Despite Raj Thackeray

Dodega then went on to make a short film for a film competition about the struggles of a man who is both HIV positive and gay. His third venture was a murder mystery called The Perfect Murder. Next, he set up Prodigy Creations and Raj Motion Pictures, the banner under which he hopes to launch his first feature film. 8220;The film is still in the planning stage. We have about 40 per cent of the funds with us and we8217;re looking for more interested investors to cobble up the rest of the amount.8221;
Dodega has had to work hard but he8217;s not complaining. 8220;There8217;s a wonderful energy and exuberance in Mumbai. People have been extremely helpful and supportive.8221;

He counts Ram Gopal Varma and Ashutosh Gowariker among his inspirations but has never approached them for work. 8220;I love their work. But I want to do something on my own.8221;
8212;Nikhil Roshan

FARID KHAN, Scriptwriter
8216;In day-to-day life, humein double dikkat hai. Ek toh hum Muslim hain aur doosra hum Bihar ke hain8217;

Farid Khan is an achiever in his own right. This Patna-born writer who has a Masters in Urdu is translating the Upanishads for Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi8217;s television series, Upanishad Ganga.
The scholar got this opportunity after a fair bit of struggle. Khan, who came to Mumbai in 2002 to write and direct Hindi films, is yet to find a footing in the industry. 8220;When I came to Mumbai, I thought the film industry would be a concrete set-up. But when I came here, I realised that there is no organised space. I knew I wasn8217;t going to get anything easily,8221; says the 36-year-old.
An alumnus of Patna University, Khan was associated with the Lucknow-based Bharatendu Natya Akademi BNA. It was at BNA that he met Dwivedi. 8220;We got talking and something about me must have impressed him. He promised to work with me if I came to Mumbai,8221; he says.
So when Khan decided to come to Mumbai, he took to heart the words of fellow actor and good friend Vineet Kumar, who told him, 8220;If you come to Mumbai, you have to treat it like your sasural. Come what may, you cannot go back.8221;

That motto saw him through the toughest of situations. For a long time, Khan lived in his friend Pradeep Chaudhary8217;s house before moving into a chawl in Goregaon. 8220;In day-to-day life, humein double dikkat hai. Ek toh hum Muslim hain aur hum Bihar ke hain. Renting a flat is a huge problem. But one has to make the best of the situation. My present landlord is a Maharashtrian Hindu and he is very kind.8221;
Despite the odds, Khan has never thought of going back home. He considers the late playwright Vijay Tendulkar his idol for his ability to straddle both commercial cinema and realistic theatre, but feels he is miles away from his destination. 8220;I haven8217;t got a chance to even write a dialogue for a film. But it8217;s ok. Meri raftaar dheemi zaroor hai magar meri chaal theek hai My speed might be slow but I am walking right,8221; he says.
While the big screen remains elusive, the small screen has given Khan a raison d8217;etre in Mumbai. He has written dialogues for soaps like Reth, Mili and Kittu Sab Janti Hai. He8217;s hoping Dwivedi8217;s serial will get him noticed and that his first film will come his way soon.
8212; Harneet Singh

PARITOSH SHRIVASTAV, Actor
8216;There8217;s a huge Marathi and Gujarati lobby operating in TV and theatre. Those who come from UP and Bihar have to stick it out on their own8217;

It all started with the applause. An impressionable four-year-old attended a cultural function in his school and got hooked to the thundering ovation the other students got. He decided that one day he8217;ll be the one who receives that applause. That was in Muzaffarpur in Bihar.
Mumbai, 25 years later: Shrivastav is still the same four-year-old, waiting to take centrestage. His dream to be a 8220;fine actor8221; took him from Muzaffarpur to Mumbai via Gorakhpur. 8220; I looked around for a teacher or an institute in Bihar where I could learn acting but I didn8217;t find any so I went to Gorakhpur,8221; he says.
His stint in Gorakhpur was fruitful. He almost became a Bhojpuri star after auditioning for Ajay Sinha8217;s Sasura Bada Paise Waala. He was short-listed for the smash hit but didn8217;t make the final cut. Shrivastav was disappointed but a couplet by Harivansh Rai Bachchan kept him going. 8220;Harivansh Rai ji8217;s lines, Mann ka ho toh achcha8230;mann ka na ho toh aur bhi achcha, acted like a sanjivani booti for me. I decided to fight it out,8221; he says.

Shrivastav joined Manvendra Tripathi8217;s theatre workshop and honed his acting skills. Under Tripathi8217;s tutelage, he did classic plays like Munshi Premchand8217;s Bade Bhaisaab and Kalidas8217; Meghdootam in Bhojpuri. He even formed his own theatre group, Sanskritik Sangam. 8220;My theatre experience boosted my confidence and everybody told me that I must go to Mumbai,8221; he says.
And so Shrivastav came to Mumbai in August 2007 and insists he is here for the long haul. In Mumbai, he has gone through the drill, having dropped off his photos at Aamir Khan Productions, Dharma Productions and Balaji Telefilms. But he hasn8217;t got a call from any of them yet. 8220;I meet people and they tell me to stay in touch and if something comes up they will let me know. They haven8217;t. If nothing else, I8217;ve learnt to stay in touch now,8221; he says. While he waits for that big call, he is sustaining himself in the city by working in Bhojpuri serials for Mahua channel.
So does he feel like an outsider here? 8220;There8217;s a huge Marathi and Gujarati lobby in the television and theatre industries. Those who come from UP and Bihar have to stick it out.8221;
Has he ever thought of heading back home? 8220;This thought has crossed my mind a couple of times but my inner voice tells me to stay put,8221; says Shrivastav who wants to do character roles. He8217;s still waiting for the applause.
8212; Harneet Singh

ARFIE LAMBA, Actor
8216;There is space for everyone here. I agree with the tagline of a cellular provider: Mera number Mumbai ka toh main Mumbai ka8217;

The day began like any other for Arfie Lamba. After putting in a hard day8217;s work, this chemical engineer decided to meet a friend. Luck met him on the way when an advertising headhunter spotted him on the road and signed him as the cover face for the now defunct in-flight magazine of Air Sahara.
Lamba quit his job in Delhi and came to Mumbai. 8220;It just happened. I just knew that I had to come to Mumbai and try my luck. I wanted to be a hero,8221; he says. Lamba8217;s decision was a shocker for his family back home in Moga, Punjab. Till date, some members of his extended family do not know that Lamba is in Mumbai. 8220;My mom is still upset. She thinks I should be getting married now but my dad supports me. He told me to chase my dream,8221; says the 27-year-old.
In Mumbai since 2005, Lamba has been actively involved in theatre and has trained with the likes of Dinesh Thakur and Mahabano Modi Kotwal. His stint with modelling continues. He has modelled for the promos of 9X channel and shows like Bathroom Singer on Sahara Filmy channel. He has also worked on his networking skills and is a regular at Prithvi theatre. 8220;I didn8217;t know a soul when I came to Mumbai. I had thought I would get a break a few months. Life had been good to me but the wait here really hurts.8221;

Lamba signed a 8220;big film8221; with a Bangalore-based producer but it was called off when the car they were travelling in met with an accident. 8220;We were on our way to Shirdi and this mishap happened. The producer suffered a brain haemorrhage, the director broke his leg and I broke my wrist,8221; he says. But Lamba is optimistic about his career. He has meetings lined up with some powerful biggies and also has a play coming up.
Lamba8217;s affair with Bollywood is as enduring as the one he has with Mumbai. 8220;It was a dream to see the sunrise in Colaba and when I did that I sang the Shah Rukh Khan number, Jaanam Dekh Lo. I treated Mumbai like a lover,8221; he remembers. And the lover, he says, will never let him down. 8220;I believe that Mumbai gives you everything but for that, you have to give it everything,8221; he philosophises. And other than a stray comment on his Punjabi twang, he has never faced any unpleasant moments in the city. 8220;There is space for everyone here. I agree with the tagline of a cellular provider: Mera number Mumbai ka toh main Mumbai ka,8221; he grins.
8212;Harneet Singh

OM, Actor
8216;Actors are taught that even if your co-performer gets it wrong, you must continue doing the right thing, and sooner or later he will fall in line. This could well apply to the situation in Mumbai8217;

He is a familiar face on Mumbai8217;s local theatre scene. Om has been part of Naseeruddin Shah8217;s troupe Motley since 2005. Om, 28, grew up in Kanpur, nursing the dream of becoming a cricketer until he realised acting was a more challenging option, 8220;In acting, there are no 11 players as in cricket. You are essentially playing solo. There are no extras sitting on the sidelines.8221;
8220;It was while watching Amitabh Bachchan in Yaarana that I really got interested in acting,8221; he says. And though his father, who was a homeopathic doctor, initially opposed Om8217;s idea, he eventually came around.
In 1997, Om moved to Delhi to join the National School of Drama NSD, where Shah, who later became his mentor, noticed him. In July 2000, Om formed his own theatre group called Rang and also joined Shah8217;s repertory. 8220;The biggest question an aspiring actor faces is: 8216;how do I survive8217;? And if you8217;re not established, it8217;s rare to find the kind of roles you8217;re looking for8221;.
But Om refuses to view his experience as a struggle. 8220;The word 8216;struggle8217; has a negative connotation. Acting is something I love.8221;
Om is now all set to make his foray into cinema. He has written a script and has a couple of films in the pipeline even as he continues to be a part of Motley and takes theatre classes.
In the city of migrants, Om8217;s experience so far has been pleasant. He lives by the lesson he learnt in his acting classes: 8220;In acting, we8217;re taught that even if your co-performer gets it wrong while performing, continue doing the right thing, and sooner or later the other performer will fall in line.8221; Is Raj Thackeray listening?
8212; Nikhil Roshan