Mumbai, June 15 (IANS): Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin says he was rejected around 250 times before being signed by Aditya Chopra for the film "Mardaani".

"Anything that's worthwhile takes time and this is something I understood when I first came to Mumbai. I was rejected from some 250 auditions over three years before 'Mardaani', but I used this as positive fuel and feedback," said Tahir.

He added: "It meant I needed to grow and growth came from workshops and hours of practice."

"Strength lay in getting hit and in the will to keep moving forward. Today's world is all about that simple message. We have all been affected directly or indirectly by an unforeseen time and courage is to make ourselves better, fitter and stronger for the test of time to come," he said. Despite the number of rejections, Tahir never lost hope.

"To be honest, I never saw my initial time in Mumbai as a struggling phase. It was an aspiring phase. I was visualising a dream and aspiring to make it real and it's the hardship and journey that make the successes worth celebrating," he said.

Tahir will be seen in "Looop Lapeta" as a romantic lead opposite Taapsee Pannu, in "Bulbul Tarang" opposite Sonakshi Sinha and "Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein", in which he has been paired with Shweta Tripathi.

He will also be seen in Kabir Khan's "83", which cas ts him in the role of the legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. The film tells the story of India's first cricket World Cup victory in 1983, and casts Ranveer Singh as the underdog squad's captain Kapil Dev.