This actor made debut with Shah Rukh Khan, worked with stars, then left Bollywood to work in dhaba, earned Rs 150, today he is…

Struggle, grief, loss are all emotions that are inevitably part of everyone’s life. People deal with these things in different ways. And sometimes these things take a massive toll on us. Such is the story of an Indian actor who is a treasure trove of talent. He knows how to make you laugh, when to touch that emotional chord. He is raw yet has a finesse in his performance. However, he once hit rock bottom and almost left Bollywood in grief.

The actor made his movie debut with Shah Rukh Khan. Prior to that, his screen debut was already rolled with an Indian historical drama. But, after the death of his father he went away and was found making omlettes in a dhaba. The actor in focus is Sanjay Mishra.

Serials, Films to Working at a Dhaba

Hailing from Bihar, the actor was not very fond of the Indian education system. He got enrolled at the National School of Drama (NSD) on behest of his father and was the topper of his batch. However, he wasn’t able to make it in Bollywood.

The actor made his television debut with a serial called Chanakya. He also worked in  other TV shows like Sorry Meri Lorry, Kabhi Paas Kabhi Fail, Naya Daur, Aahat, Hum Bambai Nai Jayenge, Bhawron Ne Phool Khilaya, Office Office, and many more. It took almost 6 years after his graduation from NSD to bag a movie. It was a Bollywood film titled Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India! starring Shah Rukh Khan, in which he portrayed the character of a ‘Harmonium man’.

Critical health issues

During the shoot of a famous Indian sitcom ‘Office Office,’ Mishra developed a critical stomach infection. Reportedly, 15-lire pus was removed from his stomach. This was one of the hard phases when he was also struggling with monetary issues. Finally, when he was ready to take charge of his life again, his fatjhr Shambhu Nath Mishra passed away due to heart attack. This shattered the actor. Engulfed in grief he left everything and moved to Rishikesh where he worked at a dhaba, made and sold tea.

“I left everything and went to Rishikesh, and lived near the banks of the Ganges. I would silently watch the rhythm of the river for hours. I would wander in the hills and befriended sadhus. I stayed there for 10 days. I slept in the house of a tea seller whose house was near the ghats. I opened a tea stall there. I used to make and sell tea and Maggi to tourists. When my family learned of this, they came there to take me back. They couldn’t recognise me because I had grown a huge beard. My mother got a barber to shave it off. I felt a huge void after he passed away. Mujhe duniya se virakti ho gai (I felt disenchanted from the world),” Mishra said in an interview with Filmfare.

It was Rohit Shetty whose film brought this gem back to the screens. Shetty was looking for a character and Sanjay Mishra agree d to play it in the comedy film ‘All The Best’. The famous dialogue “dhondu just chill…” was an actor’s improvisation which stuck and became a pop culture reference point. Today, he is revered as  one of the most talented actors in the fraternity.

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