The AD-Vantage

Looking back,actor Gaurav Bajaj credits all the TV commercials that catapulted him to success

When you have dreams,then you need a really tall ladder to reach up to those cloudy skies to grab them. As a child,like any other child,Gaurav Bajaj too dreamed big,that too starry ones. “I wanted to be an actor,” he says. And so began the uphill climb – from collecting films,watching every frame,repeating every dialogue to shifting base from Kanpur to Mumbai,standing in line for auditions,getting profile pics done,doing a short theatre course with Raj Jagdishan,learning the technicalities of film making,Gaurav was at the task. These were little steps,but the one that proved to be the stepping stone was advertisements. “If you do commercials,your recall value increases for these are flashed umpteen number of times on the telly. People start recognising you,and most of the directors,talent scouts keep an eye on who’s new,” says Bajaj who,after making his presence felt in commercials like Mentos,Close-Up,TVS,Pulp Orange,Dena Bank,Microsoft et al,got noticed,and will now be seen in not one,but three films! “Phir Kabhie by ad guy VK Prakash,Kirkit by Sashi Preetam and Fox Star Studio India’s Vroom by Savon Tascano,” he rattles in a go. While Phir Kabhie is about the young generation and also stars Dimple Kapadia,Mithun Chakroborty,Gulshan Grover and Neha Jhulka,Kirkit’s about a cricket match between Mumbaikars and Hyderbad boys. “The film has two different gangs,one from Mumbai,and then us,the Hyderabad Biryanis,and adding glamour to it is Sayali Bhagat,” gushes Gaurav. But it’s Vroom that’s got him hooked. “I play this 18-year-old car crazy guy who comes across a car with special powers,” hmmm,our very own desi Herbie! This one’s directed by Savon who was the chief assistant director to Sanjay Gadhvi,of Dhoom fame. Now that the releases are all lined up for this year,all Gaurav’s waiting for is positive feedback and more work. “At this juncture,I can’t afford to be choosy. I’ve always believed in good cinema and good work,” says this hardcore Shah Rukh fan who feels Khan’s Devdas was a timeless classic. And like any other budding star,he too aspires to work with the best – Anurag Kashyap for beginners,and then ad guru Rajesh Krishnan. “He’s the only guy who knows how to push you over the edge and get what he wants. His timing is impeccable,” says Gaurav.

He still holds on to Stanley Kubrik’s Clockwork Orange,cries whenever he watched Notebook,dances with the musical romance of Moulin Rouge and salutes the human spirit in The Green Mile. “The mark of a good actor is to make you believe in make-believe,” he says. But what if it doesn’t work? “I am a great cook so might get into restaurant business!” Or let’s see – play video games,do rock climbing and pack my bags and travel….he carries on.