Till today, about 35 to 40 of the projects that I signed, never took off, reveals Jugal Hansraj

Actor-director Jugal Hansraj shares that he would have done a lot more work, but many of his movies got shelved throughout his career.

Over the last few weeks the last In the last few weeks, the insiders vs outsiders debate has left the film industry divided. Weighing in on the same, actor Jugal Hansraj, who relaunched his career in the early ‘90s after a successful stint as a child actor in Masoom (1983), feels that a famous lineage does help take an actor’s career forward — at least that’s what his experience has been.

Actor Jugal Hansraj’s last Bollywood film was Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh in 2016.

“Whatever work I got, I gave my best, I did it sincerely,” says the actor, who has starred in films such as Papa Kehte Hai (1996) and Mohabbatein (2000).

The 47-year-old, who has also helmed two films – Roadside Romeo (2008) and Pyaar Impossible (2010), admits that being an outsider has its own share of struggles.

“I wasn’t from the film business. I’m a complete outsider and I have no connection in the film industry from any side. So, obviously you’re a little unsure. You’re constantly finding your feet, you don’t have someone to advice you. I feel, you’re equipped to make smarter career decisions if you come from a film family,” says opines.

The actor is, however, happy with his career trajectory, Hansraj has no regrets whatsoever. “I’ve enjoyed working. Despite coming from a non film background, I did pretty okay. I’m still remembered. I didn’t trouble anyone I worked with, I was professional and people still stay in touch with me,” shares the actor, who’s now settled in New York, US with his wife and son, and has used the lockdown period to finish writing his second novel.

Up next, Hansraj is looking at developing web content back in India, besides continuing his stint as a host on AVS — Asian Variety Show in the US. But there’s something indeed that still nags him and that’s what he attributes his scanty filmography to.

“I signed my first film as an adult in 1989 for Manmohan Desai, which was my comeback into acting but it never started and throughout my career, that has happened a lot. Till today, about 35 to 40 of the projects that I signed, never took off. In the last 30 years, that’s really a lot,” he reveals, adding, “I’d have done a lot more work, but it didn’t start. It’s not like I was not interested but what can one do if movies got shelved? I wish they started.”

As an artiste, Hansraj is still hungry and looking out for good projects. Recounting being part of Sujoy Ghosh’s 2016 film Kahaani 2, he says, “I just had seven scenes but it was a great role. Now, you no longer have to be the main hero. It’s just about being part of a good project, it can be small yet significant.”

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