4 min readMumbaiJun 22, 2026 02:01 PM IST
Actor Amol Parashar has been part of the entertainment industry for nearly 17 years. Having appeared in films such as Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, and Sardar Udham, among others, he found widespread recognition in the OTT space with shows like TVF Tripling, It Happened in Hong Kong, Home and Parchhayee In 2025, Amol starred in Amazon Prime Video’s Gram Chikitsalay, and as he returns with Season 2, the actor reflected on his early days in the industry and the challenges he faced in an exclusive interview with SCREEN.
Amol Parashar on his struggling days
During the interview, Amol Parashar recalled that when he decided to pursue theatre in Mumbai after earning a mechanical engineering degree from IIT Delhi and quitting his job at a software management firm in Pune, his family took some time to come to terms with his decision.
Talking about the toughest decision he had to make in his 17-year-long journey, the actor said, “Choosing the profession. Bohot logo ne toh bewakoof his maan liya na (A lot of people assumed me to be dumb). In a middle-class household, you get educated and are sent to IIT Delhi, where you get a degree and then a job. Then it’s time to live life, but then you say you want to do theater and go to Mumbai. This was so extreme for the family and the place I come from so much so that my parents didn’t tell anyone for months. They found it very weird to say that I left my job and went to Mumbai. There was shame attached to it, and it would invite questions, so for a long time they told me also to just tell relatives that I was doing a job in Pune.”
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Amol further added, “Of course, when you come on TV in ads, slowly the word spreads. But it was tough. I felt very bad. I knew my parents were troubled by that decision. They wondered why I was leaving that good life, and going to do theater where I wouldn’t get anything, which was true. I didn’t get anything in theater, but I wasn’t even looking for that. They meant money, house, car, etc. But I was not seeking that at that point. I was 20-22 and decided that since I did this, I won’t take money from home.”
Amol Parashar also recalled the challenges he faced living in Mumbai. He shared, “It’s not an easy decision to make. When you come to Mumbai, you face the reality in two months. You have days when you don’t even know how you will pay the next month’s rent; you wonder if you will be on the streets. Sometimes, you get a good audition opportunity, but don’t have a good shirt to wear. You cannot call up home and say this. Those days and times can make you question yourself. But having gone through that and sitting here made me who I am today, and I would not exchange that experience. When you build from zero on your own terms with your own muscles, there is nothing better in life. I will never give credit for this to anyone else ever.”
“From Rs 28 to Rs 28000 in the account came from my blood and sweat; no one has contributed to that. Those were tough times, and that decision was tough. I am glad to say that something good came out of it. Had I failed, everyone else would be right and would have told me. So there is perseverance, but there is also luck,” Amol concluded.
Amol Parashar reflects on his early struggles. (Photo: Amol Parashar/Instagram)