Vikrant Massey was cleaning tables at a coffee shop at 16, bought first home at 24

Vikrant Massey has steadily carved a space for himself in Bollywood, an industry often regarded as fiercely competitive and difficult to break into. However, his journey has been anything but easy. Long before he became a celebrated actor, Vikrant had begun working at the age of 16 to fund his education and support his family, a responsibility that shaped his outlook on life. At a recent event, Vikrant looked back at a time when he was a minor and cleaning tables at a coffee shop in Mumbai to then owning a home at the age of 24.

In a recent conversation with FLO Bangalore Official, Vikrant reflected on his early years and the drive that pushed him to become financially independent. He also recalled fulfilling one of his mother’s biggest dreams by buying his first home at the age of 24. “Stability was something that was very important to us. I come from a very regular middle-class family. I started working at the age of 16, and no sane 16-year-old boy would actually venture out of the comfort of their home and make money, or probably take up a job or clean tables at a coffee shop.”

He continued, “One of the reasons why I had to do that was to support my own education, to support my family financially. And yet again, I’m glad, I’m so grateful that life took that trajectory because, as I said, I would not have been what I am. And when I bought my first small little house at 24, I ticked that one important box in my mother’s wish list that, ‘No matter what happens, at least you have a home to come back to.'”

‘Was embarrassed to tell friends’

Vikrant also admitted that, as a teenager, he often felt embarrassed telling his friends that he was leaving home to work. “When I would step out of my home, I would see my friends playing in the ground. And I had no explanation. They’d be like, ‘Where are you going?’ And I’d be like, ‘I’m going somewhere.’ And they’d say, ‘Come on, let’s play cricket or football.’ And you actually have no answer because, at that young age, you’re also embarrassed to tell your friends, or the world, that you’re actually going out there to make money because you have to support your family.”

Looking back, the actor said those experiences forced him to grow up much sooner than most children his age. “And that is when, at that young age, you start building your defence mechanisms, your barriers, and a lot of pretence also, right? It used to hurt back then. But, like I’m saying, I wouldn’t change a moment or a day. Watching my friends play, watching them go out for movies, or even celebrating Diwali used to be a very big thing for me because we don’t have a Monday-to-Saturday job. There are days when you’re home for months, and there are days when you’re working, like I said, 35 days a month. But I think, yeah, they’re all character-building experiences.”

‘Started working to pay for my college fees’

Today, Vikrant says life has come full circle. From struggling to pay his college fees to now planning the best education for his son, he says the journey still feels surreal. “I started working to pay for my college fees, my train pass, my ID, and a few other things. But today, my wife and I are probably sifting through school brochures from some of the best schools in the country. And that’s the journey. It kind of feels surreal. Should we send him to Ambani or to Birla? That’s where we are today, and God’s been kind.”

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Working at a coffee shop in Yari Road

For those unaware, Vikrant landed his first paid assignment while studying at St. Anthony’s High School in Versova. A team from a New Zealand health advisory board had come to Mumbai and selected a few students from his school to feature in a catalogue. Vikrant was among them and earned Rs 200 for the shoot. A few years later, while in Class 10, he joined Shiamak Davar’s dance troupe as a contemporary dancer during his summer holidays. It became his first job that offered a monthly salary. Around the same time, he also worked at a cafe in Versova.

Recalling that phase in an earlier interview with Mumbai Mirror, Vikrant had said, “I was a Yari Road boy and there was a coffee shop at every nook and corner of the neighbourhood where ‘filmi people’ would hang out. The plan was to earn a fixed salary and maybe land a movie role. At the time, I didn’t even have Rs 30 to buy a cup of coffee for myself. The lady who hired me warned, ‘If anyone gets to know that I’ve hired an underage guy, I will not only be fired but put behind bars.’ I assured her no one would know. We told people that I was three years older than my actual age.”

He further revealed that he had even cleared the initial rounds for a flight purser’s job before choosing acting instead. “During my time at Shiamak’s and the coffee shop, I also applied for a flight purser’s job at an airline and cleared the initial rounds. I was at a stage in my life where I needed to make money to fund my education. I eventually did not take up the purser’s job because I had landed some acting projects on television by then.”

On the work front, Vikrant Massey will next be seen in the upcoming web series Pritam and Pedro, created by Rajkumar Hirani and directed by Avinash Arun.

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DISCLAIMER: This feature is an editorial retrospective based on personal interviews and is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes.