On the occasion of Teacher's Day, Siddhant Chaturvedi visited Mithibai College in Mumbai, from where he graduated in 2013. Ten years ago, he wouldn’t have imagined where he is today – a Bollywood actor enjoying fame and the love of the audience. As he walked through the corridors of his alma mater to meet his favourite teacher, he kept stopping along the way to pose for selfies with the students, with many shouting in the background, “MC Sher is here…Gully Boy, Gully Boy!”

Finally, Siddhant stopped at the auditorium and introduced us to his drama teacher, Pravin Murlidhar Jadhav, who he credits for nurturing the artiste in him. “Every time I am spoken about as an actor, it makes me feel nostalgic about my college and remember the guidance and encouragement that Pravin sir gave me. My college stage gave me my first experience as an actor. I am still in touch with the members of the drama group of my batch,” shares Siddhant, who studied BCom in that college and also did the drama course there.

While the actor has been seen in films like Bunty Aur Babli 2, Gehraiyaan and Phone Bhoot, his teacher confesses that he loved Siddhant’s performance the most in his debut film, Gully Boy, in which he played MC Sher.

Professor Jadhav says, “Nothing can beat his performance in the film. I could have never imagined him rapping on screen. He was so good that we invited him as a judge for the rapping event at our college festival, Kshitij. Even though he’s extremely busy now, whenever we reach out to him, he is there for us.”

As Siddhant leaves the college premises, he gets emotional and says, “I have always stayed in touch with my teachers. In life, wherever you are and whatever you do, your guru will always be your guru, and you will always look back on the lessons taught by them.”

‘Siddhant was a very quiet boy in college’
Talking about the kind of student Siddhant was, his teacher says, “His entire gang came across as this wild bunch, but Siddhant was a very quiet boy. However, when this group came on stage and performed, they would give their best and win. They are the best team we have had till date, as they have won laurels for our college and made us proud.”

And the actor shares, "I was a shy guy in school. I was always the second bencher. I was studious. Teachers liked me as I was well-behaved. I would do my share of masti, but I was that guy who never got caught, somehow. Often, my classmates used to get caught because of me, while I easily escaped."

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When I am spoken about as an actor, it makes me nostalgic about my college and remember the guidance and encouragement that Pravin sir gave me. My college stage gave me my first experience as an actor. I am still in touch with the members of the drama group of my batch
— Siddhant

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This meeting is an emotional moment because as teachers what matters to us is the love and respect we get from our students. Our students remembering us even after so many years is our ultimate reward
— Pravin Murlidhar Jadhav, Siddhant’s teacher