actor and doctor Ashish Gokhale Carve out a unique path for yourself. While the audience knows him through projects like “Bharat”, “420 IPC”, “Shaitaan”, “Bholaa” and the recently released “Raid 2”, he continues to devote himself to his medical career as the CEO and Medical Director of Juhu Advanced Multi-Specialty Hospital and Cardiac Care Centre.In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, Ashish talks about juggling two demanding careers, his experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and working with Ajay Devganand why saving lives remains his biggest goal.
You have successfully managed an acting career and a full-fledged medical career. How do you balance the two?
A lot of people ask me in surprise, “Hey, how do you manage a hospital, patients, and filming all at the same time?” I always tell them it’s actually pretty simple and not rocket science at all.If I was shooting in Mumbai, I would go around the hospital in the morning and then head to the set and after the shoot, I would go back to the hospital.I absolutely love working. Currently, I am the CEO and Medical Director of Juhu Advanced Multi-Specialty Hospital and Cardiac Care Centre. It’s a huge responsibility, but the world is a more connected place because of my passion for my job and the 24/7 cell phones we have in our hands.Even if I am outside India, I can stay connected with everyone through phone calls and video calls. This makes managing shoots, hospitals, and patients incredibly easy.In the beginning, I was in the hospital managing ICU and ICCU patients at night and shooting during the day. Through all of this, I had tremendous help from my fellow doctors, everyone at the hospital, and everyone on set – both intentionally and unintentionally.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a challenging time for health care workers. What was your experience like?
Honestly, it’s best not to talk about coronavirus because those days were horrific and exhausting, both physically and mentally.During that time, I took a step away from acting and focused entirely on treating COVID-19 patients. I worked day and night. For the first six months of the epidemic, I didn’t even go home, even though I lived only 750 meters from the hospital.I am extremely grateful to Almighty God and my parents for choosing me to perform the noble act of saving lives in such a terrible crisis.During the three years and four months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I treated countless patients across India.
What is the biggest lesson this epidemic has taught you?
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught me some important lessons, including discipline and hygiene, the power of preventive health, valuing mental health, and gratitude for all the health care workers, delivery drivers, grocery store clerks, and sanitation workers who keep the world going. Most importantly, it taught me the importance of financial preparation.
Looking back on your acting career, which moment is the most special to you?
My most cherished moment till date was when I went to London to shoot for the film Shaitaan.Although I have gone abroad for vacation many times, filming abroad has been an extremely happy experience for me.There I had to do a scene with Mr. Ajay Devgn, Mr. R. Madhavan and Ms. Jyotika, where I interrogated three of them. It was great to have the opportunity to interrogate his character in front of the ‘Singham’ of Bollywood himself and I got huge cooperation and appreciation from everyone present.
