Sanjay Mishra was born on October 6, 1963, in Darbhanga, Bihar, into a middle-class family. While his father, Shambhu Nath was an employee at the PIB (Press Information Bureau), his grandparents also worked as Indian civil servants. Right from an early age, Sanjay Mishra wasn't a big fan of India's conventional curriculum in schools, as he believed that it was diminishing a student's creative spark. From bunking classes to repeating Class 10th twice, Sanjay Mishra ran away from his home with just Rs. 50 in his pocket.
When Sanjay Mishra was working at a construction site instead of focusing on his education, it was his father, who felt really helpless as he couldn't find a way to make his son understand the value of education. It was heartbreaking for him to see his son destroying his life, but he had no clue about how to bring him back on track. However, one day, while having a conversation with the late legendary writer, Manohar Shyam Joshi, at his home, the doting father shared Sanjay's topic with him.
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After listening to everything about Sanjay Mishra, Manohar Shyam Joshi told his father, Shambhu Nath Mishra to bring his son's janamkundli to him. On Manohar's advice, Shambhu Nath wasted no time and showed Sanjay's janamkundli to him with the hope of some solution. After examining Sanjay's janamkundli, Manohar Shyam Joshi advised his friend, Shambhu Nath to send his son to a drama school and also predicted that one day he would be known by Sanjay's name.
On his father's multiple requests, Sanjay Mishra went to Delhi in 1986 and took the entrance exam of the National School of Drama (NSD). The actor not only cleared it but topped the entrance exam. It was an extremely emotional moment for his father. At a time when people used to get rejected by NSD, Sanjay Mishra, who never took studies seriously, cleared and topped it with so much ease, proving that he was destined to become a big name in the acting field.
On one side, while Sanjay Mishra's father, Shambhu Nath Mishra was relieved that his son was finally at an institution that could help him bring his life on track, the former was on a completely different mindset. During his initial days at NSD, Sanjay used to cry at NSD and was entirely focused on finding a loophole in their NSD's education and training system so that he could leave the institution. However, after spending some time there, he started liking the way things were taught at NSD.
After graduating from NSD in 1989, Sanjay Mishra started doing odd jobs unrelated to acting. There was a point in his life, when Sanjay took the job of a photographer and created a portfolio of actors like Piyush Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, and many more. It was when his father, Shambhu Nath told his son, Sanjay to focus on getting roles in TV or films so that he could utilise his learnings from NSD. When Sanjay started looking for acting roles in Hindi films, he faced a series of rejections.
Despite being a topper of the National School of Drama, Sanjay Mishra was unable to find a role in Bollywood. Luckily, he got the chance to work in DD National's famous show, Chanakya. After making his debut in the television space, he worked in TV shows like Sorry Meri Lorry, Kabhi Paas Kabhi Fail, Naya Daur, Aahat, Hum Bambai Nai Jayenge, Bhawron Ne Phool Khilaya, Office Office, and many more. However, it was almost six years after graduating from NSD in 1995, when Sanjay Mishra finally made his acting debut in Bollywood with the film, Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India!, in which he portrayed the character of a 'Harmonium man'.
During the shooting of Office Office in the 2000s, Sanjay Mishra contracted a severe stomach infection and fell critically ill. In the beginning, it looked like a normal infection, but after his health started deteriorating rapidly, Sanjay was hospitalised. During the treatment, doctors removed 15 litres of pus from his stomach, and the actor was told not to work for a couple of weeks. It was an exhausting phase in his life, as he was already struggling to pay his rent, and on top of that, the hefty hospital bills added so much burden on his shoulders.
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Weeks after recovering from a stomach infection, just when Sanjay Mishra thought of bringing his work life on track, his father, Shambhu Nath Mishra passed away. The doting son couldn't cope with the pain of losing his dad and decided to quit acting and leave everything behind to live a life in the mountains.
In an old interview, the iconic actor opened up about the darkest phase of his life and admitted that he had started losing his life back then. Talking about the same, Sanjay revealed that after the demise of his father, he went to Rishikesh and started working at a dhaba on a salary of just Rs. 150. He said:
"My father had passed away at the time, and even I was battling an illness. Doctors had removed 15 litres of pus from my stomach and just after it got cured, I lost my father. I had started losing my life. So, I went to Rishikesh and started making omelettes at a dhaba near the bank of Ganga. The dhaba owner told me I will have to wash 50 cups a day and I will get Rs 150. But then I thought I needed money for my survival."
When Sanjay Mishra was working at a dhaba in Rishikesh, none of his family members knew about it. However, after a series of tourists recognised him and put videos of him working in Rishikesh on the internet, his mother and other family members rushed to the Devbhoomi to take him back. After bringing Sanjay Mishra home, his mother called a barber to shave his long beard and cut his hair. During that time, Rohit Shetty who had worked with Sanjay in the film, Golmaal was searching for an actor to play a comic role in his film.
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When the director was told about Sanjay Mishra and how badly he needed someone to give him a role to restart his career in Bollywood, Rohit Shetty wasted no time in calling and inviting him to his office in Mumbai. Sanjay Mishra went to Mumbai and accepted the character of 'Dhondu' in the film, All The Best. After the film's release, Sanjay's dialogue, 'Dhondu… just chill', became a hit and kick-started his career in Bollywood. Recalling the same in an old interview, he said:
"I used to make and sell tea and Maggi to tourists. When my family learned of this, they came there to take me back. They couldn't recognise me because I had grown a huge beard. My mother got a barber to shave it off. During that time, Rohit Shetty was searching for an actor to play a role in All The Best. We had previously worked on Golmaal, which was a superhit. He called me to Mumbai. My dialogue in the film, "Dhondu... just chill," became very popular. After that I have never looked back."
One of the most heartbreaking and funny incidents of Sanjay Mishra's life is the one he shared during his conversation with Neelesh Misra on his YouTube podcast, The Slow Interview. The critically acclaimed actor revealed that when he used to bunk school, he once asked his former house help to give him some work at his construction site. Recalling the incident, Sanjay shared that he worked at Talkatora Garden instead of studying in school. He said:
"I used to leave home for school, but instead, I would head to Talkatora Garden. There I met a man who had worked as a house help at our home and had since become a contractor. I told him, 'I'll come to you every day between 9 am and 4:30 pm, and during that time, you can employ me for any kind of work'. Keep in mind, that I was essentially asking for a job from my own servant. I asked him to give me a job in return for five rupees."
It's fair to say that Sanjay Mishra's life is nothing less than a Bollywood film, as it is filled with so many hilarious incidents, heartbreaking moments, and phases that speak volumes about the life of an actor. Despite everything that had happened to him, the way Sanjay Mishra has performed on the big screen is beyond words. Some of his most memorable performances were seen in films like Ankhon Dekhi, Kadwi Hawa, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?, Kaamyaab, Vadh, Masaan, Dil Se…, Golmaal series, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Newton, Welcome, Dhamaal, and many more. We hope he continues entertaining us for years, as he is one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema.
What are your thoughts on Sanjay Mishra's inspiring and completely filmy life, which has a series of ups and downs? Let us know.
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