Yash Dasguptaa on Bollywood debut: ‘I didn’t have to audition’

Yash Dasguptaa describes himself as ‘not a good actor’. He believes it’s crucial to identify with the characters he plays. That’s why he chooses roles where he can see himself, just like his character Abhay in ‘Yaariyan 2’, his first Bollywood movie.

Much like his character in ‘Yaariyan 2’, Yash is a man of few words. Unlike many Bengali actors who secure roles in Bollywood and Hindi projects through auditions, Yash had a stroke of luck. He didn’t have to go through an audition for ‘Yaariyan 2’. The director-duo Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru invited Yash to Mumbai and spent six hours in discussions with him. Following their meeting, he was chosen for the role in ‘Yaariyan 2’. Yash said, “They had watched my previous films like ‘Gangster’ and ‘One’. I think they saw Abhay’s potential in me.”

Yash first made a name for himself in Bengal through the hit TV show ‘Bojhena Se Bojhena’. But he started his acting career in Mumbai, where he appeared in series like ‘Mahima Shani Dev Kii’, ‘Basera’, ‘Bandini’ and ‘Na Aana Is Des Laado’.

“When we lived in Mumbai, I took up acting as a hobby. It was only after my family moved to Kolkata due to my father’s transfer that I decided to pursue acting more seriously,” he said.

Even though Yash started his career in Mumbai, he wasn’t in a hurry to break into Bollywood. “I've always believed that it’s the journey that matters, not just the destination. The journey was vital in bringing me to this point.” Yash was happy with the work coming his way in the Bengali film industry and had reservations about starting anew in Mumbai. However, things changed when ‘Yaariyan 2’ came his way.

When asked to rate himself as an actor, Yash humbly responded by giving himself no more than 0.5 out of 10 in the acting department. “When Amitabh Bachchan sir still says he’s learning, I believe that, as an actor, I’m in my mother’s womb,” he said.

After ‘Yaariyan 2’, Yash is keen to see how his career unfolds. He’s also entered the world of production with his partner Nusrat Jahan in Bengal and their film ‘Mentaaal’ will soon hit theatres. “I don’t have any set plans to settle in Mumbai, but I’ll wait and see how things go after ‘Yaariyan 2’ is released,” he smiled.