Leaving your hometown to chase your dreams in a new city is never easy. For Ahmedabad native Paresh Pahuja, moving to Mumbai and carving a niche in the entertainment industry required years of hard work, perseverance and unwavering dedication, but his efforts have finally borne fruit, earning him the recognition he aspired for.

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Singer-actor Paresh Pahuja credits Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as his biggest inspiration since moving to Mumbai, saying the actor continues to influence his journey. His 2022 release, 'Dooron Dooron', gradually gained popularity and has recently emerged as one of his most celebrated tracks. On the acting front, Paresh has also been making waves, recently landing a role in the Karan Johar-backed project, 'Nazdeekiyan'.

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On Delayed Success and Connection

Seeing his dreams come true, Paresh acknowledged that success didn't happen overnight and it often takes time. "Dooron Dooron song came out in 2022. After that, no one knew it for 3-4 years. We also released it and left it. And I went about my life. I was acting. And when we made a live version of it, when we did a live concert, the unplugged version became popular on Reels and YouTube. And after that, people started discovering the other songs and the original version also. So it was like that. But it's written. I don't think you can plan things with logic. Many times, you do a lot of marketing and budget, and still the song doesn't connect. And sometimes you don't do anything and it still connects. I think it's just a matter of connection," he said.

The Role of Social Media

Paresh, who has also worked in the YRF film 'Tiger Zinda Hai' in 2017, believes that social media played a key role in popularising his song 'Dooron Dooron', ultimately helping him gain recognition. "I think social media has been a great help for all the new independent artists. Because now the relation between you and your audience is so direct. And earlier it used to be like, you uploaded something, and it's just out there, it's on TV, radio. Now it's a two-way communication. Now your fans can message you, they can tell you how they are feeling. And you can respond to them. And it's very personal. It's very human, I feel. And I like it that way. Now it's like two people sharing feelings. And it's just beautiful," he emphasised.

Beyond Vanity Metrics

But does Paresh pay heed to the number of likes and views on his music videos? When asked, he candidly replied, "No, honestly not. I used to, there was a time in my life when I was stuck in that cycle that how many views, likes, shares were coming, whether it was going viral or not. Because once something goes viral, you want everything to go viral. And it's wrong to have that expectation. Because then you don't make things with that truth."

Shah Rukh Khan: The Ultimate Inspiration

It's only the beginning of Paresh's journey to success; he still has a long way to go. And to be able to achieve greater dreams, he always makes sure to stay motivated and inspired. And guess what? His biggest inspiration is none other than Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. "I think we all come to the city of Mumbai thinking of one person, who is Shah Rukh Khan. If you are an actor or anybody in the creative field, you want to either work with him or you want to be him and that's what was my inspiration, also that is still my inspiration because he represents possibility and love and romance and everything that I stand for," a fanboy Paresh gleefully shared.

Taking inspiration from SRK, Paresh is now aiming to connect with a bigger audience. Notably, he has expanded the scale of his concerts. The launch of his Love Notes tour in Delhi on March 27 was a testament to this, as the entire Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium reverberated with Dooron Dooron, a song he performed twice at the audience's special request.

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Upcoming Performances

He will next be seen performing in Bengaluru (April 3), Pune (April 12) and Mumbai (April 18). (ANI)