Veteran actor Raghubir Yadav He opens up about the hardships that shaped his remarkable journey from a village near Jabalpur to becoming one of India’s most respected actors. Still, despite surviving on Rs 2.50 a day, sleeping hungry and being away from home for two decades, the Panchayat star refuses to describe her life as a struggle.In a recent interview with ABP Live, Yadav reflected on his unconventional path to acting and explained that he sees his experiences as lessons rather than hardships.
“People call it wrestling, I don’t”
After more than five decades since he joined the National School of Drama (NSD) in 1974, Yadav said he never saw his journey through the lens of struggle.“Acting is not easy, but it’s enjoyable. People call it a struggle, but I have never considered my life a struggle. I worked hard and enjoyed the process,” he said.According to the Panchayat actor, the word ‘struggle’ is overused and romanticized.“Every art form requires practice. Whether you’re a musician, dancer or actor, you have to keep learning and rehearsing. Even today, I feel there’s a lot left to learn. For me, life has always been a school, a place to learn,” he added.
Running away from home after failing science
The actor revealed that his entry into theater was due to academic failure.After being persuaded to study science because it promised a stable career, Yadav realized that he was unlikely to clear the board exams.“I already knew I was going to fail,” he recalled.Worried about the outcome, he decided to leave home with a friend and eventually landed in Lalitpur, where he joined a theater company run by an actor. Annu Kapoorfather was acting.What began as an escape from failure soon became a lifelong calling.
Surviving on Rs 2.50 per day and sleeping hungry
Yadav’s early theater days were far from glamorous.After auditioning with the song “Badli teri nazar to nazare badal gaye”, theater owner Madanlal Kapoor hired her on Rs 2.50 per day.But even this amount was not guaranteed.“I was supposed to earn Rs 2.50 a day, but sometimes I got even less. We bought flour and tomatoes, made rotis and chutneys and survived,” he said.Recalling those days, he revealed that there were players nearby who ate food, leaving them hungry at night.Despite the difficulties, Yadav described the experience as one of the most important learning phases of his life. During this time he learned Urdu, improved his pronunciation and immersed himself in music and theater.
A promise to my father and 20 years away from home
Yadav also shared that after leaving home, he wrote a letter to his father assuring him that he would never do anything that would bring shame to the family.Although he returned briefly after six months, a sarcastic comment from a relative changed everything.“He said, ‘We thought we’d only see you on a movie screen.’ I felt so ashamed that I left again the same night,” recalls Yadav.The actor revealed that he had not properly returned to his hometown for almost 20 years. He finally made a comeback after gaining international recognition with his famous film Massey Sahib.
“Failure was the greatest blessing of my life”
Looking back, Yadav believes that failing science eventually led him to discover his true purpose.“Even today, I consider failing science one of the greatest blessings of my life. If I hadn’t failed, I might never have become an actor,” he said.After spending years in theater and puppet shows in Lucknow, Yadav managed to get into NSD, and then Massey Sahib and Salaam Bombay! It paved the way for an illustrious career that included films such asToday, despite decades of success and recognition, the veteran actor remains committed to learning that his career was never about struggle, but about growth.“The journey developed on its own,” he said.
