Seen in the web series ‘Damaged’, actor Ambuj Dixit gets candid about his journey

Tell us something about your background…

I come from a family of doctors, engineers and civil servants. I started pursuing a BBA course, but after a few months of my first semester realised that I had picked the wrong path. Since my school days, I loved performing arts.

When did you decide to come to Mumbai from Kanpur?

One day, my dad asked me about my plans after graduation. I guess he had figured out about my passion for films. He enquired about Subhash Ghai’s acting academy and told me that if I wanted to make a career in acting, I had to train professionally. That’s how I landed up in Mumbai.

How did you get your first break as an actor?

My first film was Student Of The Year. After that, I did commercials. My first OTT show was Damaged. I also played the lead part in a mini-series titled Love Crisis.

How was the experience of working in Damaged?

The experience was superb. First time I did a role where I was playing someone who looks innocent, but turns out to be this bad guy who betrays a girl’s trust when least expected.

Tell us about your role in Love Crisis. What is this mini-series all about?

My role was of a person caught up between two women who love him deeply, but he is unsure of whom he should trust. It was a role that had a lot of layers to it, layers of trust, betrayal, insecurity, honesty, etc.

You have worked as an assistant director as well. Tell us about that.

Though I always wanted to be an actor, I also wished to assist on a film set. I worked as an intern on Subhash Ghai’s Love Express during my semester break. After a few years of passing-out, I came to know that Dharma Productions was looking for assistants for their upcoming projects. Since I acted in Student Of The Year with them, I got a chance. I worked as an AD for Kalank. It’s an experience I will always cherish. After Kalank, I ended up assisting in other projects, which included directors like Arun Gopalan, Santosh Sivan and Hardik Mehta.

What kind of roles are you looking at?

I look out for roles where I can surprise people with my performance. I have always taken up those things in my life that have seemed strange to other people!

What about television shows? Are you open to take up a daily soap?

I’m open to doing television, as a lead or parallel lead. In today’s time, there is opportunity everywhere and TV is something that has always been there. I mean the biggest superstar of Indian cinema is from TV. I firmly believe in one thing said by Shah Rukh Khan — to get stereotyped you have to get cast first. And I have never forgotten that.

How do you handle the pressure of finding opportunities amid all the competition?

There is a lot of competition, but there are opportunities too. Networking and socialising are important. But, at the end, these things can make you reach only at the basic level, but after that it’s your talent that will bring you success.

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