Ray actor Neeraj Purohit on making it without a Godfather, shooting for the series and his journey

Neeraj Purohit's latest outing in Ray as Rahul has only brought additional attention to the actor post his short film Adeen. He is seen in Ali Fazal's Forget Me Not, and also has '83 and Dhakkad in the offering. The actor got talking about his journey, working with the team, and more. 

How has the journey been so far?

It has been amazing that at the beginning of my journey I am getting to work with great directors and such talented actors. I believe that learning should never stop and working alongside such talents has been a great experience/ learning for me. I am glad that I am getting noticed while working alongside them. Baby steps to walking and to running a marathon. It’s happening. 

Has it been easy without a Godfather in the industry?

I don’t believe in godfather or anything. It’s a journey and it’s just a beginning. You will meet all kinds of people, some will pull you down and some will lift you up (Trust me both are needed). If you are open to growth and learning, both will teach you something. Just be honest with your craft and to yourself. And as I said earlier, It’s a journey, and want to enjoy every moment of it. 

What has been your camaraderie with the cast of Ray?

It was a fun shoot. Bonding with all the co-actors like friends. Even after the shift, we used to sit together for hours and just laugh about crazy things. And of course the learning from all of them. 

You come from a well-to-do business family, has the struggle been easy, considering one isn't used to struggling otherwise. 

The struggle is not daunting for me. Actually, I don’t prefer calling it a struggle. It’s a journey (again haha)  What brought me here was the love for this craft. I did not have to do any of this and life would have been very comfortable. But I saw my father building a life for himself and everyone around him from scratch. When he started all he had was the love of his father, (my grandfather). Knowing his life story I could not take comfort for granted. Learned from him to value hard work and perseverance. I had to find my own challenge, something totally out of my comfort zone. And he never stopped me.

Neeraj also has an interesting line up ahead, including a Netflix series and  Pippa by Raja Menon.