Dinesh Soni On The Many Gurus Who Shaped His Journey: “My Entire Life Has Been My Guru”

Actor, live entertainer and producer Dinesh Soni has had a journey that has taken him across television, films, commercials, comedy and live events.

Known for shows such as Balika Vadhu, Piya Basanti Re and 26/12, Dinesh has also explored his comic side through projects like Comedy Ka Badshah, which he won, Just Laugh Baaki Maaf and Darz Kiya Hai.

His film journey includes a special cameo in Meri Pyaari Bindu, along with associations with projects such as Laxman Rekha and Goggles of Rajesh Khanna. He is also the producer of the film Heer Sara.

For Dinesh, however, the journey has never been about learning from just one person.

Looking back at the people who influenced him at different stages of his life, the actor says his teachers and mentors have come in many forms.

When I look back at my life journey, I realise that there has never been just one guru who has guided me.

At different stages of my life, I met different people, and each one taught me something that eventually became a part of who I am, says Dinesh.

He believes his first and most important teachers were his parents. My parents are above all gurus for me. My first values, my first lessons and my first sense of belief came from them. I bow down to them, he shares.

Dinesh recalls that his school years also played an important role in shaping him.

Failing in Class 9 became a turning point, especially after he started taking Maths and Physics tuition from Mr. R. P. Mishra.

He did not just improve my studies. He made me believe that it was possible to come back after failure.

The student who had failed one class eventually went on to stand first in class, he recalls.

He also remembers Mr. B. K. Singh, who guided him for his board examinations without charging tuition fees, and Mr. S. K. Singh, from whom he learnt accountancy.

As his journey moved towards art and performance, Dinesh found new mentors through theatre and cultural work.

During his association with Sanskar Bharati, he received guidance from late Dau Lal Ji Kothari and Purnima Kothari. They gave me a different perspective towards art, he says.

Dinesh credits Mr. Navneet Rathi with playing a major role in his journey as an artist. He remembers how Rathi would push him whenever he hesitated to take up a show.

If I said no to a show, he would call me, scold me and say, ‘Why won’t you do it? You have to do it!’ Today, I feel that he probably had more faith in my abilities than I had in myself, he says.

His journey also brought him close to Gurpreet Kaur Sethi, whom he fondly calls Gurpreet Didi.

She would always tell me, ‘Beta, you have come into this life to do something big.’ Her belief and encouragement gave me the confidence to move from Kolkata to Mumbai.

Even after I came here, she continued to support me, Dinesh shares.

Mumbai brought another set of learning experiences. During Comedy Ka Badshah, Dinesh says he got a new perspective on stage performance from Mumukshu Mudgal.

Later, his association with Creating Characters and mentors such as Samar Jai Singh, Rupesh Thapliyal and Vidur helped him understand acting from different perspectives.

Interestingly, Dinesh feels that learning does not always come from teachers in the traditional sense. Even friends have played the role of gurus in his life.

When I was roommates with Raj Saluja, I learnt many practical things about life and everyday living. The truth is, friends can also be gurus.

They just don’t have a blackboard, he says.

One of Dinesh’s biggest inspirations has been Mr. Shekhar Suman.

Watching Movers & Shakers left a strong impression on him and made him realise that there could also be a future in speaking, presentation and connecting with an audience.

Watching Movers & Shakers was the first time I felt that perhaps there could be a future in speaking and presentation as well.

Shekhar Suman sir has been one of my biggest inspirations, Dinesh says.

Even today, he believes that the learning process has not stopped. He continues to take courses, meet new teachers and explore new ideas.

His spiritual influences include Osho, Premanand Ji Maharaj, Ravishankar Ji Maharaj of Art of Living and Mahatria.

So, when asked who his guru is, Dinesh does not have a single name to offer.

My gurus are all those people who came into my life at different turning points and left me a little better than before.

They made me a better person, a better artist and a better human being. For me, a guru is not one individual. My entire life journey has been my guru, he concludes.

Author: Mansi Shukla