Forbes India 30 Under 30 2025: Rohit Saraf and stuff of dreams

Actor Rohit Saraf  Image: Amit Verma; Directed by: Kapil Kashyap

The only reason Rohit Saraf pursued acting as a career was because his father wanted to see him on the big screen. He had promised to earn enough money to produce films for his son, who, on the other hand, wanted to be a dancer, having watched dance shows on television since he was a toddler. At the age of 12, in 2008, when Saraf lost his father, he decided to give acting a real shot. “It was my attempt to keep him alive,” he says, wistfully.

Saraf moved from Delhi to Mumbai, having cracked an audition for a Channel V youth show, and lived in a rented apartment in Oshiwara. Once he got used to facing the camera, he realised it is a whole new world. “It’s so fulfilling creatively and as a human being—you can experience different emotions and play varied characters,” says the 28-year-old, who dropped out after the 10th grade. 

The youngest of five children, Saraf did not have a Plan B, and approached his craft with honesty and sincerity. “I was driven enough to work hard to chase my dreams,” he says.

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In the first year, Saraf did two television shows, four commercials and a film. “I was barely free… I thought I’ll be a superstar in a year,” he recalls. That is when he was exposed to the uncertainty of the film world. Two-and-a-half years after he had shot his first movie, he got to know it was shelved. All this while, he had refused work because he was advised not to overexpose himself. “I had stopped giving auditions, so people stopped calling me for parts as well,” he reminisces. Keeping his financial and other struggles aside, the youngster decided to put his head down and work hard.