Ankita Gupta reveals leaving home at 17, says he used to skip auditions due to financial struggles

Ankita Gupta is one of the more well-known popular faces from the television industry. The actor recently wrapped up shooting for his serial Junooniyatt for which he had been in Chandigarh. Prior to this, the actor had participated in a popular reality television show along with his Udaariyaan co-star Priyanka Chahar Choudhary. Ankit Gupta recently opened up about the hardships he had faced in the industry during his initial days and how he managed to weather the same.

Ankit Gupta sheds light on his initial days of struggle

In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Ankit Gupta opened up about his initial days of struggle as he attempted to break into the industry. One of the revelations the actor made was that he left his home at the young age of 17 to pursue his dream of becoming an actor - his parents had initially wanted him to join the NDA. Ankit hails from Indore and the culture shock he experienced in Mumbai came as quite a jolt, particularly from the perspective of finances. Quipping about the living prices in the city of dreams, "Itne toh mera pure mahine ki salary hogi" (I do not even earn as much salary). He also recalls choosing to skip auditions as he simply did not have the money to travel. He said, “I used to not give auditions because I didn't have the money to travel.”

Gupta attempted to strike a balance with a corporate position but he ended up not being paid for his work on consecutive occasions. His third gig is what landed him a call centre job which would pay him a salary of $10,000 which at the time was a princely sum for him. He said, "I was super happy as I'd never seen so much money."

Ankit Gupta found stability post Sadda Haq

Ankit Gupta revealed how he used to reach the Naigaon sets of Balika Vadhu in a bus and would feel embarrassed if somebody were to recognise him from the show. Justifying his reaction he said, “Back then, I was very young. Now, I feel if a person is convenient they can take a rickshaw, a bus, or anything else.”

He further added, "After Sadda Haq, things were stable."