EXCLUSIVE: Adarsh Gourav Believes ‘Mumbai Mein Aap Bina Jugaad Ke Reh Nahi Sakte’; Reveals Why He Mastered American And British Accents

Ankita Bhalla

February 26, 2025
7:18 pm
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In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, Bollywood actor, Adarsh Gourav shares an anecdote about the time when he almost got kicked out of his apartment & learning new accents.

Adarsh Gourav is an Indian actor known for his breakout role in The White Tiger (2021), which earned him a BAFTA nomination. He has since delivered stellar performances in Extrapolations, Guns & Gulaabs, and. Up next, he stars in Superboys of Malegaon, further showcasing his versatility. In an exclusive interview Adarsh Gourav shares about the jugaad he had to do in order to stay in Mumbai.

Adarsh Gourav on getting a flat in Mumbai

In and exlusive chat with Bollywood Bubble, Adarsh Gourav reveals how he almost got kick out of his apartment. He said, “Mumbai mein aap bina jugaad ke reh hi nahi sakte. Jab ghar chahiye tha peheli baar, socha rent pe reheta hu tab pata chala actors ko ghar nahi milte. Phir maine jhut bola ki main writer hu. Jab Nikhil Vijay aur main Manish Nagar me rehne gaye …Nikhil Vijay mera co-actor tha Hostel Dayz me. Bohot shaandar writer hai Gullak likkhi hai usne – toh maine kaha, ‘Yaar agar hum bole….aur woh sach me writer tha main nahi tha maine kaha mai kya bolu.’” (In Mumbai, you can’t survive without jugaad. When I first needed a place to stay, I thought I’d rent. But then I learned actors struggle to get houses. So, I lied and said I was a writer. When Nikhil Vijay and I moved to Manish Nagar—Nikhil, my Hostel Daze co-actor and the brilliant writer of Gullak—I asked him, “You’re actually a writer, but what should I say?)

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He continued, “Agar software engineer bolta toh saamne wala koi sawaal puch leta aur computers toh padha hi nahi maine 7th STD ke baad. Toh socha aisa kuch bolunga toh believable bhi lagega aur phir pakde gaye. Kyuki jab main waha reh raha tha kuch kuch aisa kaam tha joh bahar aa gaya. Aur phir owner ne bola, ‘Tu toh keh raha tha tu writer hai.’ Accha hua uske kuch din bad covid lag gaya aur ghar khali karna pada. Toh zyada sawal jawab hue nahi.” (If I had said I was a software engineer, they might have asked questions. And I hadn’t studied computers since 7th grade. So, I chose something believable. But I got caught because some of my actual work came out. And the owner said, ‘I thought you were a writer.’ Luckily, a few days later, COVID hit. And I had to vacate the house—so there weren’t too many questions.)

Adarsh Gourav on learning new accents

“But aisi bohot saare kahaniya hai, mujhe yaad hai White Tiger ke baad Rameen ne pucha ki, ‘Tumhe internationally kaam karna hai kya?’ Toh maine bola, ‘Neeki aur puch puch.’ Toh woh bole ke sabse peheli cheez, apni American accent pe kaam karna chahiye kyuki aisa bohot baar hoga ki agar tumhe accent aati hai American aur British dono toh casting directors se tumhe faiyda hoga aur mere pass uss time paise nahi the accent coach hire karne ke liye toh maine youtube pe, 2 saal Covid mein, roz 2-3 ghante free tutorials jitne bhi youtube pe, main chat gaya saare American accent wale aur bas repeat karta reheta tha.” (But there are many such stories. I remember after White Tiger, Ramin asked me, “Do you want to work internationally?” I replied, “Of course!” He said the first thing I should do is work on my American accent because knowing both American and British accents would help with casting. At that time, I couldn’t afford an accent coach, so during COVID, I spent two years watching free YouTube tutorials for 2-3 hours daily, just repeating and practicing.)