Girjesh Gaud: The Living Statue of Mumbai who is also a TikTok celeb

The mercury dipped on Thursday even when the impending Cyclone Vayu suddenly decided to move away from Mumbai shores Nonetheless gurgling streams sprouted intermittently at Bandra Bandstand recording light drizzles And just when a crowd flocked to the sea around 5 pm to enjoy this breathtaking view a young man stood below a tree with his back to the rising wavesWithin 20 minutes the 21yearold spray paints a layer of gold over a homemade coat pant and hat Next he pulls out an eyeshadow kit and turns his skin gold as well Finally he wears an oversized pair of golden gloves At this point he looks up confident that he has gained attention of the pluviophiles around And he hasGirjesh Gaud now begins his performance which mostly involves him standing motionless Shainaaz 34 has come all the way from Navi Mumbai only to get Gaud on her TikTok video She hurries towards him calling for The Living Statue of MumbaiTwentyoneyearold Girjesh Gaud owns only one set of coat and pants which he washes once a month at home Every day he sprays on a coast of gold to cover the patches that have turned black over time His rent for his Jogeshwari tenement is Rs 6000 He spends most of the Rs 20000 that he earns in a month on food and his daily commute unable to save much PicsBipin Kokate amp Sneha KharabeAbout three hours before getting to Bandstand Gaud meets us at his dingy oneroomkitchen Jogeshwari home and talks about his journey from being a Rajnikanth fan to now the subject of a documentary that has already got 10 lakh views on YouTube since its release on May 31 I always wanted to be an actor Rajinikanth has been my inspiration So when I finished Class 9 from Sarvodaya High School in Bengaluru I told my elder brother I didnt want to study further But he told me to finish Class 10 at least to be able to get a job if an acting career never takes flight So I did Gaud who is born in UPs Gorakhpur but raised in Bengalurus Tumkur recallsI also did an eightmonthlong acting course and gave some auditions all expenses borne by my brothers paint contractor job But nothing concrete came my way so I went back to Gorakhpur only to tell my mother and four older sisters that I wanted to go to Mumbai instead Everyone objected but he lied that he wanted to pursue a course in animation and had secured a job as a security guard When everyone finally agreed he arrived in Mumbai city in October2017 I lived one whole day and night at Borivali railway station as I didnt know where to start from When my mother found out she got a relative to make some room for me in their Sewri home for some time When the problem of having a roof was solved I began travelling to Goregaon Film City he shares adding everytime he was asked to pay Rs 600 as entry chargesBut then he found a man who showed him the way in through a back gate He also gave me numbers of coordinators who paid me to be a live studio audience member For about 14 hours a day I earned Rs 350 My heart ached every time I was made to cheer for actors who did not even deserve it So three months later I quit Gaud then worked as a camera attendant for a few months but never stopped giving auditions for roles in films and serials One day I was browsing through YouTube and saw a video of a living statue in a foreign country Then I looked up if there were such artistes here in India and there werent any he addsGaud then embarked upon a journey to becoming the first living statue of Mumbai Friends mocked me they said I would look like a beggar but I didnt pay heed His first performance on October 8 2018 was at the Gateway of India I painted my face and costume under a tree and stood still for 45 minutes with a collection box People were stunned I earned Rs 800 that day But within an hour the cops reprimanded him and suspected him of being intoxicated They said I was stupid to do something like this and warned me to find a better livelihood I promised I would and leftGaud lied He moved his performances to Azad Maidan Arnala Beach Juhu Beach and finally to Bandstand in December last year This was when media graduate Harsh Matondkar first saw him I was with my friends when I saw a huge crowd near Mannat First I thought it was SRK given the number of people that had gathered To my surprise I saw Gaud instead It was a stunning sight He didnt move an inch for 15 minutes until a cop came to chase him away I walked up to him and told him I wanted to make a documentary on him says the 20yearold budding filmmaker After a lot of convincing Gaud agreed Since October many people have come to me offering to make movies on me but never returned calls Of course I didnt trust Matondkar when he put forth the proposal But he never stopped chasingGirjesh Gaud and Harsh MatondkarThe Living Statue of Mumbai is an eightminute film based on Gauds ongoing quest to becoming a star People who know me old and young love me today They feature me in their TikTok videos My own TikTok account has about seven lakh fans But I am not stopping here I still hope to becoming an actor When we ask what his family thinks of this he says They were in tears when they watched the documentary I havent met them since I came to Mumbai two years ago The day I can afford a twoway flight ticket to UP I will surprise them Until then I am not leaving MumbaiCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates