Emotional Maniesh Paul thanks people who pulled him down on his acting journey: ‘Aap nicha nahi dikhate toh…’

He then went on to thank Dharma Productions, Karan Johar, Apurva Mehta and director Raj Mehta. Maniesh also sought Ayushmann’s permission to take another two minutes as he wanted to speak his heart out. He said, “Malviya Nagar ke uss ladke ka, jisne bachpan mein sapna dekha to do films… bhaar hai uss ladke ka jo RJ ban ke Mumbai aaya, jo actors ke saamne baithta tha, interviews leta tha aur sochta tha meri baari bhi aayegi (This represents the hardship of the young kid from Malviya Nagar, who dreamt of becoming an actor. Of the boy who came to Mumbai as an RJ and while interviewing actors, would hope to be one).”

 

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Maniesh also thanked his family for the sacrifices that they’ve made, and shared how the distance between the podium and the stage is just 15 steps. “But mujhe 15 saal lag gaye (But it took 15 years for me),” he said in a choked voice. Calling his journey ‘fantastic’, he added, “There were people who would say he’s a host, why will you take him as an actor. I want to thank all of them. Aapne nicha nahi dikhaya hota to Maniesh upar udne ka sapna nahi dekhta (If you hadn’t pulled me down, I wouldn’t have dreamt to fly high).”

His speech left everyone emotional as they applauded his journey. Ayushmann and Aparshakti also rushed in to hug him on the stage.

Earlier, speaking to indianexpress.com, Maniesh opened up about his hardships. Sharing that every actor goes through a series of highs and lows, he said that he never sought sympathy from anyone. He also added that he never even calls it a ‘struggle’. He said, “Like Amitabh Bachchan once said ‘Jabtak jeevan hai, tabtak sangarsh hai’. I too believe in it and don’t look back at anything with regret. Hit or flops, I take onus of everything and have no blame or complaints.”

However, he did add that there was a time when he hit rock bottom but emerged out of it like a phoenix. “I remember before Jhalak, the whole year I was at home with no work. Swallowing meals would be tough. My wife was earning and so supportive throughout. God has been kind as after that phase, everything was just so much better. I think the fire that I developed during that phase helped me burn the stage,” he said.