Acting Is A 24/7 Career, Not A 9-To-5 Job by Karan Choudhary
Film Courage: Where did you grow up?
Karan Choudhary: I was born and raised in a small town called Faridabad in India. I’m the youngest in a close-knit family of five along with my older brother and sister. At the time of growing up, tv was the only medium for us to be connected with the big cities lifestyle and to the rest of the world, except there was no electricity for most of the time in my town. Schooling wasn’t very interesting to me and I was always afraid of my father to do well in my exams. I wasn’t the kind of kid who would watch cartoons all the time. Food was the only interesting thing in my life during those days. I was a chubby and happy kid.
Karan’s new film NEW YORK’D — read about it here…
Film Courage: Did your parents lend support to your creativity or encourage another type of career?
Karan: My parents supported me as much as they could. Although my father wanted me to have a more stable career like my older brother in computer science or finance. But my brother and sister have always been supportive of my career choice and lend support time-to-time.
Film Courage: Did you go to film school or study dramatic arts in college?
Karan: No, I did not go to any film school or dramatic arts in college. Honestly, I didn’t even know those courses and degrees existed when I was out of school and ready to start the college. I took “Correspondence” classes and studied marketing and accounts. I never attended any class in college, I would only show up on the day of final exams. I could not afford to go to a regular college and I chose to work as a salesman in a clothing store in New Delhi for about $20 a month.
Film Courage: How were you discovered as a model in India?
Karan: I always wanted to do something meaningful with my life and never wanted to die unknown. At one point I used to be a gym trainer at a fitness club in Gurgaon and got so comfortable doing these odd jobs. I totally forgot about my ultimate goal. I use to have a crush on a girl those days in my gym and she told me, “she would never introduce a trainer to her parents.” I guess that was enough for me to resign the next day and in less than two weeks I moved to Mumbai (Bollywood) to pursue modeling and acting. It wasn’t easy for the first couple of months but after that, I started booking jobs as a model.
Film Courage: At what point did you make the decision to come to the States? What was this like for you?
Karan: I stayed in Mumbai for about four years and pursued modeling and acting simultaneously. I was part of a theatre group as well. But I was nowhere in my career, no progress, and after tons of auditions, I was disappointed to find myself in the same spot from which I started. There was an urgent need to make a big change and that’s when I decided to leave everything behind and move to the States. I had to start the journey all over again from the scratch. It wasn’t easy because I could barely speak the English language and understand the culture. But things got better over the years.
Film Courage: Did family and friends fully support your move to New York City?
Karan: Yes, my family was supportive but they didn’t know what to expect in return. I remember a lot of people were laughing and I wasn’t really sure why I was putting myself in this situation. Self-motivation was my only hope those days. Every day I would have just one thought in my mind, “I would prove everyone wrong and be where I always wanted to be.”
Film Courage: What was it like being accepted to the famous Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre?
Karan: It changed my life. Not school in particular but being in New York and having the opportunity to pursue acting 24/7. It was like having a blank canvas and have the freedom to draw whatever I want. I enjoyed my first year so much at the Neighborhood Playhouse because everything was new to me but I was not so thrilled in my second year. I was just waiting to get out and take the control in my hands. I couldn’t wait to face the real world of acting than being in the acting school all day long…
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