Actors are a rare combination of talent and perseverance. There are some though, who have an added advantage — of being pushy enough to survive a reasonable run in the industry.Take Aftab Shivdasani for instance. A non-star material from the word go, he has notched a decent number of films with at least one release every two months. Many wonder how someone without a single hit to his credit could last so long.

It didn`t require a Sherlock Holmes to uncover the mystery. For all his shortcomings, the Sindhi actor must be credited with a rare quality — he makes no bones about his failure. He has laid out a smart move that has paid off. He calls up producers and requests them for a role for which he is wiling to work gratis or for the lowest remuneration possible. And boy, are there any dearth of offers for this good looking six footer? At last count, he had signed up four films with big-league producers in either two- or three-hero projects. And no one`s complaining for the moment.

What about the future? With a wannabe star being launched every other day, what`s going to be your next line of attack? Pay up from your pocket to play the nth lead?