It's not for nothing that Mumbai has been idolised as the quintessential city of dreams and dream-makers. Besides being India's financial capital, it is also the hometown of showbiz that attracts a lot of talent from small towns every year. Though the latest provisional Census data reveals that the overall migration has reduced – the city has added only about half a million to its population between 2001 and 2011 – what these figures don't tell is that the influx into the glamorous world of Bollywood, television, fashion and advertising industries hasn't ebbed.

Every day, hundreds of newbie actors, writers, technicians come to tinsel town in the hope of becoming the next Deepika Padukone or Zoya Akhtar. But as the popular 1950s Hindi film song goes: ‘ Ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan, zara hatke, zara bachke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan ' (Oh my heart, it is tough living here, be careful, this, after all, is Bombay).

No one can vouch for the truth of these unforgettable lyrics better than Hindi TV serial actor Garima Shrivastav, who came to Mumbai from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh about seven years ago with her scriptwriter husband, Yogesh Vikrant. She recalls, “The first hurdle was getting used to living in a one-room tenement and sharing it with five others! Coming from a city like Allahabad, where in most regular homes each member of the family gets a room, this was a real shocker. It also required a lot of adjustment, sacrifice and understanding the needs of those with whom we shared a roof.”

Garima has been a part of the cast of popular prime time soaps like Rahe Tera Aashirwaad (Colours) and Parivaar — Kartavya Ki Pariksha (Zee TV), and is currently working in Choti Bahu and Phir Subah Hogi , both for Zee TV. Though she had to make many adjustments as a newcomer in the city, she had the advantage of age and experience — she was in her mid-20s when she came here. Moreover, Garima says, having her husband and elder brother-in-law, Shantibhushan Singh, a TV serial writer, there to guide her through the transition and shield her from cons and other “unwanted elements” that inhabit the glam world, was helpful.

Loneliness and the city

That wasn't the case with Ahmedabad-resident Bhumika Brahmbhatt. Barely 20 and with no real friends except for the few she had made while hosting a cookery show in her hometown, this young “struggler” was taken aback with the fast-paced Mumbai life when she landed there about a year-and-a-half ago. She says, “Friends whom one meets few times back home, change when you come to live with them. This is especially true if they are in the same profession. The insecurities of the industry get to everyone.”

Such was her situation that besides looking for quality work, within two months she was out on the streets searching for a place to live, too. “Adding to all the tensions was the culture of this city where people are warm but in an impersonal way. That is when homesickness really hits you hard and you are tempted to go back,” explains Bhumika, who has worked in a reality show, essayed a small role in a daily soap, Hamari Saas Leela (Colours), and done some modelling work. She is still waiting for a “real break”.

Feelings of loneliness and depression are common for those living alone in a big city, but it can lead to dangerous circumstances for those trying to find a foothold in the entertainment industry. In their desperation for work and a better life, many get trapped by fake agents and talent hunters. Elaborates Bhumika, “Networking is necessary but it has its own hazards. Cons on some social networking sites woo girls with promises of job offers. But after one or two unsavoury incidents one starts recognising who is a fake.”

For most strugglers, there is no regular job but the one thing that's constant is the financial crunch. Not to say that they are completely on their own as they try to make ends meet. Back home, parents and elder siblings do understand and even if they disapprove of the choice of profession, they help out the strugglers with basic necessities. Still, every rupee has to be spent judiciously – for instance, instead of taking an autorickshaw or bus from the local train station, they often walk the last two or three kilometres back home.

The right network

Of course, old-timers who have made the city their own, such as writer Anuradha Tiwari, know a thing or two about getting over tough times. “When I came to Mumbai from Delhi way back in 1996, I knew it was good to know the city one is migrating to, so in a sense I was actually well prepared,” says the writer who has penned the screenplay of popular films like Fashion and Jail .

While studying in Delhi, Anuradha made some good contacts in Mumbai and made sure she went there with a group of friends. Staying as a paying guest with two male friends did lead to a lot of eyebrows being raised “but in a new place one learns to ignore several things”. Anuradha, who is currently working on her debut directorial venture, adds, “As long as one is grounded, focused and knows how to go about getting what she or he wants, migrating to any place needn't be a problem. And Mumbai is still the safest city and so single girls do feel secure travelling home after late-night shifts.”

For single women, the process of becoming familiar with a new set of realities is hard. But for women who come with families, and have children here, no amount of preparation is good enough. Take young mother and TV scriptwriter Aparajita Saha, who has written for shows like Uttaran , Rab ne mila di Jodi and Dulhan .

It's been a year-and-a-half since she gave birth to twins but she has not yet been able to find permanent help to look after the children. Says a worried Aparajita, “If it was Delhi where my parents and relatives live, bringing up the kids wouldn't have been a problem. In Mumbai, I have had to take a sabbatical for the last two years to bring up my babies. Now, as I get ready to go back to work not only would I have to start looking for projects afresh — people in this industry have a very short memory — but all the while I am away there will be the fear of leaving my kids in the wrong hands.”

And she feels that it is not likely to get any easier once they grow older. “I don't want my children to be cooped up at home but there is simply no outdoor space in this city. The lifestyle in Mumbai is so different. Here one can't drop in at friends' place without notice and vice versa. No doubt we love this city but we also feel like going away so that our children can get a better childhood,” she says.

For work, security, professionalism, success and money, there is no better place than Mumbai. But there's a price to be paid – learning to live in small spaces, travelling crazy distances or trying to fit into its cosmopolitan culture. After all, ‘ Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan… '

© Women's Feature Service

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