The road to success is often not an easy one. Ankit Siwach, who is one of the popular faces in the TV industry, can testify to that. Currently seen in a daily soap, the actor shares there were days in his life when he struggled to afford an AC.

Recalling the initial years of his career, the actor, who hails from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, narrates, “I worked at a call centre in Delhi during college to get my portfolio (for modelling) done. It cost me ₹60,000. I didn’t want to put any pressure on my parents. They had sent me to Delhi to study; modelling was my decision.”

Siwach, 31, goes on to add how he would sleep in an ATM to save on rent. “The Delhi heat gets very bad [in summers]. I used to give ₹100 to the watchman (of the ATM) and would sleep in the vestibule for the AC. This went on for five to seven weeks. I knew if I asked my family for money, they wouldn’t even ask me why I needed it. But I wanted to make it on my own,” says the Manmohini actor.

Adding how he even refrained from partying with his friends during that time and gave up all luxuries, he says, “My friends used to hate me for it. Nobody knew about it. I used to live a luxurious life in Meerut but had to struggle [when away from home].”