Ajit Shidhaye

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ajit Shidhaye

• Ajit Shidhaye is an Indian actor, model, hotelier, corporate trainer, and musician. In 2018, he came into the limelight after appearing in the Netflix web series Ghoul in which he played the role of Choudhary.

• Belonging to a family of musicians, Ajit was born and brought up by his parents in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

• According to Ajit, during his childhood, he was not interested in acting; however, he used to perform stand-up comedy and mimicry in front of his family. In an interview, Ajit talked about this and said,
  

  Growing up, I had no idea what acting was. I studied in a school that didn’t encourage theatre or drama as such. I was the family entertainer garnering applause and attention for mimicry and stand-up comedy when I didn’t even know what stand-up comedy was. My family has very strong ties with music and culture, but acting was an untrodden territory.” ^[4]The Bridge Chronicle

  

• Soon after completing his formal education, he started his career as a hotelier and worked in various hotels in India and abroad. According to Ajit, he travelled to more than 80 countries during his career in hospitality. In an interview with a media house, Ajit talked about this and said,
  

  I hate comfort zones because nothing ever grows there. I have enjoyed the luxury of waking up in a different country every week during my stint with the best cruise lines in the world. I began as a hotelier and was part of the core opening team for some of the most prestigious hotels in India and abroad. I have travelled to more than 80 countries.”

• Ajit has worked as a training and development manager for various hospitality groups like F&B Manager Intercontinental Hotels Group, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Crystal Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International.

• Ajit, at the age of 44, left his job to pursue a career in acting. In an interview, Ajit talked about his initial days in his acting career and said that he watched six to eight movies daily to learn acting. Ajit said,
  

  With no supporters for my passion, especially since I was throwing away a well-paying job at the age of 44 for a career that promised no future, I asked my folks to give me two years to prove myself. My car became my vanity van and my TV set was my only school. I watched around six-eight movies every day, the good ones as well as the bad, since there was a lot to learn from each one ^[5]The Bridge Chronicle

• In 2016, Ajit made his acting debut with the Marathi film Bandh Nylon Che in which he played the role of Michael.

• Ajit has appeared in various Marathi films like Manjha (2017) and Bhikari (2017), and Boyz 2 (2018).

• In 2017, Ajit made his television debut with the episodic TV show CID in which he played the role of Murali. In the same year, he worked in the Marathi TV show Chuk Bhul Dyavi Ghyavi in which he played the role of Dilip.

• In 2017, he made his Bollywood debut with the film Yeh Hai India in which he played the role of Micky’s father. Subsequently, Ajit has worked in various Hindi films like URI: The Surgical Strike (2019), Saaho (2019), War (2019), and Sooryavanshi (2021).

  

• In 2017, Ajit made his digital debut with the SonyLIV series Hadh in which he played a supporting role.

• He has appeared in various web series like Breathe (2018), Damaged (2018), Ghoul (2018), and Modern Love Mumbai (2022).

  

• In 2020, Ajit was nominated for the Indian Television Academy Awards for the Hindi web series Special Ops.

• In an interview, Ajit talked about his initial days in the entertainment industry and revealed that he was rejected 113 times before bagging his first Hindi web series, Ghoul (2018).

• Besides being an Actor, Ajit is a musician. He has rendered Tabla in various cultural events in India and abroad. In an interview, Ajit talked about this and said,
  

  I have rendered Tabla recitals on cruise lines as well as on stage, and garnered a lot of praise. I knew it was time I pursued my fourth passion — acting, with all my heart.”

  

• In an interview with a media house, Ajit Shidhaye talked about his first portfolio shoot and shared that he got his first portfolio shoot in the 1990s, which cost him around Rs 4500. Ajit said,
  

  I remember getting my portfolio done for Rs 4,500 which was a steep amount in the ’90s, and everyone thought it was a humongous waste of money. What with the investment landing me just an opportunity to walk the ramp in a fashion show! My mother, however, was more supportive,” he adds with a smile.”

• Ajit has worked as a model for various print advertisements for brands like Vistara, sterling, MRF, and Raymonds.

• Ajit is a fitness enthusiast and he practices yoga regularly. Ajit often shares his pictures practising multiple yoga asanas on various social media platforms.

  

• He is a dog lover and has a pet dog named Jofra. He has created an Instagram page for his pet dog titled ‘jofra_the_cockerspaniel.’

  

• He is often spotted consuming alcohol on various occasions.

  

• In 2020, in a social media post, Ajit shared that he used to smoke; however, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to quit his smoking habit. Ajit captioned the Instagram post,
  

  THINK before u light up!!!it’s World No Tobacco Day. It always starts with one drag n then u r left dragging all ur life…This lockdown has been a boon in disguise for me..for I haven’t smoked at all and hope to continue the same..that would be my true freedom after lockdown!.” ^[6]Instagram- Ajit Shidhaye