Actor Vicky Kaushal recalled his father’s early struggles in Punjab, before he went on to become a renowned action director in Mumbai. He said that his dad, Sham Kaushal, was at the end of his rope in his home state, and had even contemplated suicide because he was jobless. As a change in environment, Vicky’s grandfather had him sent off to Mumbai, where he began his long climb up the ranks of the film industry.
In an interview with Raj Shamani, Vicky said that he was set to become the first person in his family with a 9-5 job, which left his parents overjoyed. When he told them that he wanted to become an actor instead, his father told him that he cannot help him get jobs because he doesn’t have much sway as a technician. “My parents were very happy with the idea of me having a regular job. My grandfather had a small kirane ki dukaan in our village in Punjab. That’s where my parents are from. We had no land back there. Dad came to Mumbai in 1978. He had an MA in English literature, but he was still jobless. One day, after drinking with his friends, he declared that he wants to die. My grandfather became very concerned, so he sent him to Mumbai.”
Also read – Vicky Kaushal says dad Sham Kaushal cried after being ‘humiliated’ on film set: ‘It was never hidden from us’
Vicky continued, “In Mumbai, my dad was willing to work as a sweeper even, because he knew that nobody in the village would get to know. My dad’s youth was full of struggles. There’s no job security in this field. While you’re working on one project, you’re wondering if you’ll find something else next.” Vicky said that he isn’t a risk-taker by nature, although he did quit engineering to pursue acting. “My family was genuinely very happy that finally someone is going to have a stable income, job security, off days… He was so happy. He felt like his struggles had finally paid off. But I just knew that I couldn’t do a conventional job. I had an offer letter, I’d passed out with good marks. But I knew that I’d become depressed if I went ahead with it.”
This isn’t the first time that Vicky has spoken about his dad’s struggles in the film industry. He said in an interview with Film Companion, “He’s lit himself on fire, he’s fallen off 10-storey buildings, there were no safety measure… He’s done all of that. The other day, he was telling me, the first time he rode a horse, he didn’t know how to. But if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been paid. He fell, and he fractured his hand. But he didn’t have the money to get it treated because he needed food. So, the bone is still broken.”
Sham Kaushal was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, and in an interview with The Times of India, he said that he was completely hopeless immediately after his diagnosis. “I thought there’s no chance of me surviving. I had even decided that I would end my life by jumping off the third floor because I couldn’t live like that,” he said. But in an interview with Rajshri Unplugged, he said that he resolved to fight back after an initial period of dejection, and went on to achieve more than he had before falling ill.
Sham Kaushal is one of Bollywood’s most renowned action directors, and has worked on films such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Bajirao Mastani, Ponniyin Selvan, Padmaavat, and more. Vicky is looking forward to the release of Bad Newz, a romantic film that also features Ammy Virk and Triptii Dimri.
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