Overcoming his hearing impairment, Ashutosh has come a long way using the power of his expressions to win over hearts

It was not an easy journey for Ashutosh who was recently adjudged “MR INDIA PLUS 2021” in Plus Size Beauty Pageant. Born with a hearing impairment, he has come a long way with the support of his parents who never considered his disability a hurdle, “Since childhood my parents have been my biggest support and my mother has always been my go to person in every challenge I face.”

Talking about the initial challenges in life, Ashutosh’s mother Sudesh says, “At the age of one-and-half years, we realized that Ashutosh has hearing problems, so we started taking him for speech therapy in Delhi” Then came the problem of schooling, “we tried looking for a good school for him, finally Delhi Public School in Gurugram gave him admission. He was good at studies.”

To help achieve his dreams Sudesh resigned from her job as an economics lecturer and set up helping her son build his career, “He is my only child and I thought he needs my full attention.” Then when he went to college, “Ashutosh used to travel via metro from Gurugram to his college in Delhi.” It seemed challenging but “he did it every time.”  

Sudesh does not regret her decision of quitting the job because Ashutosh never disappointed her, he got admission in Hansraj college, then went to the prestigious IIM Lucknow, simultaneously pursuing his heart. So far, he has acted in more than nine plays in IIM Lucknow alone. “Being impaired in speech, expressions were my only tool to portray this interest of mine to people. IIM Lucknow provided me with the platform through the dramatics club (Abhivyakti) made me realize how I missed this part so much my entire life.”

Modeling and fashion have always had an enchanting influence on Ashutosh, “I was good at academics but my passion lay in the field of drama and the fashion industry. That’s why, “This beauty pageant was not for fun, definitely it is an outcome of all these years of efforts, yet another chance to challenge myself.”

Ashutosh idolizes former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, “I always admired Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his quality of being patient and focused when the world around him panics and thinks what all can go wrong, and Dhoni silently behind the stumps focused only on making the best out of the situation at hand. Believe me, we have never met so far but he has guided me all these years like an elder brother.”

While Dhoni inspired him to do everything with perseverance, actors like Shah Rukh Khan inspired his interest in performing arts “Growing up I would often stare at the TV or the computer and observe actors, the way they danced, acted and expressed their feelings. I would then go to my room and do the same in front of the mirror. This continued for many years and when I finally came to IIM Lucknow, I made it to the dramatics club here. And since then, there has been no looking back.”

Ashutosh believes in hard work, and being tough when faced with challenges, “Every time I was posed a challenge, I started my journey with extra effort, pushing that one extra mile, one more minute before thinking of giving up. I would not say that it was easy at any point in time, but it certainly was enjoyable with this mindset. Sometimes I won, other times I learned, but I never felt that any impairment could prove me weak.”

Talking about the In the Talent Session of MR INDIA PLUS 2021, which happened for the first time in India, he says, “I tried to present the problems and traumas of a farmer’s life and moved everybody in the audience to tears with my silent acting.”

For Ashutosh, the beginning of his journey alone is a great milestone. “I don’t know where life will take me in the coming years” but he wants to give 100% to what he does, and of one thing he is certain, that he wants to create a space in dramatics. “ I believe in challenging myself.. to push myself harder and create my own space in the world of dramatics and maybe the Indian film industry.”