He never thought that he would lift the winner's trophy on reality TV show "India's Best Cinestars Ki Khoj". Now with the best actor title in his kitty, Syed Mamoon wants to find a foothold in showbiz and is ready to try his luck in any stream.
"I thought I would go till top five and people will start recognising me. I never imagined I would come this far. In fact, there was a point during the semi-finals where I felt I would get eliminated," said the 21-year-old.
During the course of the show, Syed also found his forte.
"I realised that my forte is comedy. After the show I have improved as an actor and now I feel I used to read monologues previously," Syed told IANS over phone from Mumbai after winning the show Sunday.
Oksana Rasulova from Azerbaijan was adjudged the best female actor on the show. The duo not only took home the trophies, but also landed a role in a Bollywood movie which will be written and supervised by ace filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. It will be released in 2015.
What are his future plans?
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"I know even after the movie I have to struggle to find a place in the industry and I am ready for it. I want to be known as a performer. I am open to movies, television serials and advertisements. I just want to get my wife and son to Mumbai as soon as possible," he said.
Surprisingly, Syed is not a trained actor and he improvised on the show itself.
"I have not taken any professional training. I was eight years old when my parents got divorced. In fact, I have studied till high school only and I started working at an early age to help my mother support our family," Syed said.
"During my school life, I used to perform at Republic Day and Independence Day functions. So, I think it acted as a theatre to me," he added.
Syed's journey in the show was not easy. In the beginning, he under-performed, but got on the right track after realising that the future of his whole family hinged upon him.
Syed, who got married in his teens, has a one-and-a-half-year-old son.
"Initially, my performances were weak, but whenever I felt like quitting I thought about my wife and son who are dependent on me, I have a fighting spirit which stopped me from backing out. And then all my performances went well and I was even called a versatile actor," Syed, who hails from Moradabad, said.