National Award-Winning Actor Recalls Having No Money to Celebrate His Victory

National Award-winning actor Ashish Vidyarthi has opened up about the financial hardships he faced early in his career, revealing that even after receiving one of Indian cinema’s highest honours, he lacked the means to celebrate his success.

In a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Vidyarthi recalled how filmmaker Govind Nihalani encouraged him to host a party at the upscale restaurant Mainland China after his acclaimed performance in Drohkaal earned him the prestigious award. But the actor, then struggling to pay rent and support his parents, said he was terrified about how he would foot the bill.

“When I won the National Award, Govind ji told me to book Mainland China for a party. This was a restaurant I’d only seen from the outside. I had no idea how to afford it. I was literally holding a glass of water with lime because I didn’t want to order vodka and increase the bill,” Vidyarthi said, recalling how even the vegetarians at the party ordered meat, further adding to his anxiety, reported the Indian Express.

He admitted he quietly confided in Nihalani about his fears. “‘Will I have to clean dishes here all my life? Will the cops be called?’ I asked him. To my relief, Govind ji said he was paying for the party,” the actor recounted, as quoted by the Indian Express.

Reflecting on those difficult days, Vidyarthi noted the irony of being a National Award-winner and yet struggling financially. “When you’re fully broke, when you don’t have a single penny in your pocket, and when you’re in a privileged environment, that is the catch of the industry,” he said.

Even after his breakout role, Vidyarthi’s priority remained providing for his family. To make ends meet, he accepted every opportunity that came his way, including B-grade films alongside Mithun Chakraborty, which he admitted he did simply to pay the bills.

Over the decades, Vidyarthi has built a prolific career across languages, acting in films spanning Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada industries. More recently, he appeared in Prime Video’s The Traitors and has garnered a wide following through his popular food vlogs.