Poster boy for a job hunt

Meet Bharat Jethwani, who has been standing outside Prithvi Theatre with a sign that reads 'I am an actor, hire me'

If anyone doubts that Bollywood is still the biggest draw for people flocking to Mumbai, they would be utterly wrong. Hundreds come in every day, looking to become actors/directors/writers/what-may-be, in this mad film industry.

Bharat Jethwani is one such aspirant. The 21-year-old caught our eye when social media mentions of him leaving visitors of Prithvi Theatre in awe started doing the rounds. Jethwani has been standing at the gate of the legendary Juhu theatre for three weeks now, holding up a simple poster in hand that says: 'Hi, I am an actor. Please approach me'.

For us, it may be cute story of the "hustle" that makes Bollywood. But for Jethwani, it's just another way to try and get jobs, and attract the attention of the ones who matter. "I was told to go to Prithvi and network. But after a while, you can't just go up to people when they are here for a play, or a meal. They get irritated. And also, you can only do that with people who are recognisable. What about writers and directors, whose faces I don't know? Maybe they are doing great stuff. I would like to get their attention too."

Jethwani seems to have realised early on that if he was afraid of judgment, then he might as well pack up his bags and return to his Tekanpur, Madhya Pradesh, where he is from. The fresh faced youngster speaks confidently, though he seems reserved. Back home, his father is a businessman dealing in women's accessories and mother is a homemaker, and though initially they tried to warn him of that he had no godfather in the industry, they are standing by him. They pay the rent of his Versova house as well, and last year, helped him with an eye surgery, so he could stop wearing eye glasses—"Every time I went for an audition, they asked me to remove my glasses." A college dropout, Jethwani did three years of theatre in Bhopal before coming to Mumbai in 2018. "I never got paid there! So, it was all for the love of it." When he reached Mumbai, he made up his mind: No more theatre, only web shows and movies.

It's been a year and a half, and almost 100 auditions have come and gone. He has played a few cameos in small web shows and movies, but nothing worth writing home about. When he gets demotivated—though that's not often—his parents remind him why he moved to Mumbai. "I can do any kind of role. I am not stupid to think I can dictate what I want. I am really okay with acting in any kind of role," says Jethwani, who spends every evening not spent auditioning practicing lines, be they belong to a girl or a boy, in front of the mirror.

The last three weeks, since he has been standing at Prithvi, have been interesting. Some people have ignored him, but some have applauded his gusto, including filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali, who told him to come to his office, and Anurag Kashyap, who shared the number of a casting director. He has made friends with directors/writers and musicians who frequent the cafe and theatre, but he has also received some flak. "Just two days ago, an elderly gentlemen first took a picture with me, but then went on to abuse me and berate me. He told me this is not the way he works, and that if he took my poster to anyone important, they would never say yes. I didn't want to argue, so I just kept quiet."

Jethwani is not deterred. He has been getting calls to attend auditions ever since he has taken to advertising his talent. And he plans to be at it till more work starts pouring in. "Some friends say 'You are an artiste. Don't do this.' But isn't this just another way of selling myself? Don't we do that every time we go for an audition? We sell ourselves and our talent. I am just finding new ways of doing it."

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