Before he became the face of justice on Crime Patrol and a household name across India, Anup Soni was a struggling actor in Mumbai with a very unique “side hustle.” In a recent candid interview, the National School of Drama (NSD) alumnus revealed that during a lean phase in his early career, he worked as an acting teacher at a local film school—where one of his star pupils was none other than Bollywood actor Akshaye Khanna.
A Hustle Born of Restlessness
Speaking about his journey, Soni shared that despite his prestigious degree from NSD, acting assignments were not exactly knocking down his door in the mid-90s. Unwilling to sit idle, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I am a restless soul. I cannot just sit at home waiting for the phone to ring,” Soni explained.
He recalled picking up a directory, finding the number for the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute, and cold-calling the owner to offer his services as a teacher.
The ₹300 Voice Expert
Soni’s specialization was voice modulation and scene design, skills he had mastered during his time at the national academy. Impressed by his credentials, the institute hired him. At the start, Soni was paid a modest ₹300 per class.
It was in these classrooms in Juhu that a young Akshaye Khanna, son of the legendary Vinod Khanna, was preparing for his big-screen debut. Soni remembers the period fondly, noting that while he was technically the teacher, the gap between the mentor and the student wasn’t vast in terms of age.
Teaching the Next Generation
While Akshaye Khanna is perhaps the most famous name from that era, Soni’s roster of students included several other actors who would go on to find success.Akshaye Khanna: Prepared for his 1997 debut Himalay Putra.
“I feel extremely happy watching Akshaye’s journey. I have always admired his clarity of thought. He has reached a stage where he is such a credible and dependable actor,” Soni remarked.
The Turning Point
Despite his success as a teacher—with his fee eventually rising to ₹400 as he began teaching four days a week—Soni eventually realized he had to quit. He feared that becoming a “full-time teacher” would distract him from his original dream of being a performer.
“I didn’t want to get too busy teaching. I wanted to be an actor,” he said. That decision proved to be the right one, leading him to iconic roles in Balika Vadhu, Sea Hawks, and eventually his decade-long stint as the host of Crime Patrol.
Today, both Soni and Khanna are respected veterans of the industry, but this recent revelation serves as a grounded reminder of the humble beginnings and the “teacher-student” bond that exists behind the glamour of the silver screen. To know such latest updates tuned tellyboosters.com Thank you!
