Was Called Idiot for Quitting Kumkum Bhagya for Films, Says Mrunal Thakur

Mrunal Thakur was not taken seriously by casting directors when she began auditioning for movies. She was rather called "an idiot" for trying her hand at acting in films.

"There were a lot of people in the industry, especially casting directors who said, 'She is an idiot for quitting a number one show on television and venturing into something that is never going to be her cup of tea,'" said Mrunal.

Mrunal decided to quit one of TV's most popular shows, Kumkum Bhagya, when she was at the peak of her career. Soon after, she got shortlisted for the role of Sonia in Tabrez Noorani’s international production Love Sonia.

She is now one of the most-sought after actresses in Bollywood, but success didn't come easy for her.

She said, "Today, I just want to thank all those people who have discouraged me. I still remember Radhika (Madan) and I were neighbours. She used to shoot Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi and I would shoot my show Kumkum Bhagya side by side. I'm so glad that both of us are Ekta Kapoor's heroines.

"When I met Ekta and told her that I wanted to quit Kumkum Bhagya and do films, she never hesitated because she trusted in me. I'm so happy that I had a producer like Ekta and co-stars like Arjit (Taneja), Supriya Shukla, Sriti Jha who always supported me. These were the people who lent me their shoulders to cry on when I got rejected from films. So, I would just say that dreams do come true. You just have to keep working towards them."

Mrunal, who appeared in two hits Super 30 and Batla House last year, added that her nearly decade-long career (TV and films) has taught her that size of screen should not matter for an actor.

"I have been facing camera since eight years and finally my hard work has paid off. All I want to say is that you never know what's written for you. You can't be blaming the time. There will be time when you feel like giving up or you are good for nothing but trust me, patience is the biggest medicine. People tell me, 'you have made it big in such a short span of time,' but I must tell them that it took me eight long years to reach here.

I have grown as a person. I have become more decisive and I have been fortunate enough to be offered films with talented actors and directors," she added.

Mrunal recently collaborated with her Batla House co-star John Abraham for a music video titled Gallan Goriyan. She will next be seen alongside Shahid Kapoor in the Hindi remake of Telugu sports drama Jersey.