he has underestimated himself as an actor and he is more talented than he believes. I had watched some scenes in his show, Phulwa and I had realized way back then that this man deserves more. He also talked about his failures - how the first show he was producing was cancelled right before the trailer was to be shot. Though he was sad about the outcome, he didn’t let this incident drag him down. Instead, he took this incident as a learning curve and instead dove right into work. And now, he is producing another show again!

This was an enriching experience as I came to know so many hidden details about Aniruddh. His humble attitude coupled with his easy to go personality made this episode shine.