Actor and Salman Khan’s brother-in-law, Aayush Sharma, recently opened up about his early days in Mumbai and recalled how his decision to become an actor led to a sharp reaction from his father. In a conversation with Cyrus Broacha, Aayush revealed that his father had refused to launch him.
Aayush Sharma recalls his father’s reaction to his acting dream
Aayush shared that he initially kept his ambition of becoming an actor a secret from his family and moved to Mumbai under the pretext of studying. He enrolled at Jai Hind College for a BMS course and later convinced his father to let him stay in a rented apartment in Bandra and buy him a car. However, instead of focusing on studies, he enrolled in acting workshops, which led to a drastic drop in his attendance. Eventually, the college called his father from Himachal Pradesh.
Aayush recalled that when his attendance dropped to just 9 per cent, the college summoned his father, who was deeply embarrassed upon arriving in Mumbai. He revealed that even his mother was upset with him. It was during this time that Aayush first confessed to his father that he wanted to become an actor and showed him his photoshoots and a CD of his performances. However, his father had a blunt reaction.
Recalling the moment, Aayush said, “My father said, ‘Neither are you tall, nor do you have a physique, nor do you have a voice, nor are you good-looking. You have no personality whatsoever. When you walk on the road, nobody looks at you. Has anyone ever told you that you can become an actor? You are nothing close to Bachchan sahab, you are nothing close to Dharmendra ji. You are not going to be a hero at all. I am not going to pay even ₹50 to watch you on screen.’”
Following this, Aayush’s father asked him to pack his bags and return to Himachal with him to handle the family business. However, when Aayush refused, his father cut off all monetary support. The actor revealed that he once had only ₹20 in his pocket.
Aayush further shared that he later approached his father with a plan to launch himself as an actor, but his father remained unconvinced. Recalling the conversation, he said, “He said, ‘Beta, tune dekha hai kabhi langde ghode pe paisa lagate ho? Main to chalo 10 crore beta samajh ke de bhi dunga, but tere ko dekhne kaun aayega?’ (Have you ever seen anyone bet money on a lame horse? I might still give you ₹10 crore thinking of you as my son, but who will come to watch you?).”
Aayush’s father, Anil Sharma, is a politician, agriculturist and businessman from Himachal Pradesh. He was elected to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Mandi first on a Congress ticket and later on a BJP ticket. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the state’s Minister of Multi-Purpose Projects, Power, and Non-Conventional Energy Sources in the Jai Ram Thakur cabinet. Aayush’s late grandfather, Pandit Sukh Ram, was also a member of Congress who served as the Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology from 1993 to 1996.
About Aayush Sharma’s career
Aayush is married to Salman Khan’s sister, Arpita Khan. He made his Bollywood debut with Loveyatri in 2018. The film, backed by Salman Khan under Salman Khan Films, flopped at the box office. He later appeared in films like Antim: The Final Truth and Ruslaan, but neither achieved major box-office success.
