Actor Ankur Nayyar, who plays the role of Sandeep Bajaj in Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya on Hotstar, says that he has always looked up to his father for motivation. He says that his father is still remembered for the man he was
“I have always liked how my father conducted himself, how he balanced his relationships, work, and business, how he instilled family values in us, how he was disciplined with his diet, yoga, and exercises, and how he had a very calm, controlled, and poised demeanour. I have a lot of admiration for my father for that. It’s been 22 years since he passed away but people in my hometown still admire him. That’s the kind of impression he has left on people and after 22 years people still talk about him. He is one person I have always admired and will always admire,” he says.
However, Ankur says that he has never looked outwards for an aim in life. “I have never set a benchmark. Like I still remember when I started working out, I knew exactly what I wanted. I remember in those days, one common thing was to keep measuring the size of a bicep. But that’s something I’ve never measured. I mean, people still talk about body fat, what is the percentage of body fat? I have never done that. I’ve never, never measured it. I just believe in consistency. I believe we need to motivate ourselves. Like if you talk about working out, I like to work out. I love to work out and I enjoy the process of working out. And so, I’m always motivated to work out,” he says.
He adds, “So like even when I’m going through low phases of life, I love my work. I really enjoy it a lot. So that’s one thing that really gives me a high. Good work when I’m in front of the camera, acting and expressing myself keeps me happy.”
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However, at times you need external things to motivate you, says Ankur, adding, “Definitely, there are days when you’re not motivated enough to probably go and go for a shoot or probably aren’t motivated enough to just go for a workout. A lot of times those things are there. So, at the same time, an external stimulus always helps. Probably a good coffee can help you.”
He adds, “Motivation definitely is important. As human beings we feel good and we feel low. We don’t feel the same way 24 hours of the day. We have ups and downs. There are times when we’re really excited and then there are times when we are filled with gratitude, and then sometime else we are actually fighting with God and destiny. So in the 24 hours of the day, we don’t feel the same way. So, motivation is definitely required. Social media consumption is also important, what you look at what motivates you, I look at the cars that I love. I look at the bikes that I love. I look at the houses which I would love to have. build up to. I look at the successful people.”
Ask him how he motivates himself, and he says, “I would say like, you know, initially when I came to Mumbai to work, I used to be only in for the physical aspect of it. I would go to the gym. But now, I think with time and experience, the internal thing is also very important for me. Besides working out, meditation is also very important. You just calm down and visualize. I think about what I want to do and where I want to be, the kind of materialistic things that I want to acquire, achieve. And that’s something that motivates me.”
As for success, Ankur says, “Success is, I would say, a very relative term. When I had come to Mumbai, for me, getting my first serial was like being successful. So, I think success is not a benchmark, it is not a destination. It’s an ongoing journey. It is all about reinventing yourself, improving yourself. I remember when I wanted to buy this dream car, and I bought it, so that was like an achievement for me. But now, it’s like part of normal life. So I think it’s a very relative term. For me, a successful day would be like when I have a good workout, I enjoy my workout and have a wonderful day at shoot. In the evening, I can spend time with the family. For me, I would say a successful day would be quality time with family, lovely shoots and an amazing workout session.”
He adds, “At various stages of my life, I felt like yes, I’ve done something. I felt gratitude. I have been happy upon the birth of my kids, my niece. I was happy when we got our first property in Mumbai. I have been happy but I am not sure if these are all achievements.”
