Aftab Shivdasani: “The journey thereafter hasn’t been easy as I am not from a film family”

Having been a successful child actor, Aftab Shivdasani had shown up in films like Mr India before he made his debut as an adult with Mast in 1999. Many assume that it was his appearances as a child star that prompted his movie career as a lead hero. Yet, in a new interview, Aftab uncovered that it was a cola commercial in the 90s that earned him his first break.

Talking to Times of India recently, Aftab spoke about his early career. He said, “Being a child artist has got nothing to do with being an adult lead actor. Also, as a child who was in school, I used to try and do auditions as well to procure commercials as I loved acting as well as the camera. The transition I made into a lead actor (Mast) was purely because of a cola commercial where I was spotted by Ram Gopal Varma and then I was cast for it.”

Aftab chalks it down to having no one to advise him. He said, “Yes, the journey thereafter hasn’t been easy as I am not from a film family. So there was no one advising me or telling me how to plan my career etc. I had to do this all on my own and I don’t regret it one bit. In fact, I wouldn’t have it any other way. At the same time, I won’t deny that it hasn’t been easy as there has been a lot of struggle with getting the right kind of work and films.”