Actor Anoushka Chauhan, who is currently seen in Krishna Mohini on Colors, tried her hands at a lot of jobs before settling down in the acting field. From modelling to assisting photographers and working as a marketing executive, she has done it all. But her first pay was not from any of these, and it was certainly a very overwhelming feeling for her.
“I think my first job was when I was in 4th grade and my dad asked me to get rid of the junk at home, and I gave it to the kabadiwala, and I got Rs. 70 for it. Since then, it has become my monthly job. I used to save that money and buy myself craft supplies and gifts for my parents’ birthdays, mother’s day, and father’s day, and sometimes lend them to my brother,” she said.
“Even during the break after my 10th, I started a small dancing and craft class in my garage and had few students. And with the money that I got from it, I joined the swimming club and got a few things that were required at home,” she added.
The first job of a grown-up Anoushka was as a model for a brand that spotted her during a pageant. That shoot was published in Femina magazine. “I was all across Ahmedabad on hoardings. My first job as an actor was a street play with an organization called Chhap in Ahmedabad, for which I got INR 2500, and I gave that directly to my mom when I went home for Diwali vacation,” she said.
“I have done so many things in so many professions. I worked as a stylist when I was studying in college, as an assistant with photographers, as a model, and then as a marketing executive when I first came to Mumbai,” she added.
Her marketing job paid her well, and she could easily save money. Though her parents didn’t want her to, she would send money home. She further said, “That saving actually helped me to survive in the first few months when I decided to pursue modeling and acting professionally. After that, my first acting job was an ad featuring Salman Khan. For the first time, I got to know the ad industry is a good way to get into the industry and survive, as it pays well.”
“With that money, I decided to educate myself, and I enrolled in an acting class where I could learn the basics of how to do auditions, who are the main casting people, where I can get work from, and how to act in front of the camera,” she added.
Anoushka, however, mentioned that, though she is not sure which was her first job, one thing that she learned at a very young age was to divide her income into savings, expenditures, luxury, and, as an adult, investing too.
“Luxury for me is things that I buy for my house, my parents, my siblings, and travel. Expenditures are my monthly regular expenditures. Savings and investments, I don’t think I need to explain. But one thing I make sure I do every now and then is to educate myself and invest in myself because that’s how I will get work. I believe in giving back a portion of my income to society and contributing to children’s education and women’s organizations,” she said.
She also stressed that many actors lack financial education, but she was fortunate that within the first few months of her acting career she got to know that payments can get delayed and there can be times when there is no work, so she should have savings at least for her expenditures.
“So even when I was not working, I was able to spend on luxury because I had that kind of savings. Also, the financial strategy that I made helped me survive,” she shared.
