Mumbai, Sep 12 (IANS): It was not easy for actor Surya Sharma to find his space in the entertainment industry. It took him almost seven years.

"Acting was not a decision I made all of a sudden. I was into acting since childhood. My first skit play was when I was in the third standard. It was Children's Day and I won the first prize. I felt something that day but I couldn't express it as a kid," he recalled, speaking to IANS.

Surya had a role among the ensemble cast of the 2018 rom-com "Veere Di Wedding", but it was his act as the villainous Rinku Singh in this year's suspense drama web series "Undekhi" that got him noticed. He is currently seen in the second season of "Hostages".

It took a lot of hard work to reach this stage, though. "As my father says, ‘ghisoge nai toh chamkoge kaise (you will shine if you struggle)'. I keep that close to my heart and it keeps me going. I gave 800 to 900 auditions before I got my first work in a TV show. I got Rs 1,500 per day and I was the happiest guy ever then," he recalled.

"It took seven years to reach here. (I went through) A lot of ups and downs but it's a part of the process. One should go through all this if they really love their work. 'Satisfied' is not the right word, though I know I'm happy with wherever I am right now. You need to work hard every day if you want to up your game," he emphasized.

For Surya, the actor's instinct has stayed on since those early days when he won his first prize in school. "Whenever I am on stage, or in front of the camera, I feel extremely free. This attracted me and I decided to take this forward. My parents were extremely supportive."

"When I came to Bombay seven years ago, there was a lot of competition. To prove yourself in such an industry and gain attraction was a strong journey and I respect that time of struggle," he said.

Surya has a few tips on how to survive in the industry. "It is hard but it depends on your passion and honesty. To sustain is difficult, touching hearts is not easy. Everyone has a period of struggle and as a human being, one learns from it. Every person has a struggle, some mentally and others in other ways. Mumbai is an expensive city and to sustain life here is not easy. I started with TV shows and I wanted to know all sorts of things related to acting. Cracking auditions is a task, and accepting rejections is also a task. One has to keep going," he said.