Mir Salman on His Acting Journey, Self-Belief & Finding Support for His Dream

Mir Salman on the People Who First Believed in His Acting Dream

Mir Salman, an actor, singer, and filmmaker from Kashmir who has gained recognition for his roles in prominent films and streaming series, opened up about his journey and the early support he received.

The actor, known for his notable work in films like ‘We Are Faheem & Karun’, ‘Amaran’, ‘Baramulla’ and for his television and streaming credits in military and espionage dramas such as ‘Tanaav’, ‘Shoorveer’, and ‘Avrodh: The Siege Within’, shared who first believed in his dream.

On who first believed in his dream of becoming an actor, Mir Salman said, “I think you have to believe in yourself before you can expect somebody else to believe in you.

But if I have to name the people who reinforced that belief, I would say it was often strangers or friends who knew very little about me.

“You Have to Believe in Yourself”: Mir Salman on Self-Belief

They would see me perform and tell me, ‘You should be an actor.’ And because they didn’t know my background or my circumstances, I felt there was an honesty in what they were saying.

Sometimes an outsider can see something in you before you see it clearly yourself.

That external validation, especially from people who had no reason to flatter me, gave me a lot of courage.

It made me feel that maybe I was on the right path, even when I had doubts. Those small encouragements really stayed with me.”

Talking about his family’s reaction to his decision to move to Mumbai, the actor shared, “There were mixed reactions, but eventually everyone supported me.

From “Apply for a Government Job” to “What Role Are You Playing Next?”

Although for a long time the question was always, ‘What are you doing? Apply for some government job.’

I understand that came from a place of concern and love, but that question never really worked for me.

I think that’s probably the story of many families until something actually starts working.

Once some of my projects happened, slowly they started believing in my choice.

Or maybe they just got tired of asking me! Ha ha.

Now the question has changed to, ‘What role are you playing next, and when?’

And honestly, I prefer this question much more. It feels good to have that shift and to have their support now.”

Author: Lajja Mistry