A few good men: Uncovering hidden stories of street entertainers in Mumbai

lsquoWonrsquot go back till I make itrsquoHe is the Mickey Mouse character dancing on Carter Road and he has a filmy dreammdashto become an actorPrashant Mohanty Brahmapur OdishaTea sellerndashcheck Watchmanndashcheck Panipuri vendorndashcheck Mickey Mouse Check that one too Prashant Mohanty from Brahmapur Odisha has been in Mumbai for over four years and has done a variety of jobs to make ends meet as he tries his luck in the film industryldquoI want to become a spontaneous comedy actorrdquo he says When asked who inspired him to pursue acting Mohantyrsquos answer was not the usual name one might expect like SRK or Salman Khan Instead his idol is Telugu film star Ravi Teja known for his roles in action and comedy filmsDuring the day he auditions for junior artiste roles But as the sun sets he heads to Carter Road dressed in a Mickey Mouse costume dancing to a mix of tunesmdashfrom Tukur Tukur from Dilwale to Levitating by Dua LipaSpotting Mickey in real life children stop by to dance with him exchange highfives and jump with joy before they continue heading their way On a good day the act earns him up to Rs 1000ndash1100 But typically the earnings range between R400 and R700 The earnings stop completely during the monsoons when he falls back on other jobsCompetition is fierce in the film industry and the struggling 21yearold has yet to even experience theatre or interact with theatre artists who comprise much of the highcalibre competition So far he hasnrsquot landed any roles not even as a background artiste His roommates who work as rickshaw drivers and barmen sometimes envy any progress he makes But Mohanty remains determined saying ldquoI wonrsquot go back till I make itrdquolsquoI feel god keeps testing mersquoYou might have spotted him at Bandstand or a few years back on TikTok lsquoSilverrsquo is his nameVishal Sharma Hazaribagh JharkhandHe had over 15 million subscribers on TikTok The income from ads was goodmdashbetween Rs 10000 to Rs 15000 per week solely from Google and Amazon ads But the app was banned in India in June 2020 cutting off his steady income source from content creationDue to his nearly inactive profile his follower count dropped to eight lakh and four years later only 60000 followers remain ldquoI use a VPN to access my account but itrsquos not the same as it used to berdquo says Vishal Sharma 22 from Hazaribagh Jharkhand who many know as the ldquoSilver Manrdquo of BandstandHe has been in Mumbai for over seven years trying his luck in Bollywood To sustain himself he puts up an act as a living statue at Bandstand The highlight of his career came two months ago when he was selected for comedian Samay Rainarsquos show Indiarsquos Got Latent However just before the episode featuring him was set to air the show became embroiled in controversyHe says ldquoAfter TikTok this was my one shot at fame Sometimes it really feels like god is testing me hardrdquo Some days his earnings from the living statue act are just R7080 On better days particularly weekends he earns around Rs 1000During the day he auditions for acting roles but says ldquoThe money is poorrdquo The 22yearold adds ldquoSocial media is where I am trying to growrdquo Holding onto hope he says ldquoI really hope the episode gets releasedrdquo But he cautiously asks ldquoYe kehna theek toh hain nardquoVishal Sharma was shortlisted for Indiarsquos Got Latentrsquos last episode for his living statue act but the episode never saw the light of daylsquoCanrsquot tell my family how I survive in MumbairsquoHe is a wedding photographer and a mobile phone repair engineer too but singing is where his passion liesDeep Kumawat Udaipur RajasthanSoon after we photographed him in his tiny apartment in Khar Danda which measures barely 100 square feet Deep Kumawat 22 said ldquoCan you blur my face What if my family sees me in the papers or online They consider this profession as lsquobeggingrsquordquoHe began his career as a ldquolight manrdquo for photographers at grand weddings in Udaipur during his teenage years but quickly learned the ropes of wedding photography Today his camera setup boasts the latest gear ldquoNine camerasrdquo he says including Nikons Canons and Sonys worth around R78 lakh which he acquired with the help of his father a restaurant ownerHe also holds a diploma from an Industrial Training Institute ITI in mobile phone repair Overall life was good in Udaipur but he came to Mumbai to pursue his dream of becoming a singer and has been here for three years nowHindi Pop is his favourite genre and Arijit Singh his idol With a quaver a beam note and a crotchet musical notes tattooed on his neck and ldquoMUSICrdquo inked on his forearm Kumawat shares ldquoI have also been learning to play the guitarrdquo While he returns to Udaipur during the wedding season where he earns between R25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh he comes back to Mumbai once the season endsldquoI invest all my earnings into my singing training and survival in Mumbai My parents donrsquot know what I do here to get by daily If they find out they will call me backrdquo he says On a typical day he earns between Rs 400 to Rs 600 but weekends bring larger footfall to Carter Road especially children when he earns up to Rs 1000The aspiring playback singer dresses up as Jerry Mouse from Tom amp Jerry and Teddy Bear at Carter Road to earn a living in MumbailsquoRehab made my life betterrsquoHe may not have a life of luxury but he finds joy in being a living statue after overcoming addictionRahul Nat Panvel MaharashtraHe is a living statue but his approach is unconventionalmdashhe dances sings and often breaks character especially to make children laugh He is Rahul Nat 24 popularly known as ldquothe Golden Man of Shivaji ParkrdquoHis life has been a rollercoaster ride In 2021 he decided to check himself into rehab after a friend told him that if he didnrsquot act soon he might die of an overdoseldquoI looked bad because of the heroin and pot marijuanardquo says Nat He went to a government facility in Santacruz where he was given deaddiction pills and kept under strict supervision for six monthsA major incentive for admitting himself to rehab was the basic comforts it offered ldquoYou get decent food care a bed and a clean bathroom Some people I know said that in six months life would get betterrdquo he explains Soon he overcame his drug addiction and decided to earn his livelihood solely as a living statueThree years later his act has provided him with some stability ldquoI am invited to both private and corporate events I charge Rs 15000 for twothree hours at corporate events and anywhere between Rs 4000 to Rs 6000 per hour for childrenrsquos birthday parties depending on the hosts and their affluencerdquo he saysHe may not have a life of luxury but he finds joy in what he does Currently he worries about his house in Panvel which may get razed due to an ongoing flyover constructionNat occasionally dresses up as Golden Woman too He can be spotted right in front of the Hindustan Petroleum pump Shivaji Park