Vinod Suryavanshi, who played newcomer Sachiv ji in Panchayat season 3, recently spoke about his journey in the industry, revealing how he accidentally entered films and his struggles as a junior artiste.Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Vinod said that joining the cast was unexpected.“I entered the film industry by mistake. A friend called me and told me that I could stand in the crowd for a shoot and earn Rs 500,” he said.He added that he was attracted by the basic advantages. “I liked getting breakfast, lunch and 500 rupees at the end of the day. I thought it was a better job than what I was doing before. So I decided to continue, and that’s how I started working as a junior artist,” he said.Compared to his previous job, he added, “As a security guard, I earned Rs 8,000 every month in 12-hour shifts. As a junior artist, I started earning Rs 10,000-12,000.”
“Assistant directors will treat us badly”
Vinod said that while the pay improved, the environment often came with humiliation.“No one talks to junior artistes properly. They are often abused and humiliated. Assistant directors would ill-treat us. Big actors never humiliated us,” he said.He also recalled an incident that was a turning point in his life.“Once, I went to eat in someone’s room, and an older person took my plate and asked me who I was. When I told him I was a junior artist, he told me to eat where they served young artist food,” he said.When Vinod explained that the food there was over, they still pushed him away. “He told me to talk to my coordinator and not to eat there. He took my plate away. That hurt me a lot,” he added.“That’s when I decided I had to do something in acting; maybe then I could at least sit in a room and eat in peace,” he said.
Rejected because of his appearance
Even after going into acting, Vinod said he was repeatedly rejected because of his looks.“I was rejected many times because of my looks. When I auditioned for TV, they often wanted ‘rich looks’. Even for the role of a beggar, they wanted someone with rich looks. They told me I didn’t meet that requirement,” he said.He added that he was once removed from a paper because of his skin. “I was selected for a role as a domestic helper. The casting team finalized me, and I arrived on time for the shoot. But when the creative director came, he asked me who I was. When I told him, he said no, this won’t work, we need someone with the right look. It’s a dark color, pack it,” she said.
First break and on
After years of struggle, Vinod said he finally got his first break on television.“My first proper role was in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, where I started earning Rs 2,500 a day, up from Rs 700,” he said.She has since appeared alongside Akshay Kumar in Jolly LLB 3 and was also a part of the web series Janaawar.
