Following the explosive success of Aryan Khan’s directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood, actor Raghav Juyal suddenly captivated the nation’s imagination by singing “Kaho Na Kaho” in front of Emraan Hashmi himself. The video has not only transcended meme culture, but it has also put Raghav back in the spotlight. Raghav appears to have taken a huge step forward in his career with Aryan’s debut production, following his success with the action-packed Kill last year. However, underlying his well-deserved success is a narrative of humble origins.
Raghav’s journey began well before the big screen. His first brush with fame came through a viral dance video that opened the doors for the reality show Dance India Dance, where he quickly became known. However, the journey to recognition was far from glamorous. Raghav spoke out to Yuvaa about his early days in Mumbai and the struggles he encountered with genuine honesty.
“When I arrived, I had nothing. But I also used to enjoy that phase. I was never sad, thinking, ‘Oh, see, I have nothing.’ I enjoyed everything to the fullest. I had the best time eating vada pavs. When I was a dancer, I used to live with ten boys in one room. Our fridge didn’t work, so we used to store our undergarments in it and use it as a cupboard. So, if someone visited us and opened the fridge by mistake, they’d be stunned to see undergarments inside.”
Raghav previously revealed another frank story with NDTV, describing his first visit to Shah Rukh Khan’s renowned seaside mansion, Mannat. “The first time I entered Mannat, there was a scanner like the ones at the airport,” Raghav remembered, adding, “I had to go through it because people were like, ‘Who is this guy?'” Has anyone come looking for work? He grinned as he remembered asking Aryan where his room was when he first went inside, only for Aryan to laugh it off.
Raghav is now said to be in Siddharth Anand’s highly awaited action film King, which stars Shah Rukh Khan. Raghav revealed in recent interviews that the project came his way after Shah Rukh was blown away by his performance in The Ba***ds of Bollywood.
