Vineet Kumar Singh is no stranger to gritty performances in many movies such as Mukkabaaz, Gangs of Wasseypur, Issaq, Daas Dev, Gold, Saand Ki Aankh, Rangbaaz, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl and many hit web series. However, few know of his tenacious struggle balancing family expectations and his dreams long before he came to Mumbai, the city of dreams and struggles.
While one would normally think that his acting emerged from a sudden impulse during his brief medical career, for Vineet, it was the other way around. “I always wanted to be an actor and that is the reason why I went to medical school.”
Confusing isn’t it? It is for a lot of people before Vineet explained that he couldn’t get into National School of Drama (NSD) for the first time, more than 15 years ago. Since his family members were well educated, Vineet actually dared to dream that he could balance medical school with his passion for acting. Yes, like all youngsters, Vineet was determined, “Main hero banna chahta hoon.” Thankfully, his younger brother and sister were always supportive but his father’s support was the main thing. After all, in the days prior to social media, newspapers were the only source of information and actor interviews and all of them had made it clear that actors from outside had to fight a hard battle. How was he to struggle successfully if he didn’t have his father’s support?
However, his passion for acting ultimately prevailed and he began preparing for the exam with the dual intention of living up to expectations and escape his father’s grip. Vineet was admitted to Banaras Hindu University (BHU), but three months later he was accepted into a medical programme, thus his original plan to finish college first and then head to NSD collapsed. His preferred choice of medical college was Haridwar since Delhi was closer. He said, “Literally! “From there I used to go to NSD every now and then. Like if there is a festival going on or there is a great play, and if there is a workshop, I would participate”. As he was enrolled in medical school, his desire remained confined until his sister called to inform him that a reality TV programme called Superstars was casting actors. He said, “It was the opportunity I was looking for.”
Finally, he traveled to Mumbai where he won the show and met Mahesh Manjrekar. His debut movie was Pitaah. However, after the movie was screened, things turned out to be awful. Those who would have helped me otherwise had all disappeared from my life. Except for a few, everyone else left. If I approached anyone, they would say they were not available for me. At that point, I understood Mumbai.
Very few people have the courage to travel the arduous path Vineet Kumar Singh did in order to achieve success. Jay-Ho! The Jay Kumar Show commends Vineet for his tenacity, ardor, and diligence. Stay tuned to Jay-Ho.com, to know more about the superb actor and his upcoming projects.
