I struggled with 250 auditions: Shashank Vyas

Shashank Vyas aka Jagya from 'Balika Vadhu' has become a popular face today and with the name comes the fame.

But it's not been an easy ride for the actor who struggled his way from Ujjain to Mumbai to try his hand at acting. Says Shashank, "I struggled for one and a half years and gave 250 auditions before bagging the role of Jagya in Balika Vadhu". When an MBA didn't work out for him, Shashank decided to give acting a try and landed in Mumbai in early 2009.

Shashank adds, "With no friends and family in the city, I decided to stay with a friend but when I reached Mumbai, his phone was switched off". With nowhere to go, Shashank spent five days in a Gurudwara at Dadar before making a few friends at an audition with whom he now shares an apartment. As the auditions continued, Shashank faced another big obstacle: the sudden loss of his mother. On reaching Ujjain, he realized he had had enough and came back to Mumbai with a firm determination. With every rejection, a no simply meant it was time to move on to the next audition for Shashank.

Slowly but surely, things finally fell into place once he bagged the main lead as Jagya in Balika Vadhu. As Shashank puts it, "My mother's blessings worked for me". After all that he has been through, Shashank has a few words of advice for struggling actors looking to make a mark in the industry "Struggle is a part of every field so never ever say you are tired and give up. Be focused and give your best in every audition".