'I Had Only ₹84 In My Account': Dhurandhar Actor Gaurav Gera Reveals How He Survived Tough Days In Mumbai

Actor-comedian Gaurav Gera is receiving appreciation for Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge, but he says the road to success was filled with uncertainty and financial struggles.

In a recent conversation with Jist, Gera looked back on his journey and spoke about surviving difficult days in Mumbai, the support of his family and the importance of keeping his ego in check.

Gera revealed that he was the first person in his family to pursue a career in entertainment. "Mere yahan koi filmon mein nahi tha. Art and craft mein mere A-plus aate the, but studies mein main 72%, 80%, 82% wala student tha. Mujhe lagta tha jis cheez mein main achha hoon, usko encourage hi nahi kar rahe," he recalled.

Believing his artistic talent could lead to a career, Gera initially tried to enter the field of design. After an unsuccessful attempt to secure admission to an arts college, he joined Pearl Academy of Fashion. However, he soon realised the course wasn't what he truly wanted to pursue.

"Mujhe laga ye woh nahi hai jo main karna chahta hoon. Maine papa se bol diya, 'Paise bacha lo, bada mehenga course hai. Main nahi karunga.' Papa ne kaha, 'Finish it. Aadhe saal job kar lena, phir jo mann mein aaye karna.' Exactly aadha saal job kiya aur phir theatre join kar liya."

The actor credited his parents for allowing him to choose his own path despite coming from an academically accomplished family. "Mere papa IIT-BHU se engineer hain, bhai software engineer hai, but mujh par kuch thopa nahi gaya. Iske liye main thankful hoon," he said.

Surviving Mumbai With Just Rs 84

One of the most memorable stories from Gera's early struggle years revolves around his bank balance after moving to Mumbai. "Mere account mein Rs 84 the. Main HDFC Bank ke saamne se guzarta tha aur bank ko dekh kar kehta tha, 'Mera khayal rakhna.' Main aate-jaate bank ko mattha tek ke jaata tha," he said with a laugh.

While his father helped whenever possible, financial support was limited. "Papa salaried person the. Unke letters abhi bhi mere paas hain jahan likha hota tha, 'Rs 2,000 bhej raha hoon, isse zyada nahi hai.'”

Despite the challenges, Gera says he never allowed hardship to define him.

"Us waqt lagta tha takleef nahi hai. Paise nahi hain auto ke, toh paidal aa jayenge. Main thoda khuddar type tha. Main dene wala banna chahta tha, lene wala nahi," he reportedly added.

While the success of Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge has brought him renewed recognition, Gera says he has consciously worked to stay grounded. The actor admitted that he became cautious about letting praise turn into arrogance.

Gera has been receiving praise since his appearance in the 2025 film Dhurandhar, where he played Aalam Bhai, the Lyari-based handler of Indian intelligence agent Jaskirat Singh Rangi, aka Hamza Ali Mazari, who goes undercover to dismantle a terror network in Karachi.