MUMBAI: Coming from a middle-class business family in Patna, Sagar Parekh landed in Mumbai to become an actor. Interestingly, while studying in a boarding school in Mussoorie, he had other plans. But it was his mother, who harboured the dream of seeing Sagar on screen, and urged him to give it a shot.
 
“My mother motivated me to pursue this art form. It was her dream that I decided to fulfil. But now it has become my dream as well. Slowly, I’ve fallen in love with this profession. If this had not happened I would’ve joined my family business. In fact I still dream of running a business. After watching Aamir Khan in Ghajini, I wanted to be like the character he portrayed on screen. A successful businessman, all suited booted, running an office yet so down-to-earth,” says the actor, who got his first break in Gumrah while still in school.

“There was an ad on Facebook that was about the requirement of a young actor for Gumrah. My mother sent my pictures to the casting director without much hope. But within 5-10 minutes she got a call. Initially she thought someone was playing a prank but then the makers told her that I am being finalised for the role and they are going to pay us a decent amount. So we decided to give it a try. My dad was supportive too and ready to take the risk of sending me to Mumbai. This experience changed my life. I really enjoyed working on the show,” he adds.

The real struggle began after Gumrah. “I had to learn a lot of things about the industry and that took me a very long time.  This resulted in losing out on work and even auditions. Slowly I realised that I need to find out if my audition is reaching the right people because a lot of times it did not, and I came to know about it later,” says the actor known for TV shows Internet Wala Love, Rajaa Betaa, Meri Gudiya and Tera Yaar Hoon Main.

Talking about the changes he has seen in the industry in the last five years he has been working here, the actor shares, “When I entered this profession, there was no OTT. But see how within three-four years OTT has taken this industry to a new level. It has opened so many doors for everything, from actors to technicians. The industry is developing every day, developing and adapting to changes, much like the audience, who have now become more accepting.”
 
Sagar is just 23 and wants to use his youth as an advantage to take things slowly. He wants to learn and grow simultaneously and has no intention of rushing into things. At the same time there are certain disadvantages too.
 
He shares, “For some people, it might mean advantageous, I am not denying that. But, when you are aged between 22 and 25, you neither look too young, nor too mature. So you are stuck in between and therefore grabbing roles at this age is really tough because you don’t fit in most of the time. I have been rejected many times and have been told that I look too young or too mature... But I take things very positively and invest the time working on my craft.”