Ranchi/Mumbai: He was a teen when he acted in Ayan Banerjee’s award winning short film, Reflected Dreams. And now that he has turned 22, he got to work in a film that will be first screen at major film festivals. Between the two films, he has kept himself busy with Ekta Kapoor’s Ragini MMS Returns, a successful franchisee converted into the web series format. He has also acted in a couple of television series. And before getting a filmy break, he used to live in a remote village in Jharkhand. Meet, Raquib Arshad, a resident of Bharkatta village in Giridih, Jharkhand.
A Dream Break
Raquib proudly accepts that he is a ‘gaon wala’. A self-made actor, who made it into this industry on his strength is slowly and steadily getting a firm footing in the Indian Film Industry.
“I had reached Mumbai in May, 2013. And in December, I cleared the audition for Ayan Banerjee’s short film —Reflected Dreams. This short film won awards in many film festivals and also from the Ministry of Information Bureau as well,” Raquib told eNewsroom over the phone.
Raquib, who is currently based in Mumbai, has nearly 10000 followers on Instagram. He is pursuing a Master degree from IGNOU.
Born To Be An Actor
Raquib’s father is a doctor, one brother studying medicine, another work with Google, so how he chose to opt for acting as a career? Explaining his choice he says, “I was interested in participating in dramas, right from my school days. But I never got a chance to explore my skills. Then one day, I got a chance, but I couldn’t do anything special. After a long gap, I got my second chance and this time, luckily I played the lead role in this drama. My acting skills were much appreciated and it paved the path for my acting career in my alma mater, Subhash Public School.”
An when he shifted base to Ranchi to pursue his higher education, he continued acting. “Once in Ranchi, I began participating in dramas beyond my college theatre. I was an average student, so I decided to choose acting as a career as I love doing it. But when I told my family about my career choice, they were not ready to accept it. After sometime, when they realized, that I was firm on my decision. They allowed me to continue on the condition that I will not quit studying at any cost. So, I shifted to Mumbai, where I believed I could pursue both my acting career and education simultaneously.”
Beginner’s Luck?
The 22-year-old acted in the several episodes of serials—like Chidiya Ghar, Bal Gopal, Nadaniyaan, and Meri Durga. He has also tried his hands in a couple of advertisements.
After having struck gold with his short film, getting work has not been difficult for Raquib. Sharing his experience of working for Ragini MMS Return’s third lead character, a negative one under the banner of Balaji Telefilms, he says, “I play the ghost in the web series of Ragini MMS Returns. It’s a difficult role, as I have to use prosthetic make-up to get my look. It took three hours to put the make-up in place and an hour to remove it. With make-up on, I could neither eat nor sleep. It was so taxing that at times it left burns on my skin.”
The young actor’s Facebook and Instagram, has several posts and messages from co-actors appreciating his role as Anshuman and old woman.
Raquib feels that acting has nothing to do with having a great body, says Raj Kumar Rao and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are his favourite actors. He loves Anurag Kashyap as a director.
Journey Continues…
In his first feature film, Raquib got a chance to work with actor like Sanjay Mishra and Vijay Raaz. It is a film by Lal Vijay Shahdeo, which highlights naxalism related issues and extensively shot in Jharkhand. “I can’t reveal much about the story, but the story is so good and it has been made so well that the movie will be sent to world’s best film festivals,” the young actor signed off.
