There was a time when Sanjay Mishra, now celebrated for his versatile performances for films like ‘Vadh’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’, Dhaamal, Golmaal, and many more was ready to leave the film industry behind. Long before becoming one of Bollywood’s most respected character actors, Mishra went through a deeply personal phase that led him to abandon acting altogether.

Sanjay Mishra washed 50 cups a day and made omlettes for Rs 150 at local dhabha

The loss affected him so profoundly that he no longer found joy or purpose in pursuing a career in films. Looking for solace, he left Mumbai and travelled to Rishikesh without any plans for his future. Speaking about one of the most challenging periods of his life, the actor revealed in a conversation with Indian Express that the death of his father left him emotionally shattered. He shared, “I was suffering from a severe illness. Doctors had removed 15 litres of pus from my stomach and just after it got cured, I lost my father. I had started losing my life. So, I went to Rishikesh and started making omelettes at a dhaba near the bank of Ganga. The dhaba owner told me I will have to wash 50 cups a day and I will get Rs 150. But then I thought I need money for my survival,” he had said.

Sanjay Mishra recalls his last conversation with late father

The ‘Dhamaal 4’ actor also spoke about how once thought of almost giving up in life during a serious health issue which almost changed his perception towards life. “I was supposed to die,” he said. He further added that doctors had warned his family that his chances of survival are too less if the operation did not succeed.Soon after recovering from surgery, his father passed away within days of his discharge from the hospital. Mishra remembered that one of their last conversations that is still itched into his heart and mind. “I told my father, ‘How can you have three days old chicken?’ and he told me, ‘Tumhari nasihat ki zaroorat nahin Hai (I don’t need your advice).’ These were the last words of my father to me,” he shared. The grief was compounded when Mishra later discovered a painful note in his father’s diary after his demise. He revealed that his father felt humiliated after the actor lost his temper with fans outside a cinema hall while they were watching ‘Aloo Chaat’.