When Sargun Mehta felt like giving up acting, but kept going

With shows such as Balika Vadhu and 12/24 Karol Bagh to her credit, Sargun Mehta is a well-known face on the small screen. Coming from a non-acting background, she confesses that until college, she didn’t have any knowledge about the craft, and learned gradually when she got to experience the art form.

An alumni of Kirori Mal College of Delhi University, Sargun reveals, “I didn’t know how to act at all. I got a seat in college through the extra curricular admission quota, and it was a mad process, where 100-150 students would vie for the few seats and go through 10 rounds. After that, learning the art form was a struggle. In the first year, I wanted to skip college and get out, because I couldn’t do it! But gradually, I got the hang of it. Then, after 12/24 Karol Bagh came my way, it was everything I wanted to do.”

Sargun admits that being a part of the television industry was quite overwhelming during the initial years of her acting career. “Once you get into the industry, there’s this constant race and fight, and you don’t even understand who is pulling the strings, and over a period of time, I realised that it was nobody,” says Sargun, adding that with time, all her apprehensions faded away.

The actor, who is currently shooting for a Punjabi film, says, “All I had to do was maintain my calm and do what I wanted to do. When you get a hold of yourself, you get to know exactly whether you want to or don’t want to do a particular show. The struggle is more in the head than in the physical world.”

Interact with the author on Twitter/ @RishabhSuri02