Vinod Suryavanshi, who appeared briefly in the panchayat, spoke about facing caste discrimination in his native village in Karnataka, revealing that his family is still not allowed to enter temples or people’s homes.In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Vinod said: “In my village in Karnataka, caste is still prevalent, even today. There are two areas in that village – one for upper castes and one for lower castes. The area where Dalits live is separate from the village.”Recalling his childhood incident, he added: “One time, when I went to the village with my father, I was 12 years old and ate in a hotel, we had to wash our dishes and pay for the food as well.
There is still a temple that we are not allowed to go to in my village.”
“Festivals made us cry more”
Apart from his recent work, Vinod also spoke about his difficult childhood marked by poverty and emotional struggles.“I have often seen my parents crying,” he said. “When festivals came, I used to wonder why they even came – why did Diwali come. Festivals made us cry more because we were never able to celebrate them like others.”He added: “Our condition was very bad. If someone gave us something, only then could we celebrate. This was our reality.”
Troubled home environment
The actor also reflects on the challenges within his family. “My mother worked as a domestic help, and my father was a construction worker. He didn’t get work every day, and when he didn’t, he would come home drunk.”He continued: “He was assaulting my mother, and even beating her. I grew up watching all of this, and I felt a terrible feeling. I didn’t hate him, but I didn’t like his behavior.”
From odd jobs to acting
Before entering the entertainment industry, Vinod took up several jobs to make ends meet.“I first worked as a lift man, earning Rs 1,600 a month. Then I worked as an office clerk in a construction office, and later as a security guard,” he said.Describing the difficulties, he added: “It was a constant 12-hour duty. During the rains, water would get into my shoes, I would get blisters, and sometimes people would abuse me. I had to endure a lot.”He concluded with a sour note, “People say no job is small, but I have learned that a person is judged by the level of work he does. The bigger the job, the more respect he gets.”
On the work front
Vinod Suryavanshi has appeared in projects like Janaawar, Thamma, Satyameva Jayate, Jolly LLB 3, among others, gradually carving out a space for himself in the industry.
