sky fly He may currently be making headlines for his portrayal of Babu in the crime thriller ‘Rakh’, but the actor says his journey to recognition has been filled with heartbreak, rejection and constant struggle. While the audience applauded her for playing one of the most hated characters on screen, Makhija revealed that there was a time when she was replaced from a Rajshri film at the last minute, leaving her devastated.In a conversation with Mid-Day, the actor opened up about the setbacks that shaped his career, his early days chasing auditions across Mumbai and why success in the entertainment industry never comes easy.
Babu’s role in ‘Rakh’ from McDonald’s Washroom
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 funny that his breakthrough role in ‘Rakh’ 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 railway pass at a fifty percent discount. I used to go to the McDonald’s outside Andheri station to groom myself inside the washroom. For the longest time, it was my vanity.”Before landing significant acting roles, Akash worked in over 100 commercials and took every opportunity that came his way, hoping that one project would change his fortunes.
He broke down in tears when he lost a picture of Rajshree
Although Akash has now won accolades for his performances in projects like ‘Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi’, ‘Gram Mabathalaya’ and ‘Rakh’, he reveals that the road to success included painful disappointments.The actor revealed that he was once selected to play one of the lead roles in a Rajshree production but lost the project without any warning.“I was cast as a lead in the film Rajshree. One day, I was shooting for an advertisement, and I got a text, not even a call, that they were releasing me.” He became emotional at the sudden decision.“This field is brutal. I was on another set when it happened, and the director asked me to say my lines. I asked for a five-minute break, went to the washroom and cried.”He also revealed that rejection has come in many forms throughout his career. “There was also a time when I wasn’t cast in a show because of my horoscope.”
‘Rakh’ became the breakthrough he almost didn’t get
Interestingly, Akash was not the original choice to play Babu in ‘Rakh’. About 800 actors auditioned for the role, and although he was initially turned down, fate eventually worked in his favor.According to the actor, another performer was already finalized before the makers unexpectedly brought him on board a week later. Having faced similar setbacks himself, Makhija said he sympathizes with actors who lose projects after the lock-out.Today, his menacing portrayal of Babu has become one of the most talked about aspects of ‘Rakh’. 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 BendreStarring Ramandeep Yadav, Aamir Bashir and Rakesh Bedi, ‘Rakh’ is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
