MUMBAI: Making a place in showbiz is no easy feat and we can safely say that actor Suraj Kakkar has done an amazing job. The actor, who has been part of shows such as Sanyukt, Kavach... Kaali Shaktiyon Se and Lajwanti, says that right from school, people encouraged him to model and act. “I used to stay in Gurugram where I have a joint family. My mom, dad and two elder brothers and their families and I stay together.  Being the youngest one in the family, I was always enthusiastic about sports and entertainment activities, right from school. So my friends motivated me to work on my body and get a good figure. I started gymming when I was in ninth grade. After a year only, my body turned out so good that people started telling me to get into modelling and try acting,” he says.

However, his family was never supportive of the profession. “My family also, like many other families, had this thing that acting is not the right profession to go into. But I didn’t like that. We have a family business too which has spread over five generations now and has given us everything, but somehow I never wanted to be part of it. I came to Mumbai, started with modelling and did two shows. I still remember, as soon as I came, I had this feeling that I belong here and that I want to work here. I loved everything here. Plus, soon I realised that modelling was not the right industry for me. I didn’t want to be part of it after a point of time,” he says.

He decided to start acting after this. “Then I came into acting. I realised that only talent works here, at the end of the day, you will come in front of the camera and people will like you or dislike you for what you can do there. My family refused to let me do this, but I was adamant. My mom and dad dropped me at Mumbai and I still remember they had tears in their eyes when they went back. It was too tough for them. The first thing I did when I came here was that I went for an audition. I went inside the audition room and I ran away. I entered the room, I saw these boys auditioning, 10-15 of them were there and I went in and came out. The first thing I thought was that I can’t do this, I am very nervous. I joined acting classes by Promod Ghosh for three months. We were in front of the camera every single day during these classes. We did so many scenes and enacted so many emotions. After this, I knew I was ready. I started giving auditions every day. I must have auditioned at more than 50 places in one month. After a month, I got Lajwanti. My character name was Chaman Lal. It was a negative lead,” he says.

There was one person who Suraj credits for helping him stand on his feet in showbiz. “When I had come to Bombay, my flatmate introduced me to Anand Patwa. He told me I am going to Bandra to audition and I went with him. The audition didn’t happen as they wanted a mature-looking person. There I met uncle and we had a connection right at the beginning. It’s been 5 years since then and he has been unconditional in his love for me. He has really supported me personally and professionally. Mom and dad also talk to him, they have often told him that I am his responsibility here. I call him daddy. He is a great mentor and I think everyone needs someone like this in their lives.

The actor has been part of multiple shows and talking about the character he is closest to, he says, “The character that has been very close to me is Sameer from Sanyunkt. This was a story on a father, who has four kids. I played the youngest one. The story is that the father convinces his kids to live in one house. Playing Sameer was quite relatable as I too have a joint family. My dad is now 73 years and the amount I am connected with my brothers, I am not connected to my dad. There is a generation gap with him. Actor Kiran Kumar played our father, he is such a senior actor. All of us who worked on the show were so close. We could actually feel the emotion and love that brothers share. We are still friends and it’s been four years.”