Vikrant Massey, the National Film Award winner known for his versatility in Hindi films and television, recently recalled a challenging experience from early in his career that nearly led him to quit acting.

Massey, who began his acting journey with television shows in 2007, recounted an incident that occurred in December 2004 during the shooting of his first-ever shot for the television show, Kahaan Hoon Main. Just 20 minutes into the shoot, the director yelled at him harshly over the microphone in front of everyone. This public dressing-down left him humiliated and in tears.

"I was shooting for the show, Kahaan Hoon Main. And just 20 minutes into the shoot, my director yelled at me so hard on the mic, in front of everyone! No-one had ever spoken to me like that before. I felt so humiliated. I started crying and wanted to quit there and then," Massey said in an interview with Cosmopolitan India.

Massey said that he wanted to quit acting after being publicly yelled at by his Kahaan Hoon Main director after giving his first shot. He said that after the incident, he burst into tears and almost gave up on his dreams.

However, a supervising producer intervened and offered support, encouraging him to return to the set. "But the supervising producer, who is now a really close friend, was really supportive. She took me to a corner, and said, 'Welcome to this world!'. She spoke to me kindly, at length, and made me go back to the set. And I have never looked back since!".

Vikrant's career began on television, with roles in Dhoom Machao Dhoom, Dharam Veer, and Balika Vadhu. He transitioned to Bollywood in 2013, debuting with a supporting role in Lootera. He has since appeared in films like Chhapaak, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, and Ginny Weds Sunny. In 2023, Massey's career reached a new height with the biographical film 12th Fail, which earned him the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

Massey has also spoken about the challenges of auditioning, particularly early in his career. He noted that casting directors are often aspiring actors themselves, which can create a tricky dynamic. To counter this, he eventually began requesting the presence of directors during his auditions.

Currently, Massey is preparing for White, where he will portray Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. He described the role as transformative, requiring long hours in prosthetics and quiet time at the ashram.