For Lakshay Chaudhary, becoming the youngest Mr. India no less than a dream come true. He is an emerging name in the industry and is soon expected to make a debut in Bollywood. In a quick conversation with TMM, Lakshay talks about his life-changing experience and what are his future plans in the modeling and entertainment industry.
At a young age of 19, you got the opportunity to represent your country. How did you prepare for Mr. India?
From the time I got to know about the modeling and glamour industry I always wished to become Mr India and represent my country. Apart from this, my aim was to create a legacy and be the youngest person to achieve this title. Every year Mr. India takes place, but becoming the youngest would be a memorable and a legacy that everyone would remember. During my preparations, I had many ups and downs but thanks to my gurus who had guided me well, I made it happen with great pride. My pageantry training was done by Rita Gangwani, grooming was done by Jatin Khirbat and the desired physique was brought to life by Sandeep Chauhan.
How was your experience of Mr. Grand International in Philippines and how did it change you as a person?
It’s a feeling of pride when you are called out by your country’s name. My experience at Mr. Grand International Philippines was surely life-changing. I’ve had never been abroad, but for the first time when I did, it was to represent my country and I guess I could not have asked for anything better. When I landed at the airport in Manila, I was informed that my luggage wasn’t transferred and all 
my garments and everything was stuck. I remember I had to borrow clothes from other representatives for the various ceremonies and later I created a good bond with my competitors and now I have brothers in more than 20 countries. Apart from this, I experienced the love for my nation, the feeling that I had when our national anthem was played on me winning a task. I met a lot of people and realized that the world is way bigger than what we think and it’s a beautiful place filled with love and peace. All we need is an eye to see it.
Post this; your journey took a turn towards acting. How did this happen?
I never ever thought that I’d shift towards acting until our family friend Sonu Sood and Ajay Dhama suggested me to move my focus to acting and work my heart blood and soul to it. I always had something in me that pulled me towards stage and theatre and I am glad that God gave me the hint and here I am walking towards my dream to become one of the finest actors in the industry.
Acting is all about experiences and learning. How did you prepare yourself as an actor?
Every professional, be it a doctor or an actor needs to first learn the craft and have the knowledge of the field and this is what I did. Before I jumped into the market, I took admission at Roshan Taneja School of Acting, Mumbai, and spent my 4 months giving all my sweat and blood to learn the craft. Apart from this, an actor has to be a great observer in life and this is what I have been doing all this while. I’ve been attending many workshops after every few months to polish my craft and have been making self-test monologue and am shaping up my craft.
Fashion and acting are two different worlds. What is your take on it?
Moving camera and still camera is like sea and sky, yet interconnected. Models rarely need to show expressions and acting is all about expressing yourself right. Though all the major fashion shows have actors as their showstopper, the show begins with models. So, in a way, we can say that they are different but are surely dependent on each other.
As per media reports, actor Sonu Sood plans to launch you. Is that true?
Certainly, it is! If all goes well, you might see me debuting very soon. Sonu bhai has been a father figure to me, he has guided me and even helped me to gain confidence in myself and my craft. I am working day in and out to stand up to his expectations.
Where do you see yourself in five years from now? How are you sharpening your skills?
Though there’s a big list to things to achieve in the next five years, but the major ones are- to get nominated at Filmfare or IIFA Award and be a part of an interview at the round table conference with Rajiv Masand.
The lockdown gave me a lot of scopes to sharpen my skills. I worked a lot on my acting, I read books by great theatre artists from all over the world, watched interviews of actors so that I could gain some knowledge by their experiences watched movies from all parts of the world and even recorded some videos of me acting and then later sat down with a diary to note down the areas of improvement, so that I can better than yesterday.
Rapid Fire
- Social media for you is: An identity card
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- Your favourite Netflix binge: Lucifer
- One thing today’s generation should work on Kindness
- A seductive secret about you: The eye contact
- Fitness myth you want to break: Dieting is healthy
- Describe 2020 in one word: Survival
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