After kickstarting his career with films, Nakuul Mehta gained prominence on television with his stint in Ishqbaaz and Pyaar Ka Dard Hai. Now, he has forayed into OTT with Do You Wanna Partner and Space Gen Chandrayaan. In an exclusive chat with mid-day, the actor reflects on his journey, failures, and how fatherhood changed him.
Nakuul Mehta on dealing with failures
While Nakuul Mehta now knows all the tricks of the trade, he has dealt with several rejections before seeing fame in this industry. Reflecting on his audition days, the actor shares, “I`ve actually had more failures than successes. I would have auditioned at least 500 times in my life from the beginning of my career and not done a hundredth of that work. That`s also the nature of the business you`ve chosen to be in. I think at some point you realize that failure is not to be taken personally, nor is success.”
He added, “Like, for me to even imagine that I`d be living in Mumbai and make a career and have people watching your work is unthinkable. So, I don`t take this for granted. I feel like this could be your best and last piece of work, and you`ve got to celebrate that. Then you`re constantly moving and not being bogged down by your losses or by what`s not there.”
Nakuul Mehta on fatherhood
Nakuul got married to Jankee in 2012, and in 2021, they welcomed their first child, whom they named Sufi. In 2025, the couple welcomed their second child, a baby girl, whom they named Rumi. While Nakuul shares how he has days of insecurity, he also admits that being a father has changed things for him.
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The Ishqbaaz actor shares, “I think becoming a parent has changed a lot of things for me. Because when you go back, and in your child`s eye, all he wants is for you to be present. You live for how you can become the best version so that this person can grow up to be a better human being. And then all of the outside noise sort of dwindles down. It`s not to say that I don`t have days of insecurity. I do. I`m a human being, so I have it. But you build a circle of trust and friendship around you, where you can be honest. And then days of insecurity kind of pass.”
When asked how the actor strikes a work-life balance, he remarks, “I feel fathers are not considered parents on a set, unlike mothers. A mother is always a mother, who`s a working mother. It`s never a working father. But I take that role very seriously. There are days you`re successful, there are days you fail, and that`s life—but you try.”
Talking about Space Gen Chandrayaan, the series also stars Shriya Saran and Danish Sait in pivotal roles.
