Rags To Riches: Aayush Sharma Reveals His Rendezvous With Social Media

Aayush Sharma, recently poured his heart out in an open, honest and candid conversation with young students of a college in Pune, while throwing light on his 'Rags to Riches story on Social Media'.

Opening up about the varied aspects of social media and the change of perception and approach on the internet over the years, Aayush Sharma engaged in a hearty interaction connecting with his young audience. Putting forth his earnest, witty and candid persona, Sharma won hearts at the TedX Talks.

Check out the conversation here:

The star was greeted with abundant love from his young fans as they lined up for selfies and danced with Sharma on his chartbuster ‘Chogada’.

Here are some of the highlights of the engaging and entertaining conversation:

Man With Multiple Identities

Despite turning into a national sensation with the release of his first song 'Chogada' from his debut film 'LoveYatri' and earning accolades for his second film 'Antim: The Final Truth', Aayush Sharma calls himself an aspiring actor and revealed his tryst with an identity crisis at TedX Talks.

Having worked in two films, and multiple music videos and served as an assistant director for four years before beginning his acting stint, Aayush Sharma, however, still struggles to be identified as an actor, and is most often called 'Arpita's husband', 'Ahil's father' and most importantly 'Salman Khan's brother-in-law'.

Auditioned Enacting Amitabh Bachchan's Famous Scene

Sharma earned appreciation and popularity with ‘LoveYatri’ and ‘Antim: The Final Truth’, carving his place in the entertainment industry. While the actor is now known to have a filmy family connection, Aayush Sharma had his share of the journey, from auditioning with a CD of his performance to being a background dancer.

Aayush Sharma revealed his initial days in Showbiz as he graduated from an acting school with a tape of his performance of Amitabh Bachchan's popular scene from ‘Deewar’ - Aaj Khush Toh Bahot Hoge Tum, also pointing out the changing times and approach for auditions. Earlier, actors would carry their CDs / tapes to auditions, while today, just reels are enough.

The Wedding Uproar

A common man on social media suddenly turned into one of the most trending names on social media as Aayush Sharma got married to Arpita Khan. The internet was flooded with trolls ranging from topics of marrying outside religion, to Aayush's intentions of money and fame, which had a rippling effect on the family. Aayush Sharma spoke about the continuing tags and criticism he and his wife face over her looks, weight and complexion, addressing the negatives of the medium.

The actor also highlighted the undefined space of his existence, where, Aayush neither fits the outsider bill nor bears the nepotism tag! Not having been born as a star kid, Aayush had his own journey and struggles, however, being married to a filmy family, projects him as a product of nepotism, leaving him forever confused about his status in the industry.

Lesson For His Kids

While the nepotism conversation is never-ending, Aayush Sharma discovered the warmth of social media with the birth of his kids, who were showered with abundant love. Acknowledging the same, Aayush spoke about his lessons to his kids, wherein he instills gratitude for the love and demands from his kids to be worthy of the love poured on them.

Perception V/s Reality

Aayush Sharma pointed out the blatant and stark difference between the perception on social media and the ground reality, with filtered and curated posts and the BTS. On the same tangent, Aayush Sharma recalled the response to his first film, where the actor saw his career demolished in front of his eyes, mere hours after the release, basis the negative reviews all over social media. However, his mind was blown when he opened to reality as his wife Arpita took him to Gaiety Galaxy, where people not only loved him in the film but also got on the chairs and danced to his song, mobbed him and showcased their love.

Looks Could Be Deceiving

Social media today has also conferred obsessive importance on appearances, visual appeal, and aesthetics over reality, forcing the public to mould themselves to deliver unrealistic expectations. Aayush Sharma revealed that while the internet has hailed him for his physical transformation, what's seen on screen is a product of routine and training for months, aided by good lights, cinematography, and editing. For one scene, lasting for a day, actors are on a strict diet with no water, or food to deliver one take with the perfect body. And hence, the actor doesn't continue to remain in the same shape throughout the year, however, the perception created on screen and social media forces innumerable youngsters to follow crazy diets.

From addressing the importance of a blue tick against an aadhar card, prevailing herd mentality due to pressure to fit in the popular and trending opinion to the changing perceptions of people on social media, Aayush Sharma offered a whole new perspective to the young students, emphasizing on the importance self-love and acceptance over the number of likes and followers.

Currently, gearing up for his upcoming untitled film 'AS03', Aayush Sharma recently revealed the teaser announcement offering a glimpse into the mytho-modern action adventure. In addition, Aayush Sharma is also working on another interesting film, which the actor announced with a still earlier this year.