Today is an emotional day for me. Even though not coming from a rich, political or filmy background, the dream to enter Bollywood as a Lead Actor has finally come true! It has been possible due to support of so many people and obviously the key guys are – Matte and Manav – without whom this would have never been possible! We 3 don’t have any Godfather, we’re Godfathers to each other for entry into Bollywood :).Just reached Delhi from Mumbai. My Mummy-Papa also reached Delhi today coming all the way from Asansol, West Bengal, to watch their son on the silver screen. My best friend Sanjay flew from Bangalore to watch 1st day 1st show with us. Just came home in a taxi from airport with the two most caring, best friends and the most loving human beings anybody can know – Sanjay Shukla and Ashutosh Matela. Poor Manav couldn’t come as life is too hectic these days and he had to be there to manage things in Mumbai – sadly his tickets had to be cancelled. Hugged him while catching an auto to the airport in Mumbai and said “Kuch bhi ho film ka fate Manav, hit ya flop, humne kar dikhaya, cheers to that spirit!”. You could see the emotions in his eyes, all the struggles and pain of 1.5years could be seen getting washed away by the sense of achievement!

Am blessed to have such wonderful people around. On Facebook, hundreds of people are literally praying for us. You can feel their excitement and emotions when they wish you luck. Right now, while I write this, my eyes get wet – I’ve got calls from friends with whom I’ve never chatted for a decade saying that “I’m proud of you Ashish”. Several comments expressing their pride and inspiration are so heartwarming that words succumb while trying hard to express the feelings. I don’t know whether I’m worthy of all that or not but I know one thing that even if I’m not right now, I’ll be and will eventually not let anyone down. So much love to someone who’s hardly known to the world feels magical. It’s not just words and emotions, even financially, about 70middle class people have shelled out their hard earned incomes and savings (from individual contribution of 25k to 22lacs) for our dreams and then cynics say people are selfish, no they aren’t, there are enough large hearted people in this beautiful world! I can’t begin to explain how priceless this feeling is. I can’t even begin to explain how much your support means to me – I can’t write more than a thank you or a few more words but the feelings of thankfulness and love are infinite. I really wish and pray that I don’t let you down when you watch WITH LOVE, DELHI! today.

When you begin with a big dream, it’s so exciting and it seems once you reach it, the entire world will change. However, to reach to a big dream, it takes so much effort, pain and time that you are more in a controlled state by that time than in a crazy excited state. That’s what is the condition right now – I’m not on the top of the world, I’m calm, a little excited, a little stressed, a little peaceful and very emotional. I don’t know whether public will like this film or not, whether the critics will praise or criticize it or whether it will be a hit or a flop – I’m too close to the film to objectively judge these aspects, especially after having seen the film scores of time. If the film is a hit, well then, I’ll be a celebrity signing bigger films after films and moving towards my bigger dreams in life. If the film is a flop, I very well know myself – I’ll be tensed for a few days, very tensed, won’t be able to sleep for several nights, all the while trying to figure out what went wrong and then within a couple of weeks, I’ll on ready to walk, ready to run and at a pace which will get me where I want to in the time I want to. Nothing is impossible, that’s a phrase my Mummy-Papa gave me to my subconscious, not million dollars, not political or celebrity mileage but a thought which has the power to take me way ahead of many who have all these. Several times I say this but would repeat it once again, lines from one of my favourite movies Shawshank Redemption – “Red, hope is a good thing, may be the best of things, and no good thing ever dies!” Whether you noticed it or not, this is actually said to me “Red” :). Struggles never end nor do I want them to, all the sense of achievement and the learning is because we had to struggle a hell lot, those who did not have to struggle did not learn as much for sure. I’m sure of one thing – I’ll never ever find a “reason” for not achieving my dreams, I’ll always and ruthlessly label all of those so called “reasons” as “excuses” and when you do that, you always move on till you achieve your dreams! Keep dreaming, keep achieving, cheers!

Eagerly waiting to watch myself and our labour of love for the 1st time on the silver screen with my friends and family, with all those who love me unconditionally. Bless all!

WITH LOVE,
      RED!