Homebound's Vishal Jethwa Recalls Feeling Like 'Odd Man Out' In Bollywood | EXCLUSIVE

Homebound actor Vishal Jethwa has been quite vocal about his struggles as an outsider. He has now opened up about why he chooses to talk so honestly about feeling like the "odd man out." During Zoom’s Best Performances Male 2025 roundtable, Jethwa got candid about trying to fit into the industry by almost imitating others and their opinions. However, the actor has now learned to stay original. Interestingly, this realisation came after Neeraj Ghaywan, the director of his Oscar-shortlisted film, reminded him that he is in the business because of his work.Vishal Jethwa On Feeling Like 'Odd Man Out'Vishal said, "I slowly realised that we keep trying to be unique, but your originality itself is your uniqueness. Wherever we go, we think that if we become

like someone else, it will feel better... But I don’t want to copy anyone. One should never try to become like someone else or imitate their way. Never try to fit in, and I used to do that out of nervousness, out of fear."He said that when you’re sitting among a group of people and don’t share the same point of view, you begin to feel left out and extremely uncomfortable. Admitting that he often felt like the odd man out, he shared, "Honestly, I felt that way because I couldn’t speak very good English or because I didn’t have knowledge about many things. I felt left out and lesser than others."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmpgEoB2FEo

He recalled Ghaywan's words and added, "I thought that if I’m sitting here because of my work, then why shouldn’t I just be myself?"The actor's weakness has now become his strength, and he wants to inspire people "who audition every day, struggle every day, don’t get work, and feel suffocated by all of it. So when I talk about this and it reaches people, I want these conversations to be normalised. I want this feeling to be normalised. No matter how talented or knowledgeable you are, there will always be moments when you feel inadequate or different, and it will hurt."