Exclusive – Archana Gautam on rejection phase: People would look down upon me for not knowing English and think of me as ‘anpad gawar’

The entertainment queen of Bigg Boss 16, Archana Gautam turned out to be the surprise package of the reality show. Be it her one-liners or her fearless attitude, she stood out amongst the rest of the contestants.
On Women’s Day, ETimes TV spoke to Archana Gautam about her life and the struggles she faced to reach wherever she is today. The actress revealed how she was mocked by people for not knowing English. She also talked about her interaction with Salman Khan at the Bigg Boss 16 after party. Excerpts from the interview:

“The major rejection I faced after coming to Mumbai was for not knowing English. I would go to meet people and they would speak in English and I would not understand. Now, I have groomed myself and I know basic things. But back then people would look down upon me. They would think of me as ‘anpad gawar’ (illiterate). They would not say these things on my face, but they would not give me work and say baad mein batate hain (will let you know later) and I would get to know,” she shared.
When asked how this impacted her life, she said, “I started to doubt myself and would think that people who have money, big cars, phones or are stylish can only get work. And I would not get work. There was so much struggle and I felt very low on confidence. I would feel ke life mein pata nahi kuch mil paayega yaa nahi. Itna struggle tha life mein. I thought of learning English but I also knew I can’t be fluent in just one day. I tried to become stylish and I was so naive at that time that I would believe that by wearing short clothes or revealing outfits, showing cleavage, I’ll become stylish. People would think I’m attractive. Then, I realised that this is not going to work out and I should move to South Industry and I might bag something there. I bagged 2 South films; they were not that big hits. One of my recent South films, a Telugu film, became a hit.”

However, Archana’s views have changed now, “My thinking has changed now and I feel everyone gets what they deserve, sooner or later and we should not lose hope. Just have patience and keep working hard,” she asserts.

On being asked how she groomed herself, Archana shared, “I started observing people and started grooming myself. I would observe girls at parties or how they are walking. I learned how to do makeup by watching videos on YouTube. I got my hair coloured and got it straight.”
Talking about her meeting with Salman Khan at Bigg Boss 16 after party, she said, “When I met Salman Khan sir at the Bigg Boss after party, he told me that I should focus on a career in the Entertainment field. He praised my game in the show and said that many people loved me because of the entertainment quotient that I provided. Salman sir praising me is a big thing for me.”