Friends desert Manish Goel

Eventually, the arclights fade away -- it’s a truth every actor knows, but finds difficult to accept. Finally, when the inevitable happens, very few are able to deal with it -- many succumb to the disillusionment.

Yesteryear television actor Manish Goel is among the survivors.

After a brief stint in the limelight when friends and fame disappeared, he was shattered, but not defeated.

Today, he is optimistic that his comeback on television -- with daily soap Bhagyalaxmi -- will mark a career revival.

Manish was one of the biggest faces on the small screen in the early 2000s with shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Saara Akaash. But like many of his contemporaries -- Nausheen Ali (Kkusum), Shama Sikandar (Ye Meri Life Hai) and Shweta Salve (Hip Hip Hurray and Left Right Left), to name a few -- he too dropped off the radar.

In retrospect, however, the actor is grateful for that rude reality check -- it has taught him many valuable lessons.

“At the peak of my career, I used to have over 2,000 contacts in my phone. Today, barely 1% of them are by my side,” he says, adding, “Earlier, I believed anyone who talked sweetly to me was my best friend. But when I started calling them for work after my chips were down, they disappeared -- they wouldn’t answer my calls or respond to my messages. That experience taught me not to trust anyone.”

How did he pull through the dark times? “My  family was my strength. My wife Poonam (also an actress) and our children are my only well-wishers,” he says.

However, he claims that he holds no grudge against anyone. “I will not deny that the bad phase took a toll on me.  There were occasions when I even cried, but I will not be vindictive to those who deserted me. On the contrary, I will welcome  them back with  open arms,” he concludes.  

Moral of the story: Like Benjamin Franklin said, “A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.”


Image Source: facebook/manish.goel.31521