Actor Ashish Vidyarthi has been appearing in films in multiple languages long before the term 'pan-India' was coined. Having done over 250 movies, the veteran actor said that he sometimes took up projects in the South Indian industries because he had to provide for his family. In an interview with India Today, Ashish spoke about how, at no point in his career, he had the luxury of being able to pick and choose what he wanted to do. Talking about his journey in the film business, the actor said, "Nothing was by my design. It is just the choices that I kept making, and for me what is important is that I had to put food on the table. So, when I was not getting any interesting work in Hindi, I had to work down South. I started afresh there because I was known in Hindi back then but in South I wasn't." The 58-year-old actor, who has done several negative roles, and has been a part of films such as 1942: A love Story, Arjun Pandit, Jodi No 1, Kaho Naa.Pyaar Hai among others, was always in pursuit of more work. "So, for me, work has been part of my life, and I have never had that privilege or the life where I have been sitting and people have been offering me work. I have had to look for work throughout my life. So the 250 films that I have done was not that ghar mein baitha tha aur kaam kar raha tha aur kaam mil raha hai (I wasn't sitting at home and people were offering me work)," the actor said. Ashish added, "I had to go out, look for work, and I did a lot of work which I didn't want to because fees had to be paid, food was to be put on the table and responsibilities had to be done and I am very happy that I did it because I am very clear that my life is about doing something very amazing." He said that he always held on to the belief that good work will come to him because of the quality that he had been delivering. "I was always very clear that if I have the passion and talent, then good work will come my way and I will be alive to do that, and over the years the quality of work has shifted but I have continued to do my best. So, in last few years with the advent of OTT, we had something interest work. Tryst with Destiny, Trial By Fire, Rana Naidu happened. So many of these shows happened. So, one is very happy to have 8 releases in last one and a half years and that's been interesting," he said.
