Gaurav Gera Remembers How Mumbai Looked Like When He Came To The City Almost 26 Years Ago!

There are house visits, and then there are those conversations that accidentally become the real meal. When Kamiya Jani landed at Gaurav Gera’s Oshiwara home for a Sunday Brunch, the setup sounded fun enough already. Gaurav served chai, brought out his much-talked-about doodh soda, and had a couple of other things on the table too. But somewhere between sipping, tasting and laughing, the conversation wandered into a version of Mumbai that doesn’t quite exist anymore.

Gaurav Gera Recalls The Bombay He Moved To In 1998

Gaurav Gera has been in the city for 26 years, which means he has watched it change in slow motion. He spoke about the Bombay he first came to; less packed, less frantic and less vertical. Today, skylines rise aggressively in this city of dreams. Then, he said, buildings were simpler and shorter, they stretched up to the fourth floor or maybe the seventh on some occasions. The city and its people had space to breathe back then!

You could almost picture what he was describing. Then he mentioned something many outsiders arrive with and many insiders instantly recognise: actors waiting around Mahalaxmi studios for auditions. It’s one of those classic Bombay visuals that has lived across generations.

He also remembered taking trains, another detail that says everything without needing explanation. Local trains have carried ambition for decades. Office-goers, students, dreamers, exhausted people, lucky people, and almost-famous people, everyone has stood in that same compartment.

Also Read: Did You Know Dhurandhars Gaurav Gera Was A Dancer Before Being An Actor?

Reflects On Living In Mumbai For 26 Years

But the most interesting moment came when the word struggle entered the conversation. A lot of people glorify it. Gaurav Gera doesn’t seem interested in doing that.

His view was refreshingly practical. If you are standing here and want to go there, then what happens in between is not automatically a struggle. Sometimes it is simply a journey and life unfolding in real time.

That perspective probably comes from how his own path shaped up. He moved to Bombay in 1998. By 2000, he had already got his first TV show. He openly acknowledged that things were relatively smooth for him.

Then Kamiya Jani, our editor-in-chief, asked the obvious question: what happened in those two years?

That is where the chat turned toward his dancing days, opening another chapter from before television audiences knew his name. What exactly was he doing then? How did dance fit into those early Bombay years? And what stories came before the screen career everyone recognises today? For that part, you’ll have to watch the full episode. Watch the full Sunday Brunch exchange on the Curly Tales App or the Curly Tales YouTube Channel. 

Also Read: Gaurav Gera Wanted To Retire At 45; Was Almost Ready To Move Back Home Before Dhurandhar

Cover Image Courtesy: Internal