MUMBAI: Akhilendra Mishra is one of the most renowned names in the entertainment industry for the strong character roles he has essayed over a span of couple of decades. He is often remembered for his memorable roles in movies like Lagaan, Makdi and Kaabil to name a few. Hailing from a small town in Bihar it wasn’t an easy ride for him since his parents were not confident about his acting career. However, due to sheer talent and perseverance, he has successfully made a space for himself in the entertainment showbiz. With a humble beginning, one of his initial appearances on television was when he played the role of Ravana is Anand Sagar’s Ramayan which is currently being aired on Dangal TV.

Akhilendra says his mother always wanted him to be an engineer. Akhilendra did not want to disappoint her so he tried to get into engineering colleges but wasn’t successful. He then opted to do Bachelors in Science with Physics Honors and graduated with flying colors. He later went on to do Masters in Science. He shares, “During those days, anyone who scored well in BSc as well as MSc was sent an appointment letter to be a lecturer in the university. And if at all I received one, I knew my parents would have wanted me to take up the position but I had other plans. So I had to think of a way to steer the wheel of my own career.”

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Akhilendra shares he used to do small plays back in his village and that always got him excited. He later joined a group and they went to different cities to perform. That’s when he realized that if not an engineer, he could definitely become an actor. But the task was to convince his parents. Akhilendra remembers those days and shares, “We as children had utmost respect for our parents, especially our father. We never went to our fathers directly to ask them for anything. It was always through my mother. I used to go to her everyday saying that I wanted to try my hand in acting but she used to shoo me away always saying that if I couldn’t become an engineer how would it be possible for me to become an actor. After receiving no positive reply from her, I mustered courage and went up to my father and asked him directly. And to everyone’s surprise, he allowed me to have a go. I guess he didn’t know things would go so far.”

Akhilendra later joined an acting institute from where his journey took off.

Sometimes all you need are your elder’s blessings in order to be successful!

Anand Sagar’s Ramayan is entertaining million viewers once again. Ramayan, the epic tale of promises and ideologies is aired every evening at 7.30pm and repeat telecast at 9.30am only on Dangal channel.

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