Aug 1 (AZINS) He has never failed to amaze us with his impeccable comic timing and commendable acting skills. Be it the character of Gutthi or Dr. Mahoor Gulati on popular comedy shows like Comedy Nights with Kapil and The Kapil Sharma Show, or his charcters in films like Bharat, Sunil Grover has always managed to amaze his fans and how! But it wasn't all rosy in the beginning and Sunil too had to go through his share of struggles before finally making a mark in the industry.

The comedian and actor recently opened up about his journey into the showbiz with a radio show, Television and finally the movies, while interacting with Humans of Bombay. He shared how life in Mumbai wasn't a cakewalk and how he managed to survive the harsh realities of life before finally the character of Gutthi happened to him and became a massive hit among the audiences.

"I was always good at acting & making people laugh. I remember in 12th grade I took part in a drama competition–the chief guest said that I shouldn’t participate, because it was unfair to the others!

After I finished my masters in theatre, I came to Mumbai to act. But for the first year, I only partied. I lived in a posh area, using my savings & some money from home. I’d only earn around Rs.500 a month. But I thought I'd be successful soon.Eventually I realised that there were many like me, who were ‘superstars’ of their town & ‘strugglers’ here. Soon I had no income & was given a harsh reality check. I was demotivated. But I remembered how my dad wanted to be a radio announcer & even had an offer. But because my granddad was against it, he had to work at a bank & regretted it.

I didn’t want to let my dreams go. So I picked up the pieces & rigorously looked for work.But the road was still rocky. Once I’d been selected to act in a TV show–we’d even shot for a few days. But when I stopped getting my time to come on set, I called the team–they said I’d been replaced.  At the same time I also started getting work in voiceovers. So when I’d be rejected from TV & films, I had a cushion to fall back upon–something that most didn’t have. I realised how fortunate I was & regained my strength bit by bit.

Around that time, I got offered to do a radio show. It was only going to be aired in Delhi, but when that show went live, it went viral! They decided to air it across India! After that, I got work in radio, TV & films. Soon ‘Gutthi’ happened & in no time, became a household name! I remember I was called on a live show & when I went on stage, the audience was roaring for me! I turned to make sure there wasn’t anyone else, whom they were clapping for–but it was all for me.

It took several moments like that, to bring back that young boy in me, who used to think that he could conquer the world. The young boy who used to make sure that everyone around him was smiling & entertained. The young boy who didn’t let failures dim his dreams & overpower his need for victory. So even though I’ve come this far... this young boy has a long way to go.”

Sunil Grover was most recently seen in Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer Bharat, which released on the occasion of Eid this year. His first appearance in films was in the 2002 film The Legend of Bhagat Singh. He's also featured in films like Ghajini, Heropanti, Baaghi, Gabbar is Back and Pataakha.