It is said that there is always more to it than meets the eye and a living proof of that is Rohit Saraf. He might seem like the perfect guy next door with his heart on his sleeve, but he is one who is not just built to last but also the kind who you can be rough around with around the edges, and count on because come what may, he needn’t be handled with care.  

Just like a diamond found in a coal mine, his real worth comes from the pressures he’s faced only to come out shining as the gem he is.   

Having been raised on an (un)healthy diet of Bollywood films and drama, I’ve seen several actors and actresses come and go on the screens, some having given us memorable films and others who got lost in the sea of artists that wash up Bombay’s shore every few months. 

However, only a select few managed to carve a place in our hearts and are still remembered as people who might have been truly born to act.  

Saying the same for a young, new-age actor might seem like getting too ambitious too soon, but if there is a certain kind of an aura that travels with him it is of not being a one-hit wonder or a flash in the pan, but an artist who is here to last and stand the test of time. He’s been Kabir in Dear Zindagi, Ishaan in The Sky Is Pink and Shatak in Vikram Vedha, but what people still remember more than his seamless performances is his conviction to keep going. 

Rohit Saraf is almost 7 years old in the Bollywood industry, but his heart has been here in Bombay since he was a kid. He doesn’t just come with talent, he comes with a longing to be on the screen as if it were his second home. He is the guy you bet on, the guy who stays the course only to disrupt it.  

And perhaps, it is that connection that made him so naturally drawn to films, making him who he is today - a national heartthrob.

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How would you give us a snapshot of your life and the journey, so far? 

My family lived in Nepal and that’s where I was born. I have three sisters and a brother, and among them, I'm the youngest one, and also the most protected, sheltered brat, in my family.  

When I was 15, we moved to Bombay. In 2012 on 12th September, to be precise. Yeah, that's when I moved to Bombay because I wanted to act. I lost my dad when I was 11, in 2008 And, it was actually his dream that I become an actor to start with, um, when I was a child. So when I finally did move to Bombay at 15 to pursue his dream, I realized it soon became my dream as well. And ever since then, I've been here in Bombay...acting. 

A lot of young people struggle with clarity of thought. But you seemed to have figured that out pretty early on in your life. What was your frame of mind at that young age about taking that big leap of faith? 

Ever since I was a child, I was always creatively very inclined. For a very long time, I wanted to be a dancer, thanks to watching Boogie Woogie on Sony every day. Then came Dance India Dance and I found myself very interested in that as well. And whenever my father used to see me play around in the park with sunglasses on, he would see an ‘actor’ in me. And I think that's where my dad's thought of ‘tu actor banega’ and you know, ‘tere liye ek film produce karunga’ came about. 

But then I stopped hearing it after I lost him and that started bothering me. You know you hear something so often it's normalized for you. But then when something suddenly stops in your life, something that you're used to, it starts bothering you a lot.

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How was your equation with your father? 

I feel like the years that are actually formative for a relationship with one's father, by the time I reached that age, he was already not around. So, I couldn't necessarily have the kind of a relationship that one would call a father-son relationship. Having said that, my father couldn't look beyond me. And I'm not joking when I say this. It's actually a funny thing when we talk at home. I was never allowed to sleep away from my father. So I was never allowed for any of the night stays. Cousins' houses, school trips – none of that shit. 

In India, we notice a lot of young boys have a very uncomfortable relationship with their fathers. So, what's your take on this subtle, complex relationship boys have with their fathers?  

I don't think I can make a blanket statement. From what we hear from others, I feel like there is a huge communication gap between a father and a child. But, I will tell you what I have seen of my father while growing up.  

I remember this one night where my dad came back home after his nightcap and he started crying. It was a very confusing visual for me because, did I see my mom cry before? Yes, I did. Did I see my sisters cry before? A hundred per cent. Did I see my brother cry? A hundred per cent. But did I ever see my dad cry? Never. 

It's amazing because when we spoke to him, he actually said that I don't want my kids to study so much that I can't see them. You know, it really bothered him so much ki main subah office jata hoon aur raat ko ghar wapas aata hoon. Jab tak main raat ko wapas aata hoon, tab tak ye so chuke hote hain. Jab main subah jata hoon, toh ye padh rahe hote hain. When do I get to spend time with them? He didn't want us to study for so long and it was a shock for us all. And that is when we knew, he wasn’t afraid to communicate, to express.

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You're 26 going on to 27 with tons of followers on Instagram, appearing on magazine covers. How are you processing all of this at this young age?   

I feel every single day is different. So, right now where I'm at in life…very grateful and I feel so incredibly happy that I have places to go to. I have people to meet and I have things to work on.

What is something you want more of in life?  

Sleep. It drives me nuts. Like I can't get sleep and it's not because god, I'm so busy that I have so much work ki mujhe sone ka time nahi mil raha hai.  But I feel like so many thoughts just keep you awake, you know? Instagram has ruined my life. I'm perpetually just scrolling. But yes, more sleep would be nice. More workouts would be nice. Every single day I decide ki aaj main gym jaunga, but somehow I can't get myself to go to the gym.

What are some emotions that you want more of and what are some you want less of?  

Hmm. I think I definitely want less self-doubt. There are days I wake up in the morning and I'm on my way to set and I feel I don't know whether I'll be able to deliver or I don't know if I'm good enough for the job. I'm constantly worried. Whether the people I'm delivering to, for example, aaj agar yeh interview hai..humne ek cover shoot kiya hai, there was a huge thought in my head that will they be happy with the end product that I finally delivered to them? I think some of it comes from criticism. Some of it comes from mindless trolling. 

How do you bounce back after meeting with a failure in life?  

I think it's very important that you surround yourself with the right kind of people. You know, everyone wants to say I'm very self-sufficient when it comes to that. I'm not. I'm not self-sufficient at all, and I want people around me who can help me look at the brighter side of things. There are days when you feel like you can't get yourself to say ki nahi hojayega and you want other people to do that for you. So I think it's very important to have the right kind of people around you. I think my coping mechanism is crying. I cry and it helps. It’s also a little bit of anger. I feel that also helps because when I'm angry, then I work harder. Music has been very important in my life. So, I think music would be my other coping mechanism. 

Who are the people and actors you admire in the industry right now? 

I love Ranbir Kapoor. I think he's incredible. I love Shefali Shah a lot. I think she is just magical on screen and I really, really, really am dying to work with her. I think Supriya Pathak ma'am is outstanding and I really wanna work with her. I think Ranveer Singh is just like a giant that I'm dying to work with. I just want to be on set and observe him. And I want to be on a set where he's performing as a character, which is different from what he is as a person. I just wanna watch him switch from one thing to the other. Alia Bhatt, I've already worked with her. But I think I want to work with her even more after working with her because I think she brings something to the screen that I can't. It’s just the ease, which I find very aspirational.

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What roles and genres are you very excited to explore next? Something that you really wanna do next?  

I honestly wanna do a lot of romance. Cause I love it. I love it as a genre. I feel like it's something that I enjoy watching the most. I'm a sucker for romantic films and romcoms in general. And I think I want to do a lot of that. I do want to do a lot of coming-of-age films. 

You are at the forefront of ushering in a new form of masculinity in the country at the moment. How do you feel men have been portrayed? What is your idea of masculinity and manhood? 

I'm not trying to paint a picture, but in all honesty, I've been brought up by four incredible women in my life. I've been taught to be a person, not to be a man or a woman. And I do not understand why there is a line that is drawn in order to be..in order to understand what a man should do and what a woman should do. Firstly, nobody should do anything. And I feel like, if I've been taught to be financially independent, which is supposed to be a masculine thing to do, I've also been taught to be emotionally independent.

So, I honestly do not understand the definition of masculinity so much. And even if I did understand it, I don't think I would agree with it too much. Like I said, I've seen my dad cry. I've seen him communicate. I've seen him on his best days with my mom. You know, I've seen how he was with the love of his life. I've seen how he was with his colleagues, with his brothers, with everyone around. I see what my brothers like, and I feel like that's what I learned from.  

Today if I were to ever, (I don't think that would ever happen) but if I were to ever fall under the trap of toxic masculinity, I think these three incredible women that I have in my team are gonna slap me and they're gonna call me out on that. Believe me, I feel very grateful for that.