‘Used to pick up cow dung with my hands, now I party on rooftop of 7-star hotel’: Jaideep Ahlawat is astounded by his own journey

Also read – Jaideep Ahlawat would eat 40 rotis, drink 1.5 litres milk in a day till age 28, weight never crossed 70 kgs: ‘I still eat a home-cooked meal after a party’

But he admitted that he sometimes thinks about how far he has come in life. “Village life was wonderful. It was different, but not difficult. We didn’t have a care in the world. There was nobody around to judge you. But it’s a huge change, coming from a village to living in Mumbai. Sometimes I feel that the arc is simply too huge. I’ve seen it all, from picking up cow dung to partying on the rooftop of a seven-star hotel,” he said.

Jaideep said that success is relative, and that for the majority of the country’s population, putting three square meals on the table is success enough. “But this journey has given me a host of references. I have lived in a village, then in Rohtak, then in Pune, and now in Mumbai. I learned swimming by holding onto a cow’s tail; it’s a reference that I have. But I have also lived in a literal palace. My life has given me the opportunity to travel the world and learn about different cultures. I am more aware now, socially and politically. My references are very strong,” he said.

Jaideep admitted that owning his own house was always a dream for him, as it is for others. But when he bought his new house, his first thought was that he would buy a bigger one next. “I used to live in a 2BHK for 15 years, and here I was, dissatisfied,” he said. Jaideep appeared in the film Jewel Thief and the second season of Paatal Lok earlier this year. He will next be seen in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer King.

On The Great Indian Kapil Show, Jaideep recalled his early days in Mumbai, and the tight quarters he lived in. “We were only two people in the beginning, but then we became six people in one BHK because someone or the other would ask for a place to stay, and we would allow them to stay with us. So the bedroom of my house was filled with clothes, and we all would just lay together in the open kitchen and hall. But we had fun, there was no sadness about it,” he said. This year, he has also purchased two properties collectively worth Rs 20 crore.