Last updated:
There was a time when this man worked on a monthly salary of Rs 350. After reaching the office by train and bus, only 1 rupee was left for food and he worked in it. But today the same film of son has earned 800 rupees.
Before becoming one of the most respected action directors of Bollywood, Sham Kaushal faced difficulties that are difficult to connect with the father of a film star. When he came to Mumbai in 1978, he had only ₹ 3,000, which his father borrowed. The only goal of Kaushal was to repay this debt. After completing his MA in English Litcher in Punjab, he wanted to become a lecturer, but his dreams remained incomplete due to financial constraints.
Recently in a podcast with Aman Aujla, he told that in Mumbai, he got a salesman job at a salary of ₹ 350 per month. His daily routine was to take two buses and a train to reach the office in Chembur, due to which he had only ₹ 1 for lunch and dinner. Kaushal used to eat Missal Pav and Batata Vada, which cost some money. Cigarettes were out of their budget; He worked with a bidi of 10 paise.
When he could not raise the deposits for a chawl, he started living in his office and used to change his clothes every day by going to his friend’s house. He had only two pants and three shirts. A year later, he was fired, which proved to be an important turn of his life. With low confidence and poor communication scill, he took two decisions: Never work and will never leave Mumbai.
Incidentally entry into films: Kaushal’s path changed when he befriended some Punjabi friends who were working as stuntmen. He asked Kaushal to join the Stuntman Association in 1980. There was a membership fee of Rs 1,000. It was collected with the help of many friends. In this way, for the first time in the film industry, he got his entry.
Soon, he met the famous action director Veeru Devgan. Veeru recognized Kaushal’s ability and informally hired him. Kaushal helped Veeru, did everything from lifting the bag to bringing tea. Over time, Veeru included him in the fight sequence, which led him to earn. Later, Kaushal worked with Pappu Verma to learn more about stunt direction, although he did not receive any payment at that time.
Around 1983, he started working regularly, doing stunts and dabbling for actors. His big break came from Sunny Deol’s film Betaab, where he received Rs 500 for his performance, which was five times the normal payment. It was the beginning of a stable career that reached the peak in the 1990s.
Battle of cancer: After years, when he was shooting for ‘Lakshya’ in Ladakh, Kaushal suffered severe stomach pain. The doctors in an army hospital told him a serious situation, which made him so upset that he thought about taking his life. He got a deadly disease like cancer. Kaushal kept her cancer treatment private, as she feared that this would affect her career. He prayed, just asks for ten more years so that they can grow their young children. After all, he underwent several surgery and did not spread cancer. Now it’s been more than twenty years.
Today, the evening Kaushal is the father of two Bollywood actors, Vicky Kaushal and Sunny Kaushal and his daughter -in -law is none other than Katrina Kaif, who married Vicky in 2021. Vicky has achieved great success at the box office. According to Sacnilk, his recent film ‘Chhava’ grossed Rs 807.88 crores worldwide. It is an important milestone not only for Vicky but also for the entire skill family.
Kaushal, who once worked as an assistant to Veeru Devgan, has now seen his son competing with Devgan’s son, Ajay Devgan, at the box office. His story is a rare example of perseverance, change and silence tolerance, a journey ranging from Rs 350 per month to a heritage of crores.
