A lot of actors who are big names today started their careers with music videos. Be it Deepika Padukone, Bipasha Basu or John Abraham, a number of Hindi film actors featured in music videos before Bollywood beckoned. It’s no different in the Odia film industry, where many have followed a similar route to success.
However, actor Sambhav Mansingh is a rare example who initially failed to attract attention after doing a couple of films and then did music videos to rise to popularity. Today, music videos have made him a star and filmmakers have started queuing up in front of his house.
Sambhav has to his credit hits like Nazdikiyan 1, Nazdikiyan 2, Sakhi, Love You Ayesha, E Mana Mo Mana and Phaguna, is one of the most sought-after names in the Odia film industry today. The actor, who will be seen next in Ashiq Surrender Hela opposite actress Jaya, spoke to Orissa POST on his journey to stardom.
Born to Subhendra Swain and Kaberi Swain, Sambhav was smitten by the acting bug at an early age. He loved dancing and wanted to become an actor when he grew up. “I would often participate in dancing competitions and win awards. I believed that every actor needed to be a brilliant dancer. So, I took dancing seriously and would often showcase my dancing skills at school and college fests,” says Sambhav, who hails from Nayagarh.
He wanted to enroll in Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya after Class X to learn the nuances of acting. However, his parents were averse to the idea and asked Sambhav to focus on academics. “When I expressed my desire to get into an acting school they asked me to complete my Plus II in Science, as they felt that even actors needed to have basic education. I accepted their suggestion then but my request was once again turned down after Plus II, as they wanted me to secure a degree in biotechnology,” says Sambhav.
He didn’t disappoint his parents and gave in to their wish. But even after coming out with flying colours in his biotechnology exams, he failed to convince his parents. “I became a bit desperate and left for Kolkata. There I took admission in a dance institute and learnt salsa, hip-hop and freestyle for eight months. During my stay in Kolkata, I got a break in a short film, The Blind World, which was screened at a number of film festivals,” says the actor.
Sambhav is a diehard fan of actor Pitobash Tripathy, who also hails from Nayagarh. “He has come up with some brilliant performances in films like I Am Kalam, Begum Jaan and Shor in the City. If a small-town boy like Pitobash can taste success in Hindi films, why can’t I? I would often ask this question to myself. I never lost focus and made use of every opportunity that came my way,” he adds.
Finally, Sambhav’s talent was spotted by veteran actor, director and lyricist Srikant Goutam, who gave him a break in Odia films. “A large number of people from the Odia film fraternity attended the screening of The Blind World in Bhubaneswar. Srikant Goutam sir was impressed with my performance in the film and signed me for One Way Traffic. Later, he roped me in for Mitha Mitha,” he adds.
However, the films didn’t help his career much and Sambhav decided to give music videos a shot. “I took a three-year break. I kept getting offers for daily soaps but I was only interested in films. One day I saw Atif Aslam’s music video Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main that featured Tiger Shroff. I liked the video and decided to introduce the concept of music videos in our state. My first music video was Nazdikiyan. I followed it up with a second part that featured actress Prakruti Mishra. The video became a hit. However, it was the popularity of E Mana Mo Mana, which crossed 15 million hits in Youtube that made me a household name in Odisha,” says Sambhav.
The actor says that during his days as a struggler, he tried to get in touch with filmmaker Sushant Mani for a role but didn’t succeed. “Finally, I got a chance to meet him at a film premiere. I went up to him and greeted him and he immediately recognised me and said, ‘Aren’t you Sambhav who featured in the music video Love You Ayesha? You are the next big thing in Odia film’. We chatted for 90 minutes and he promised to cast me in his next film,” he says adding that he still has a long way to go.
“I would like to do a film like KGF, which despite being a Kannada film became a hit in other states. I would like to do such a film in Odia,” he says.
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP
