‘It was a big change coming from Bhopal to New York’

Our desire to fly far away from the home country to experience something beyond the realm of ordinary life is quite common. Actor Ankur Bhatia is no different; he too comes from the same school of thought. In this week’s Travel Tales, actor Ankur Bhatia takes us through his journey of flying from Bhopal to New York.

Amartya Smaran

Actor Ankur Bhatia, who’s widely known for playing a pivotal role in Disney+Hotstar’s Aarya is someone who’s deeply connected to his roots. In this edition of Travel Tales, staunch Bhopali, Ankur Bhatia, talks about his strong connection with the city of Bhopal and goes back to the time when he first visited New York.

No matter where life takes you, it is important to stay humble and grounded. The Crackdown actor has reached heights since he made his debut in 2010, but it looks like he hasn’t  for once forgotten his strong Bhopal connection. “I was born and raised in Bhopal.

I have spent the initial 20 years of my life there, so it is a home for me. All my memories with my family and friends are majorly from Bhopal. Every other weekend, we used to go for long drives by the lake. The sunset in Bhopal is breathtaking,” recalls the actor.

We all aspire to travel to one destination or the other, but there are a few places that you wouldn’t want to miss out on. It was Ankur’s dream to visit New York City and that dream came true when he finally got the opportunity to fly abroad for higher education. Moving from a city like Bhopal to New York City was rather a big change for the actor, “It was surreal! It was my dream to come to New York for higher education. Even though I had researched a lot about how the city operates before visiting, I was still awestruck by the tall buildings, architecture, culture and its fast pace. It was a big change coming from Bhopal to New York.”

The only constant in life is change. Although the initial cultural shock took Ankur by surprise, he managed to manoeuvre his way through The Big Apple. “It was a lot of fun. While it was a bit hard in the beginning, it was still a lot of fun. It was a way to advance in terms of technology. The beauty of New York is that you find people from all around the globe, and everyone has been in the same situation as you at some point in life.” muses the Bhavai actor.

Out of all places in New York, the ethnic heavy neighbourhood of Jackson Heights in New York City was close to his heart. “It was the first area in New York where I lived for almost a year,” shares Ankur. “It’s an Indian-Pakistani neighbourhood. When here, you feel like you are in mini India, in New York. It is home away from home.”

Speaking of what he loves the most about New York City, the actor shares,“I think if you have lived and survived in New York, you can live in any part of the world. The biggest perk is being exposed to so many people from around the globe.”

America is known as the ‘land of dreams’ and it is considered to be the one stop destination for people who possess real talent. We’ve heard fascinating stories of men and women from different cultures succeeding in their respective fields purely as a result of the freedom that the land has to offer to its people. Seconding this fact, Ankur ends, “It educates you about different cultures and broadens your perspective towards the world.

I love the diversity in New York! I also love the fast-paced life; you are pretty much on the move all the time. There’s an energy in the city that can only be felt when you are in New York city.”