They live in slums but the world is a stage for the three.
Three slum children of from the city are set to showcase their acting skills on the Zee TV reality show - India's Best Dramebaaz.
While Khushbu and Kartik Raj have qualified for the zonal round of the show, Abhishek has been selected as a standby. The trio will participate in the studio round, scheduled to be held between October 26 and 30. The studio round episodes would be aired in November. All three are from Kilkari Bihar Bal Bhavan.
Kartik's father is a mason. The 12-year-old was a picture of promptness when asked about his inspiration.
"I love Govinda - his expression and his style," said the little actor when asked how he developed his love for acting.
Kartik impressed the judges in the selection round, which was held in Calcutta. He enacted a chaiwala (tea seller). The children will reprise their roles in an elaborate manner in the subsequent rounds. "My act focuses on a child who ran away to Mumbai to make a living by selling tea. My character is very interesting. He is talkative and has the ability to keep people engaged," said Kartik.
Ten-year-old Khushbu plays two characters in a single act. "I play the role of both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. The mother-in-law always comes up with new ideas to harass her daughter-in-law."
Khushbu's mother, Chanda Devi, a widow, works as a domestic help in a few houses.
Khushbu said her mother was very happy with her television appearance. "She has told all my relatives about this. All of them are waiting to see my act," said Khushbu.
Twelve-year-old Abhishek, who has been selected as a standby for the show, has his fingers crossed in the hope of showcasing his acting skills. "I would get a chance to perform, hopefully. If I do, I would definitely give it my best shot." Abhishek has played the character of a boy who was scared of sitting in flights. Abhishek's father runs a canteen at Kilkari Bihar Bal Bhavan.
Officials at Kilkari looked excited about the children's stint in the reality show. "The three come from downtrodden families. All of them have a spark and we only tried to fine-tune their skill," said Anita Thakur, the programme officer of Kilkari Bihar Bal Bhavan.
