Akash Makhija: Currently grabbing headlines for his chilling portrayal of Babu in the crime thriller ‘Raakh’, the actor says his journey of recognition has been filled with heartbreak, rejection and constant struggle. While the audience applauded him for playing one of the most hated characters on screen, Makhija revealed that there was a time when he was replaced from a Rajshri film at the last moment, leaving him devastated.In a conversation with Mid-Day, the actor opened up about the failures that shaped his career, his early days chasing auditions across Mumbai and why success in the entertainment industry is not easy.
From McDonald’s bathroom to playing Babu in ‘Raakh’
Akash shared that acting fascinated him since childhood. One of his favorite characters growing up was Baburao Ganpatrao Apte from ‘Hera Pheri’, played by Paresh Rawal. Looking back now, he finds it amusing that his breakthrough role in ‘Raakh’ was also a character named Babu.Recalling his struggling days, the actor said he traveled from Ulhasnagar to Mumbai almost every day for auditions, surviving on limited pocket money while trying to build a career.“I used to get a student train pass for a fifty percent concession. I’d go to the McDonald’s outside Andheri Station to groom myself in the bathroom. For the longest time, it was my vanity.”Before landing many acting roles, Akash worked in more than 100 commercials and accepted every opportunity that came his way, hoping that one project would change his fortune.
Losing a Rajshri film made him cry
Although Akash has now earned accolades for performances in projects like ‘Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi’, ‘Gram Chikitsalay’ and ‘Raakh’, he reveals that the road to success included painful disappointments.The actor revealed that he was once chosen to play one of the lead roles in a Rajshri production but dropped the project without warning.“I was cast for a Rajshri film as one of the leads. One day, I was doing an ad shoot, and I got a text, even a call, that they were letting me go.” The sudden decision made him sad.“This field was brutal. I was on a different set when it happened, and the director told me to say my line. I asked for a five-minute break, went to the bathroom, and cried.”He further revealed that rejection came in different forms during his career. “There was a time when I was not cast in a show because of my horoscope.”
‘Raakh’ became the breakthrough he barely got
Interestingly, Akash was not the original choice to play Babu in ‘Raakh’. Nearly 800 actors auditioned for the role, and although he was initially rejected, fate eventually favored him.According to the actor, one more performer has been finalized before the producers unexpectedly brought him in a week ago. Having experienced similar setbacks himself, Makhija said he empathized with actors who lost projects after the lockdown.Now, his haunting portrayal of Babu has become one of the most talked-about parts of ‘Raakh’. The actor joked that viewers have started calling him “the most hated man on the internet,” with many even comparing his performance to Joffrey Baratheon from ‘Game of Thrones’.Also starring Ali Fazal, Sonali BendreRamandeep Yadav, Aamir Bashir and Rakesh Bedi, ‘Raakh’ is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.