Neeraj Kabi: It took 21 years to test this diamond

The talent of Neeraj Kabi, who started his acting career with the film 'Sheep of Theseus' directed by Nand Gandhi, is being lauded today. But the shocking thing is that he got this film at the age of 9 after a decade of struggle. Neeraj played a landmark role in this movie which won an international award in the year 2013. He does not hesitate to admit that despite a million attempts, I have not been able to give a performance that can cross this line. Of course, this is not an exaggeration for the actor. It took the actor of 'Sacred Games' 21 years to reach this level. And he had squeezed the babb decade into this movie.

Originally from Jamshedpur, Neeraj came to Mumbai in 19th year after graduating from a college in Pune. But after coming to Mumbai, he would stumble every time, finish one audition and run for another audition. At that time, he could not even afford to travel by bus or train.

When Neeraj was awarded the 'Student of the Year' award in college, his teachers and principals believed that he would go abroad and hold a high position in a big company. But it so happened that other students studying with him went ahead and became the owners of the car-bungalow and Neeraj stayed at Ther. He used to wander the streets of Mumbai with empty pockets.

No admission in National School of Drama. That was Neeraj's biggest misfortune. But he did not give up. He decided to cultivate himself as an actor. "It dawned on me that no casting director has a clue as to what a performance is," says Neeraj. So I decided not to audition.

The actor started learning everything from yoga to kalaripayattu, chhau, martial arts for him. Of course, he joined the theater from teachers who did not charge him a fee or a small fee. And they did things that could be considered insignificant in order to earn a living. He says I didn't want to make films that only showed me a couple of moments. So I turned down offers for movies.

Instead I started my own workshops, I worked with the kids. He used to tell his students that an artist who waits for a job cannot be a real artist. He has to act like an army soldier. He should always cultivate himself in every way. We have work today and not tomorrow. In such a situation, we must be able to survive at any cost.

Neeraj's performance in the recently released 'Sherni' once again won the hearts of the audience. While Neeraj has a chance to work with Vidya Balan. He says that I had earlier worked with Rani Mukherjee in 'Hitchhiker'. I acted in 'Once Again' with Shefali Shah. And after getting the honor of working with Vidya Balan in 'Sherni', my everlasting desire to work with a strong trio of Bollywood has come true. It is said that Neeraj is about to get an international project. However, the actor is not ready to name Mugan in this regard.

He will also be working with a well-known Bollywood filmmaker. He has signed two more web series and one film. However, he wants to return to the stage next year as a director. The actor says the play will be based on Shakespeare's story. I will direct traditional artists and other artists in it. I will never leave the theater. I can't even think of leaving the theater.