From Engineering to Acting - SAURABH GOYAL

INTERVIEW

FROM ENGINEERING TO

ACTING AND BEYOND

SAURABHGOYAL

Interview By Armin S.

Saurabh Goyal is the guy to watch for. He recently starred as the male lead in ‘Chhorii’ which received rave reviews after its release on Amazon Prime. An alum of Whistling Woods, he started off with television commercials, projects such as ‘Jamun’ and ‘Ghar Pe Batao’, and has now added projects such as ‘The Test Case’ and ‘Chhorii’ to his credit. Here's me going on his acting journey with him.

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INTERVIEW

“I TRY TO BE AS HUMBLE AND GROUNDED AS I CAN”

WHAT WAS THAT TURN OR TWIST THAT TOOK YOU FROM ENGINEERING TO ACTING?

While I was pursuing my engineering, I think after the second year of my college, I had this thought – would I be able to do this or a 9 to 5 job for the rest of my life? I come from a family that had never done a job, in the sense that there was always a family busines. I have never seen anyone working like that. I was not sure if I would want to work like that. Working in an IT sector, your life is planned. I was just sitting once with my friend and he was my friend from school. He asked me what I like doing in life and I said, I don’t know…I enjoy a lot of things in life, but nothing I can think of as my career. He reminded me that I used to act in small skits in school. I responded by saying, “I used to like that…” He motivated me to think about it since I had another two years in college, so encouraged me to join theatre groups. That way, I would be able to see if I would enjoy it. The last two years of engineering in Delhi, I found some theatre groups. It’s a serious job, but I was only available in the evenings. I reached out to theatre groups that worked evenings and weekends. So I did that and after I received my degree, I told my parents that I was a capable child and got a job also – but I told them that I wanted to pursue acting. I think it was hard to persuade them but I did. That’s how it started and I moved in Mumbai.

WHEN DOES IT BECOME REALIZATION THAT THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?

Just the appreciation, I think, that I was getting from all over. And I was enjoying it. A lot of things come with any form of Art. You meet different kinds of people. In Art, you meet people from all walks of life, different age groups, and you have exposure to new things. I also started doing workshops with an acting teacher, Barry John, who has taught Shah Rukh Khan. He did tell me not to quit my engineering in the middle but told me to keep exploring acting. So while I was doing theatre, I was getting a lot of appreciation from the live audience. I was liking everything about it.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST LEARNING LESSON SO FAR?

To approach every character in a different way. When it comes to the craft, every character has a different base. It’s always the first step you take during the narration, to ensure that you clear your mind. With each director comes different aesthetics and understandings as well. You have to mold yourself to that director’s vision. That’s one learning I have been getting for all of my projects. Every one thinks differently so you have to listen to each one. Also, you can never take any project for granted. You always have to work your best on each project. Never consider a project too small. For example, SEAL, a short film on YouTube, has rave reviews and it started off as a project that would be considered small. Just give your best.

WHICH CHARACTER HAS CHALLENGED YOU THE MOST?

I think being a part of the series – The Test Case. When you think of someone from the Army, you have a certain thinking of how they may be. When you actually portray the character, you realize the difficulty of being a soldier on a daily, hourly basis. The workshop and training we had before the shoot, just after one day, we thought it was so intense. And these soldiers go through this for so many years. They are mentally and physically so challenged. It is not easy at all. They do it with such sincerity. That one project made me respect the people of our Army so much – while shooting that series.

SO WHO IS SAURABH GOYAL NOW?

Maybe I used to be judgmental about things but you cannot judge anything in life. The exposure that I have got, working in this industry, if I worked in any other industry, I would not have the same learnings. I learn something new from the people I meet every day. I am still an introvert, but I have more confidence. Some things inside you never change – I try to be as humble and grounded as I can – I hope I stay like that.

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