Actor-motivational speaker and now standup comedian, Ashish Vidyarthi doesn’t sulk at aging but rather finds himself exploring more, opens up with The Pioneer over an exclusive chitter-chatter about keeping himself engaged with things he enjoys and his new love for stand-up comedy.
Tejal Sinha
A multifaceted star who has not just confined his prowess to acting but has also been much appreciated for being a motivational speaker, food and travel blogger, and now also a stand-up comedian.
Well, today we bring to you our candid chat with the industry’s popular villain, Ashish Vidyarthi, who no doubt has detached himself from the label. Having grown up around a period and a place around the appreciation of arts and many conversations around people performing arts, he certainly found acting as a form of expression, and acting was something he was always inclined towards.
The national-award-winning star has currently been seen and heard all over social media with his posts and content. Well, we are not talking about his Instagram posts, but the content on his YouTube channel, Ashish Vidyarthi Actor Vlogs, and also his standup comedy, for that matter.
“I appreciate food,” begins the Drohkaal actor on a brighter note during this candid call. “I meet people, interact with them, and let people know places that they can try for a wonderful sip of Chai or a gastronomical experience for Chole Bhature. And, through these videos, I get to come across these small businesses who are doing great work and let people know about it.”
Popularly known for his portrayal of villainous characters, the 1942: A Love Story actor knew that he wanted to explore something more. Basically, he feels, “Even my directors, producers, and writers, and even the audience, know that there is something more to this guy. That’s when I was thinking about it, and coincidentally, Sunflower happened. I realised Why don’t I do something on the standup stage? That’s how Sitdown Ashish happened, and it’s been so great. It feels great that the audience is also enthralled by what they saw. What is very unique, and I want to underline it, is that this humour is clean standup comedy and does not have abuses. It’s not looking down on someone and cracking jokes about them. It is all about me laughing at myself. The response has been so amazing when both young and old people come together and watch the show.”
You are never too old to try out new things, and the Bichhoo actor couldn’t agree more as he shared, “I feel that people need to have respect for the age that they have rather than be embarrassed about it. Therefore, my wife Rupali and I started a channel called Fifty Plus Zindagi because, through social media, we wanted to communicate with people and have respect for their own age. When you respect your age, then you live your life fully. Why do you think I’m still working as a motivational speaker? To let people know that they can be true to themselves. I believe that people need to have hope in themselves. When you have hope in yourself, you don’t have time to think of other things. I just let people know that they can do something amazing with their lives and not sit and discuss them. It needs to be about what’s next. What next excites you, and what gives you a reason to live, is the joy of giving a life to me.”
Reinventing himself as an actor; especially when people only saw him as a villain, now he is doing a whole lot of roles and letting people know I can! “I am 58 and my wife is 50; even as we join in this journey, we look forward to creating new futures. I am excited about it not being resigned. There have been mishaps in life, but not to be beaten by mishaps relating to anything as happenings rather than condemning yourself. What I share with people through my writings and motivational talks is that it is possible to do anything that you wish for yourself if you have hope,” signs off, as he adds how he’s enjoying standup comedy.
