Vishal Malhotra, fondly remembered for his role in Ishq Vishk alongside Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao, has opened up about the extraordinary highs and crushing lows of his unconventional career. In a recent TEDx talk, he described his life as a “roller coaster” , a ride that lifted him to euphoric stardom before plunging him into years of struggle, reinvention, and ultimately, digital innovation that would redefine his identity as an artist.
“It feels like you can conquer anything,” he recalled, describing the early phase of fame. “And then you slide. You slip. And when you are going down, you are trying to hold on to anything dear.”
Typecast, sidelined and rejected
After Ishq Vishk became a massive youth hit in 2003, Malhotra imagined an acting career full of momentum. He still remembers the hysteria of watching the film at Gaiety Galaxy. “If someone asks me if I’ve ever been physically assaulted, it was that day out of love,” he joked. Fans scratched and pulled at him to touch the rising star. The frenzy left him with a scar he still carries with pride.
But behind the glamour, cracks began to show. He found himself typecast.
“People were not casting me as an actor anymore, but as an anchor type,” he admitted. “That ceiling was bursting again. But I said no, not again.”
Work slowed down. Calls dwindled. The industry that once embraced him slowly looked past him.
From spotlight to selling toilet rolls
To survive, Malhotra pivoted. He launched an advertising agency. Then he became a distributor for paper products including toilet rolls.
It was a humbling chapter, but one he approached with discipline, thanks to lessons from home.
“When I got my first cheque, my mom told me to invest in Reliance Industries shares for ₹715. That advice changed my life,” he said. Those early investments became a cushion that later allowed him to experiment and take risks.
His major commercial revival came when he became the face of Harpic. “For six years, I introduced myself as Vishal. It made me a brand,” he said. From 2013 to 2019, Harpic gave him visibility and financial stability once again.
An unexpected leap into NFTs
Then the lockdown hit. The entertainment industry froze. But Malhotra stumbled into an unlikely new world NFTs. What started as curiosity soon became a defining chapter of his creative life. One of his early NFT artworks sold for ₹4.13 lakh, which he described as “surreal” but deeply affirming.
“For once, I owned my work,” he said. “NFTs gave the rights back to the creator.”
He created and sold his own collection of NFTs and used the revenue to produce his debut feature film Ilm.
He claims it is the world’s first 100% NFT-funded film.
A new voice: podcasts and storytelling
Reinvention didn’t stop there. A casual, unfiltered conversation in his den with friends sparked another idea: a podcast. Today, The Vishal Hour features conversations with comedians, actors, and business leaders, and has crossed more than twenty episodes.
Still the dreamer from Ishq Vishk days
Despite the pivots, the failures, the business ventures, and the digital experiments, Malhotra says he remains unchanged at heart.
“I’m still that 17-year-old boy who only wants to entertain whether it’s TV, film, podcast, or business,” he said. His message is simple:
“Work with honesty. Work with sincerity. Work toward your dream, because that dream is all you are.”
Two decades after Ishq Vishk made him a youth icon, Vishal Malhotra has re-emerged not as a forgotten actor but as a creator who refused to be defeated by Bollywood’s rejection. From selling toilet rolls to pioneering India’s NFT-backed filmmaking movement, his story is a rare tale of resilience, reinvention and relentless self-belief.
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Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
