Arpit strikes a pose. Picture by Animesh Sengupta

Jamshedpur, Jan. 31: He has been performing the role of a police inspector in the popular soap Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand as well as a photographer in Astitva, a family entertainer, on Zee TV with a lot of elan and panache. He is known in television circles as Samarpit, who is none other than 22-year-old city lad, Arpit Kanwatia, who could be another Madhavan in the making.

Arpit has been successful in transforming his dreams of becoming an actor into reality. Hailing from a business family, Arpit left for Mumbai in 1998 to pursue a career as an actor and his first television serial Insaaf, directed by Manish Goswami of Kitty Party fame, gave him the all-important break.

“That serial (Insaf) actually gave me a foothold in the world of television,” said Arpit, who took a short break from his busy schedule in Mumbai and came down to the city to meet his relatives and friends.

“Coming to steel city gives me a sense of satisfaction. It really makes my journey complete,” said Arpit, with a gleam in his eyes, while talking to The Telegraph on the sprawling lawns of his residence in Circuit House area.

Right from his childhood, Arpit had the dream of becoming an actor. He did his schooling from city-based Little Flower School (LFS) and later completed his higher education from Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton School.

After that Arpit joined the Asha Chandra Acting Academy in Mumbai to pursue his acting career.

His long list of serials include Return of Mirza Ghalib, Babul Ki Duan Leti Ja, Ashiana, Akrant, Shakti and many more. One can also spot him in the latest ads launched by Castrol, Britannia, Soothers Chocolate and Whitehall Whisky.

He also acted in three documentary films — Rana Jaspal Singh, Lt. Shayamil (a war film) and SBI Bank, a corporate documentary.

Right now he is working with Robert Dukovey in an Italian film The Extradition. He is playing the role of a romantic guy called Romy in the film, who gets entangled in drug peddling in Italy and is deported to India, where he is killed by the underworld dons.

He always had a passion for acting and won several awards in the field for state and national-level performances during his school days.

In the words of Urmila Kanwatia, his mother: “Creativity cannot be inculcated and I feel my son was God sent. He was destined to pursue acting as his career.”

Never hesitating to shower plaudits on his parents, who lent him emotional and moral support during his initial days, and actress Aruna Irani and producer Abbas Ali, a modest Arpit said: “I just cannot forget the contribution of my parents who helped me shape my career in an organised way. I am also very grateful to Aruna Irani and Abbas Ali for encouraging me when I felt down and out.”