‘I refused to be an unemployed graduate’

Vikram Gaikwad had decided in his childhood that he would never continue education after matriculation. And, the film fraternity should be thankful to him to a large extent for taking this decision.
Gaikwad, who has bagged Nationals Awards for his creative work in hit films like The Dirty Picture and Balgandharva and the critically acclaimed Bengali movie Moner Manush, always wanted to do something different since he was 10 years old.
While speaking to DNA, he said, “It was because of the insistence of my mother that I went to school to at least complete matriculation.”

Gaikwad had primary schooling in Mumbai and shifted to Pune with his mother. He studied at Ideal English School in the city and left education after passing SSC examination. Vikram said that although he was good at studies, he never secured more than 50-55% . He recalls, “I used to solve questions only during the first one hour of exams. However, I was always confident that I would score 50-55%.” He secured 58% in SSC examination without breaking a sweat.

Vikram then tried to do a lot of things, including working at a garage. He always made friends who were older than him as he felt that all those college-going students did nothing but waste time. He says, “Instead of becoming an unemployed graduate, I decided to try something different. I was attracted to theatres because of my friend Ashok Shinde. His father Babanrao was an amazing make-up artiste. I always used to admire the drapery material, various kinds of crowns and masks at his house.”

Although Vikram could have acted in plays, he decided to become a make-up instead. He learnt the intricate things about the art from his guru Babanrao and started working for Marathi musicals while his schooling was still on.

He then decided to go to New York to pursue his dreams. Finally, he acquired a degree in his field from one of the best institutes in the world.

After achieving so much success, Gaikwad believes in the motto “work is worship”.

He also rues the fact that parents want their wards to get a white-collar job or a sarkari naukari (government job). Instead, he feels that students and parents should keep in mind that there is no need for every student to become a doctor or engineer.

As far his advice to the students is concerned, he says, “Try to swim against the tide to succeed in life.”

Vikram Gaikwad is a National Award-winning make-up artiste