Like umpteen other newcomers in the industry, Ashish Chaudhary made mistakes right at the start of his Bollywood career. Thankfully, instead of getting bogged down by his failures, he has learnt from them. And helping him make a fresh start is Riteish Deshmukh.

"I was a little stupid and took my career very easy. Many ads and albums came my way after my first few assignments. And I accepted everything I got. But I was wrong and could not establish myself as a good actor," admits Ashish, who acted in "Fight Club" and "Girlfriend".

He recalls how Riteish came to his rescue then. "Riteish asked Inderji to sign me as one of the actors in his multi-starrer. He advised me to go slow and give my career another shot. He is my guide and guru."

Many others in the industry held out a helping hand to Ashish. Some suggested that he try out comedy. Sohail and Arbaaz Khan are other well-wishers who have taken Ashish under their wings now. "Now, I think I am on right track and things are going normal," the actor says.

Besides help from others, it was also Ashish's pragmatic approach that made him realize his mistakes. "I don't want to do any solo movies right now as the audience hasn't accepted me as good actor yet. People won't like to shell out Rs 300 to watch my movies.

So I am currently doing multi-starers only. Once people accept me, I can go for lead roles. I too go out with my wife to watch films and criticize them if I don't like them. I don't want the audience to do the same to my performance," he says.

Hopefully, Ashish's upcoming movies "Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama" and "Speed" will give his career a much-needed boost. And with friends like Riteish, Sohail and Arbaaz by his side, the actor will not repeat his past mistakes.