Mahir Pandhi, who has been a part of shows like Bebaakee, Vanshaj, and Chhoti Sardarni, among others, does not perform contentment. The actor, currently drawing attention for his role as Bosco in Vimal Khanan, has spent enough time in this industry to have earned his perspective around how the industry functions.
The starting point, he says, is clarity, something that took years to arrive. He said, “I’ve reached a stage in life where I’m very clear. When you first come to Mumbai to become an actor, you come to a new city carrying a whole box full of insecurities with you. Then people start rejecting you. This isn’t good; that isn’t good. This doesn’t work; that doesn’t work. Yes, you try to improve those things. But that bag of insecurities keeps getting heavier and heavier.”
“Every artist, every single one of them, has insecurities or has had them. But after a point, at least I reached a realization. I spent part of my life living like a puppet. People would tell me, ‘Say this. Don’t say that. Do this. Don’t do that.’ At the end of the day, if I lose my real self trying to become someone who is diplomatically correct and politically accurate, then I can’t be a puppet,” he added.
He stressed that the most beautiful thing God has given us is our emotions and said, “Just share your emotions. The people who are meant to like you will like you even when you’ve done the worst possible thing. And the people who don’t want to like you never will. I got the opportunity to work with Saket Chaudhary sir and Abhinav Parik sir. Bosco was the character. I did it. I gave it my all, whatever I had to offer. The rest is destiny.”
Failure, he argues, is actually what freed him. He said, “Once you’ve dealt with it enough. If you keep scaring a child over and over again, there comes a point where the child gets so scared that they stop being afraid altogether. It’s the same with insecurities. I feel I’ve seen a lot of failures and rejection very early in life. I started with web shows.”
“My web show debut was with Shaad Ali, sir. It was his web show debut as well. He’s the man who made films like Bunty Aur Babli and many other cult films. That show flopped. I’ve had good people around me. I’ve worked with big names. If something doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. And with every show come expectations,” he added.
Mahir explains that every show is an actor’s baby. He said, “You want it to do well. You want it to be successful. After a point, you stop thinking about it. If it works, great. If something big is meant to happen in your career, the phone calls will come and people will know. Otherwise, life keeps moving. I’ve reached that stage.”
