For some, retirement is about relaxation, sitting on the porch and enjoying sunrise and sunset. But then, there are some like Ashish Vidyarthi for whom retirement is a term that doesn’t exist in his life. Meet Ashish Vidyarthi: Actor, vlogger, entrepreneur and a motivational speaker.
At the age of 57, this veteran Indian actor is on a rollercoaster ride like never before. Not to be tied down to any set schedule, Vidyarthi is taking life on his own terms and crossing hurdles each day. Today, Vidyarthi is not only an actor with over 250+ films in his kitty. The National Award-winning actor is also a food and travel vlogger, podcaster, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and life coach. These days, he is making a lot of hullabaloo in the world of OTT, courtesy his powerful performance as Surya Rao Naidu in the blockbuster web series ‘Rana Naidu’, also starring megastar Venkatesh Daggubati as Naga and Rana Daggubati. As always, the actor has left an indelible mark on the minds of the audience with his compelling act as Surya Rao Naidu, Naga’s older brother and former boss in the latest crime thriller.
That’s not all. His brilliant performance in Trial by Fire will always remain close to the hearts of his fans. A limited series, Trial by Fire is based on the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire, which claimed 59 lives.
In fact, these days, the ‘Drohkaal’ actor has become the go-to actor on OTT. In the last few years, he has had a slew of fine releases on OTT be it Mission Over Mars, Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors (S2), Helmet, Sunflower, Tryst with Destiny, Raktanchal S2, Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, to Aar Ya Paar or TVF Pitchers S2. His most recent Vishal Bhardwaj’s much-awaited film Khufiya with Tabu has also been very well received by his fans.
Even a few years ago, cinema kept Vidyarthi busy and why not, he has done more than 250 films across 11 languages (including Hindi, English, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bhojpuri, Assamese and Marathi). Some of his films namely Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin, Ziddi, Soldier, Arjun Pandit, LOC: Kargil, Jaanwar, Haider and Goodbye are fan favourites. He also won hearts as the voice artist of Scar in The Lion King’s Hindi version.
But today, Vidyarthi dons many hats. Through his vlogs, he encourages his followers to appreciate the small things in life, embrace new experiences, and make the most of every moment. It’s his belief that has led him to teach, develop and inspire more than a million people with his workshops, talks and more. And that’s what led him to form Avid Miner, a company that organises motivational conversations, leadership workshops, executive coaching, and human-centric consulting.
Ashish has straddled the worlds of cinema, business, lifestyle and travel, and continues to do so. His travel diaries, meanwhile, will enthuse you and give you wanderlust. A multifaceted personality, he is a man of many talents whose empathy-laced insights might just be what you’re looking for to rejuvenate your own life.
At the age of 30, he won the National Award for Govind Nihalani’s acclaimed crime drama Drohkaal (1995). Now, at 57, he is one of the leading food and travel vloggers in the country. At an age where people just want to enjoy a relaxing retired life, Ashish Vidyarthi is busier than a weatherman in a tornado.
Despite the ever-increasing popularity of his YouTube channel (@AshishVidyarthiActorVlogs with 1.3M), Vidyarthi keeps returning to films and web series and stuns the audience with his performance each time. The actor has been the talking point of B-town for his power-packed performance in the hit web series ‘Rana Naidu’ starring megastar Venkatesh Daggubati as Naga and Rana Daggubati. Vidyarthi has left an indelible mark on the minds of the audience with his compelling act as Surya Rao Naidu, Naga’s older brother and former boss.
What’s most interesting about his 33-year-old career is his constant endeavour to break new ground. He has dabbled in almost all languages of Indian cinema be it Hindi, English, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bhojpuri, Assamese and Marathi. That’s not all. He won hearts as the voice artist of Scar in The Lion King’s Hindi version.
The pandemic made Vidyarthi find a new passion – vlogging. He was enamoured by the distinct food and travel blogs and started recording his days even before vlogging became mainstream. Soon, he was making videos of food joints across the country. But what set him apart was his unabashed way of narrating the stories. Amassing a staggering 6 million base of subscribers/followers across his social media platforms and a viewership of more than 6.3 M, he was recently awarded the ‘Best Travel and Food Vlogger Award’ by Lokmat Digital Creator Awards 2023.
- By Namita Gupta.