Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, wife Rasika Agashe say they survived on ‘zero money’ after moving to Mumbai: ‘Didn’t even have Rs 2 for a…’

In an interview with Siddharth Kanan, Rasika shared the couple moved to Mumbai with Rs 40,000, hoping that the money would be sufficient. The amount was spent on the second day of their stay in the city. Rasika said, back then, Zeeshan was planning to go to US for some course and in fact wanted to be an acting teacher, while she thought she is a Marathi actress, so people would be “waiting” for her.  Both their plans didn’t happen.

“We have seen the phase of no money, almost zero money. We got married at 24, so we were very naive. We though Rs 40,000 will be enough to survive in Mumbai. It got over on the second day in deposit and rent. We saw that time together, but I don’t remember us ever being sad. It was a one room house, we would still have fun, friends would come over for tea. Now the house is bigger, but evenings are still for tea and friends,” she said.

Zeeshan said the broker scammed them, asking them to deposit three-month rent, when ideally, they were required to pay only for one. Zeeshan said it was actor Vineet Kumar who stepped in and offered him a gig, which made him earn Rs 15,000.

 

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“It was a tiny house, with a terrace, where we would just dry clothes and use it for nothing else. He took our money, so we were actually down to zero money in the city. I remember once we were sitting together and laughing, thinking hum kitne bewakoof hai, kya sochke aagaye hai, what will happen now? Actor Vineet Kumar was the one to help, he figured we were new and perhaps didn’t have money.

“He asked me if I know how to teach acting and then said someone is keen to open an acting school, so I should write a syllabus of three months and give it to him. I wrote it overnight and then Vineet bhai asked me to get a printout of it and submit to the man. I didn’t even have Rs 2 for the printout, so we searched coins in the house and somehow managed to find. I submitted the syllabus, and the man handed me Rs 15,000 cash. That’s how we started.”

The couple said though they didn’t have money, they weren’t bitter. Their dinner would often be Chinese from a roadside eatery, which would cost Rs 25 for two. Zeeshan said he eventually started getting films like No One Killed Jessica and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, but since he was a new actor, the pay wasn’t that much.

“I was doing some films, but obviously I was a new actor so the money was less. For the first three years, she was working double shifts, she would do a play in Dadar, take a train to Dahisar and shoot for her TV shows. For the first three years, she was earning and running the house,” he added.

Things changed for Zeeshan with the 203 Aanand L Rai directorial, Raanjhanaa. He went on to feature in films and shows like Tanu Weds Manu: Returns, Raees and Tandav.