Popular Bollywood actor and social media personality, Ashish Vidyarthi (61) mesmerised the business community from the Verna industries association (VIA) on Friday evening.
Speaking as the keynote speaker at the annual general meeting of the VIA, Vidyarthi a successful motivational speaker dipped into his own struggles and hardships, to pull out anecdotes and learnings to share with the entrepreneurs present.
Delivered in his inimitable, high-octane style, the Bollywood star of over 350 films, usually typecast as the villain and bad guy said, “I have managed to die in eleven different languages. Mein aapni mout ko bechta hoon ( I sell my own death). I have died so often on screen, that I value life immensely off it. I work very hard to turn every opportunity to my advantage.”
While complimenting the VIA members for driving their enterprises successfully, he reminded them to stay updated and relevant all the time. “Reinvention is the name of game. You have to keep running to stay alive,” the actor said.
Recounting experiences from his own life, he said, “At age 55, I suddenly stopped getting acting work. All roles dried up. That is when I simply bought myself a “GoPro” camera and began shooting food and travel videos. I became an instant hit on social media with a following of 11 lakh people and the income followed.”
Speaking of fame, the actor said, “We are world famous only in our own worlds. The world is much larger than our small wells.”
Recounting an incident, he said, how even after 40 Bollywood films under his belt, when he first visited Chennai for a film shoot, the taxi driver referred to him as “Aziz Vidyanidhi” and not by his real name. “That incident taught me a big lesson and humbled me,” Vidyarthi said.
In conclusion, Vidyarthi said, “I am 61 years old, but still learning, hungry and on fire,” and screened a youthful rap song that he had sung just a year ago.
Mauvin Godinho, Minister of Industries, trade and commerce while addressing the VIA members at their AGM on Friday said that the state government was very keen to introduce a policy whereby leasehold industrial land could be converted to freehold property. Stating this as the need of the hour, Godinho said, “This conversion from leasehold to freehold will enable all of you to get bigger bank loans to expand your businesses.”
