My mother Reba Vidyarthi was a Kathak dancer while my father Govind Vidyarthi was a theatre personality. Later on, he worked for Sangeet Natak Akademi and documented many dying art forms of India.
Ashish Vidyarthi
You won't ever get clarity in life. You have to overcome the hazy path yourself.
It has been more than 31 years for me in the cinema industry but I am still learning and my motto is the same as that of late Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs - Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish!
It's a dystopian world where things aren't connected. But life feels light when we can communicate, joke or laugh on ourselves.
I was in a school called Shiv Niketan, run by Elizabeth Gauba, where she gave a lot of importance to people expressing themselves in whatever way they wanted - some could draw and answer, some could dance and answer, while some could act.
Doing anything with dedication impacts life positively.
My mother-in-law is an awesome cook, but I have grown up eating the food cooked by my mother. I must say that both of them have their own area of specialisation, when it comes to cooking.
Shivajinagara' is set in Bangalore's Shivajinagar. We shot most of the film on those busy streets.
I can understand Tamil and Telugu when a conversation is aimed at me, but I cannot hold a conversation.
If you love your work, you will try out different kinds of roles with perseverance in order to sustain in the industry.
Ala Modalaindi' is a labour of love and leaves me with a smile when I look back.
Either I am rootless or I have my roots spread out so much that I cannot spot my primary root. I believe in Camus' philosophy - It is important to be a traveller without a baggage.
Theatre is known as a beautiful form of art where an actor expresses his emotions and feelings without any re-takes.
I did a film called 'Nightfall,' based on Isaac Asimov life, which was directed by an American director. However it was a short film.
We make life difficult, and then we try to solve it. My methodology is to simplify things and share them with life examples.
I have plenty of memories from my stint in the Kannada film industry.
Redemption happens in many forms. It happens when one takes responsibility even when one need not.
None of my visits to Bangalore go without a visit to Gandhi Bazaar's Vidyarthi Bhavan. Grabbing a dosa and a coffee there is a must.
Once there was this Telugu film about a ghost. It sounded too hackneyed. 'Probably it will turn out fine,' I told myself and went ahead and... it was a disaster.
I have done 200 plus films in other languages.
Nothing is off the table... never for an actor. An actor is continuously looking for challenges.
When we grow older, we start getting caught up with ourselves. We try and live up to an image.
I'm essentially a traveller. I love to do many things.
My father is a Malayalee, my mother is a Bengali.
As an actor, I have travelled, met people and discovered that the only thing that matters is how we treat life, not complaining nor wanting better things.
No actor is totally happy with the roles they get.
All of us play different roles in our chosen career. I play the role of an actor. But I realised I am also an actor apart from various roles I play in my personal life.
Sometimes we think roles define us. One can emerge beyond the confines of their roles to make an impact on society.
I like to be a creative variable rather than sticking to a dogma.
I would be lying if I say I don't find it scary each time I come on stage.
It's a funny thing that when things happen in an actor's life, at some point it's just a performance, at another, it's a part of your life.
So many of us have moved to another city, and it's across strata, economic divides, educational status etc, but we have found ourselves in a new city with its new challenges. So there is something about 'Dayashankar' that people connect with.
It's a great joy for me to work on television after a long time.
Roshan Sherchan is a grey character and that's the challenge. He's not all bad. Even though people will hate him, they'll still wonder why he did what he did. I enjoyed playing this character a lot because he will make the audience choose between things.
There are many roles and I haven't had the opportunity to do any of them. I jokingly tell people 'Sometimes I wonder, is the film industry waiting for me to die and then say it's sad. He was a good actor. He was underrated and didn't have enough chances.'
I am available as an actor across languages.
Even as we continue our life, what is important is that, we must keep hope for the future alive.
The exciting part is the journey of an actor. Each destination in my life is something that I celebrate.
I personally don't believe in waiting for things to change.
But it's the love of audience that encourages you to try out better things each time and I feel elated that I have the opportunity to work across so many languages.
Life doesn't happen like we plan. We need to make the most of it.
It is a rich universe and because people come from different backgrounds, ethos and unique strengths, just because they don't look like us doesn't mean you need to amputate them from your life.
What I tell people usually is - don't look at others and be like them. Instead, find out ways in which you can augment yourself and increase your capabilities and use it in different ways.
Gossip is the biggest enemy in a healthy relationship and creates distrust.
For me, the ever smiling face of my father was an enigma which I understood later in life.
There is immense power in acknowledging the contribution of every human being in our life. One must constantly make the effort to absorb this power by getting the blessings of all human beings.
Well, acting on stage is very different from acting on screen.
Once I sign a film, irrespective of whether it is a small production or a large one, I make it mine and give my best.
I can speak English, Hindi and Bangla.
When people ask me where I am from, with artificial simplicity, they don't understand how convoluted an answer it may sound.
