“Always be ready to take the required efforts for what you love to do”, says actor Anurag Worlikar

He is charming, talented, positive and carries that wonderful smile on his face all the time. He has been a child actor since the 2nd grade and has been doing a lot of Marathi television serials, movies since then. I met him while doing BMM where he was in his first year and I was in my last year, we had two things in common BMM and love for acting .His Marathi movie ‘Por Bazaar’ is all set to release this year. Let’s Talk Life... with Anurag Worlikar, where he talks about his journey of life and his love for acting.

•    Kindly tell us something about yourself ?

Born on 6^th of June of 1994, I completed my primary and secondary education from King George High School, Dadar. It would not be wrong if I state that, it was my school which shaped and groomed me as better human as I am of today. It may sound a little cliché but yes that’s how it is and I am proud of my school. Later on I went to St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai for my junior college and now I am pursing, in its last year, Bachelors of Mass Media from K.C. College.
Talking about likes and dislikes, I like to go for a swim, visit new places, shoot them, read, watch films and do a lot more things that usually surprise me. Yes, I like almost the same things that an average person likes to do. Also not to forget, I like to sleep a lot. I cannot think of anything particular that I dislike because whatever I dislike, I just avoid doing or thinking about it.

•  What are you currently doing professionally?

I recently finished a Marathi film ‘Por Bazaar’, which is in its promotional stage now and will hit the theatre's soon this year. Now I am shooting for another film which is still in production and is expected to release by the end of this year. That’s all I am doing currently along with my last year in BMM.

•   What made you choose this career?

Since my early school days I was inclined towards doing mono-acting and one act plays, which I certainly used to enjoy and was, I guess, good at it. My father used to teach me what and how to say, as I was at an age where I couldn’t read for myself. So just by listening to him I used to learn the script and perform. It was during a summer workshop with Vidya Patwardhan, where she saw me perform and asked me if I was interested in acting for a TV Series ‘De Dhamaal’, which she was producing at that time. I would never hesitate to say that, whatever I am today, is all because of her. It is not because she gave me a chance to act in her serial but as a guide she was always there to help me survive in this field. And that’s how I entered this field and got opportunities to work on various projects one after the other. 

• You have been a child actor, talk about your journey then and how is it different now?

I did a couple of films and some serials as a child artist and it was a totally unique experience. I was exposed to this art at a very young age. I did my first film when I was 7 years old. This helped me to get used to the techniques of filming and acting in a film or a TV serial at a very early stage.  This helps me a lot now as an actor. As a child actor you are taken care of by everyone on the set. There are very few responsibilities on you as an actor. But now I have certain important responsibilities and duties as an actor which should be duly fulfilled. 

•   You are currently pursuing your BMM, how do you manage shooting and studies?

I think it’s not very difficult to manage your academics if you are doing something you really like to do. You are then ready to take those extra efforts to make sure that you are equally good on both the sides. A funny example would be that I don’t get to bunk college whenever I feel like so that when I have to miss lectures for any shoot, it is compensated by my otherwise regular attendance. But jokes apart, it is not very difficult if you really decide to do it.  

•    Apart from Acting , what do you do in your past time ?

As I said earlier, I watch films, read and sleep. As a part of BMM, we also write and shoot a lot of short films on our own. So whenever I am not acting, I am shooting some film.

• Perks of choosing your career?

1    You get a lot of attention.

2   You can get your work done easily.

3  You are recognized in public.

4  You can watch yourself on the big screen.

5  You are also featured in newspaper occasionally.

6.  People laugh on your jokes even if they are not funny.

• Challenges that you faced during your journey? How did you overcome them?

My journey in this field started when I was just in 2^nd grade. This field means long and odd hours of work at different locations you have never heard of. So at the age at which I entered this field, it was obviously very difficult for me to cope up with these problems. It was because of my family’s support. Both my parents used to work, so it was my grandfather who used to accompany me to all the shoots and wait till whatever time it took. It was quite a task for a man of his age but he always made sure that I was able to achieve something by helping me in some or other way. So the problems I faced in this journey were not quite of a problem because I always had my family to help me out. I owe it to them.

•  You have an upcoming movie coming up, we would love to hear about that?

‘Por Bazaar’ is releasing this year. It’s a special film for me because it is after 7 years that I am doing a film again. I was really excited when I was asked for this film, as it has a very strong message which we are trying to get through this medium and at the same time it won’t fail to entertain you. It’s an adventure film with 5 college friends when one incident totally changes the way they look at society. I won’t talk much about the story here, but I can assure you one thing that you will enjoy this film while watching as much as we did while making it.

• What was your 'Nothing is Impossible moment'?

Frankly speaking there hasn’t been a ‘Nothing is impossible’ moment as such. It is a very strong statement. But to say, it can be the moment when I knew that I had to do two dance sequences. Initially I thought that I cannot dance at all. But I think as we went through the rehearsals, it was not very difficult. I am not saying that I am an inborn dancer but I can definitely move my body as per the training given to me. It’s not that difficult as it looks.

• Lastly what advice would you give to the aspiring actors who want to make their mark in the field?

I am not that experienced yet to give advice to anyone but from whatever I have learnt through my work so far is that always be ready to take the required efforts for what you love to do. The more you work the more you learn. But be careful while you choose what project to do and what not to. And last but certainly not the least is that no matter how much of a good actor you are, it’s because of the hard work of all the people behind the camera, that helps you reach to the audience. Respect them all.

“I usually end up liking what others dislike and end up disliking what others like”- Ravi Iyer , A Renowned Guitarist

He is talented, charismatic, focused, rooted and enjoys every moment that relates him with music. He exclusively performs on a specially designed handcrafted custom made guitar which is named after his fusion project. The custom guitar which has two necks enables him to play on Indian as well as Western tunings to savour the authenticity of both cultures; I have enjoyed and loved all the gigs that I have attended in Mumbai. His album ‘Bends’ is mesmerizing. From a teenager to a senior citizen everybody is his audience and fan. Let’s Talk Life... with Ravi Iyer, a gem that the music industry today is proud to have, where he talks about his journey of life and his everlasting love for music.

·     Tell us something about yourself?

I come from a typical Tam Brahm family, with my parents being school teachers and learned Hindustani and Carnatic musicians as well. I initially began learning Tabla at age of 7 and continued to take lessons for about 5 years from then on. During my teens I developed liking towards the Guitar and started my formal training for the same. Meanwhile completed my academic education, schooling and later graduated college majoring in Physics. I successfully completed my diploma in Sound Engineering from the University of Mumbai (Bombay).

“I usually end up liking what others dislike and end up disliking what others like"

·        What are you currently doing professionally?

Currently and as always, performing live, teaching (guitar), composing/arranging music and live/studio sessions.

·        What made you choose this career?

I was always inclined towards taking up music as a career and was so was already professionally performing while I barely got out of college then in the 90's, but had to give up music and take up a job later due to certain demanding circumstances then, and those 5 years of my white collar job made me choose music as my main career.

· In the 80's and 90’s you were a well known rockstar but later turned into an Indo Classical Guitar Player... What motivated you to do so?

It's the other way around actually .I began with Indian classical music and later in the 80's and 90's performed a lot of Rock music and now I go back to my roots where I started from. But am glad as am able to do both now and that's how it is.

· What led to the birth of V -Ravi Guitar Fusion?

V-RAVI GUITAR FUSION is an outcome of all the Tabla I learnt in my childhood, the music I was exposed to right from birth, thanks to my parents  and the rock influences in my teens. 

· Tell us about V- Ravi Guitar Fusion?

V-RAVI GUITAR FUSION comprises of myself on guitar,very fortunate to have one of the best Tabla players and with whom I connect like no other viz; Rupak Dhamankar and my dear friend Crosby Fernandes on bass guitar. The core line up is typically a trio line up and occasionally I do collaborate with other like minded jazz and fusion artistes. Our album BENDS which is a live album was nominated for the best fusion album of the year at GIMA AWARDS 2013. 

· Your take on the Current Bollywood Music?

The current Bollywood music is definitely flourishing and it is nice to see many changes in the trend. I feel there is a space for every genre and everybody. It is all about finding that right space where one fits in.

· Perks of choosing your career?

Struggle!!!! But that's the high you get when your work gets appreciated and noticed by everyone. 

· Challenges that you faced during your journey? How did you overcome them?

There have been innumerable number of challenges good and bad , ups and downs in my journey, but to be honest I really cannot tell whether I have overcome them or not, but am here to create and perform music, which is what I always focus on.

· How many years does it take for one to be a professional Guitar player?

Ah! in this era i do not think ill be able to answer that loaded question.

· What was your 'Nothing is Impossible moment’?

That moment comes up everyday at least once I guess, so you could multiply the number of days into years starting from birth. 

·   Lastly what advice would you give to the aspiring guitar players who want to make their mark in the field?

There are no short cuts to learning music or guitar specifically. Hence find a good teacher or institution, learn, practice and then perform with your soul and all honesty. It will never fail. 

Know more about Ravi Iyer and V Ravi guitar Fusion :

www.vraviiyer.com

Let's Talk Life ... An Introduction

I have always been inspired by the people around me be it my parents, siblings, friends, domestic help, there are some qualities in everybody that are unique and hence make them different from others. I strongly believe that if we observe and learn from our surroundings and the people we interact with everyday, can teach us a lot about life.

I like to observe people, and learn something out of them, to improve me. I have always had awe for people who have made a mark in their respective field by sheer talent. I feel a true winner is he who overcomes his failure and strives harder to be happy and successful.

Recently I visited a live dance show at Thailand where I came across talented young performers. After the show, I spoke to the troupe; each person had an interesting and inspirational story to share about their journey of struggle and success. Patience was something that I learnt from them. This made me think that there must be so many maestro’s in our own country who have made or are making their mark and creating their space in their respective field, and it would be great to hear their stories and let people know of them This motivated me to write my blog “Let’s Talk Life” …. Nothing is Impossible which salutes those who are a source of inspiration in their field.

Through this blog I will try and capture a journey of anyone who is a star in his/ her field. It could actually be anyone, someone known or a complete stranger. A Musician, Dancer, Actor , Corporate Personnel , Sculptor, Housewife, anybody from whose journey we could be motivated to make our journey worth living.

 I do not intend to be a counsellor through my blog, but my main motive is to pay respect to the success of people who have strived hard and achieve it only on the basis of talent and hard work. Nothing is Impossible if you have trust in your thoughts and actions.

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