New Year Goals

As 2017 nears its end, our favourite telly actors tell us what they learnt this year and what they look forward to next year.

Sneha Wagh: 2017 was a year of learning for me. I learned a lot from it. It taught me to move forward with life, taught me to be myself. In 2018, I want to implement everything I learned. And lead the new year with open heart and mind.

Sshrey Pareek: Everyday is a lesson for me. But I feel there is a lot more than I can still learn from this year. There is something that has been left undone, which I will complete next year. My expectations from 2018 are huge. Next year I want to make sure I do at least one film.

Hrishikesh Pandey: I don't expect too much not from a year or people. What I believe in is that we have to work hard to achieve anything and when you work hard there's nothing that is impossible in life. You can achieve anything and everything, with your dedication and focus. In the previous year also, there were ups and downs where work is concerned. In 2018, I just want to keep going, be occupied and live life. I am going to travel more and live for myself.

Gunjan Utreja: The most important lesson I have gained in 2017 is that the most important thing in life is your health. We take our body for granted and forget to take care of it. I have made a resolution that I will put my health above anything else in this world. Honestly, the only expectations I have is for myself. I believe that I will make 2018 a year full of personal and professional victories and growth. I aim to make the coming year much better than any past years and do my utmost best in all areas of life. I will try to strike a balance keeping a healthy lifestyle in mind to ensure that I am the best version of myself till date.

Romit Raj: The important lesson of 2017 is to keep moving ahead with the change in the entertainment industry. My expectation for 2018 is to act in films, short films and digital series. 

Gavie Chahal: Life is unpredictable. We have seen lots of people from the Bollywood fraternity pass away this year. I even lost my father this year. So it taught me a great lesson that nothing is permanent. Focus on your work and keep moving on in your life. May God grace the world with humanity and peace in 2018.

Saurabh Pandey: 2017 will always remain special to my wife and me because we got married in this year. It taught us that life is not easy. It is a roller coaster and that's also the fun part of life. With good a little bad experience is also required to realise what's good and the value of it. We have grown into a mature and a better version of ourselves for one another. 2018 is like a blank board. We hope to get into it with a bang and do good in life, work and for the world. Giving our best to make our lives and the world a better place. Happy New year.  

Samiksha Bhatnagar: I spent some time this weekend reflecting on this question about my lesson in 2017. I believe, everyday is a new lesson, if you want to learn. If you just want to live your life as it comes then each day would be just another day. However, if I have to mention the single most important lesson I’ve learned this year, then it will be to have faith that your efforts will be rewarded. That’s it. Now that may sound like a productivity lesson, but to me, it’s really a recipe for happiness and success. My expectations in 2018 are more around learning new things and embracing the change. I feel the only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. The only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out in the open.

Vivian Dsena I gained lot of wisdom in 2017 and got a new perspectives on everything in life. In 2018, I will take each day as it comes. I don’t plan much and that helps me live each day to it’s fullest.

Ssharad Malhotraa: I got new insights into human relationships and got to do short films and music video in 2017, which was different experience. In 2018, I am expecting some unique and new developments in career and I would surely be exploring new avenues. I am expecting more stability and growth in all spheres of life.

Riya Deepsi fourth time lucky with Swastik

Actress Riya Deepsi is someone who has been quite lucky with well known production house Swastik Productions. The young actor is actually working for the fourth time with Siddharth Kumar Tewary. Riya worked in shows like Mahabharat, Begusarai, Razia Sultan and now Riya is working in Porus as Barsine. Speaking on her character Riya says,"I am playing the role of Barsine, the daughter of King Darius played by actor Praneet Bhat. This is my second time with Praneet before this we have played brother-sister (Gandhari-Shakuni) in Mahabharat and now we are playing father and daughter. Audience will get to see a great equation between us." When asked about Siddharth Kumar Tewary Riya adds,"He is a person who has immense knowledge on television, he is a through professional man and knows his job so well. I often seek advice for him. And when an offer from him came to me directly I knew this is going to be big." Riya is a parallel lead in the show and sports a new look for her character. Riya adds,"The costume designer of Porus Ketki mam knows her work so well. The costume which I have been given is not revealing but sensuous at the same time. And also jewellery which am using is so pretty people will fall in love with it immediatel

Dipti Kalwani: 2017 was challenging but helped me grow

Producer Dipti Kalwani of Sunny Side Up, whose show Badho Bahu is doing very well, says the she has grown a lot in the past year. The producer adds that the year also brought with it different genres and stories. “2017 was challenging in a lot of ways but helped me in becoming more disciplined.  I am hoping 2018 will be more fun and happiness for everyone.  2017 was about a lot of good stories narrated with humour, a trend I feel that will continue for some time,” she says.

Dipti looks forward to interesting work in the future. “Have written some new stories and I am looking for new platforms to tell them. Will be announcing my new projects soon. The only way to face competition is to remain yourself and write stories that you will believe in,” she says.

She further adds,  "I started my production house cause I wanted to tell the stories I liked. It was a very simple reason," she says.  The young producer has been making a mark for herself with the right choice of projects. However, it is not as easy as it appears. "Producing a show comes with many challenges on a daily basis, it is exhausting by the end of the day, but the creative satisfaction of work balances it out for me," says Dipti.

Many accuse television to be dominated by the TRP game. However, Dipti defends the norm. "Yes, at the end of the day it’s all business so the TRPs do govern our lives," she says. With the arrival of digital space, the television audience is getting divided. Dipti predicts that the competition will get tougher for the world of television one day or the other. "Digital space will affect television sooner than later, a lot of television sponsors will move to other platforms. I feel it’s going to get far more competitive," she says. Badho Bahu ion & TV is still going great guns keeping the audiences glued to its story with twists and turns regularly.

From Digital space to return of the veterans, Rajan Shahi analyses TV’s last year

From variety on television to foray into the digital medium, the last year has brought in a lot of new tends in the television industry. ProducerRajan Shahi, whose show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai is probably one of the longest running shows on the tube, says that he has observed many changes in the last one year.

To start with, Shahi says that one major trend was that long running shows continue to enjoy good ratings. “One very consistent trend which appeared and in 2017 was that the shows have been running consistently, have been giving good TRPs. They have been the backbone of the channel. These are shows like Yeh Rishta... and Yeh Hain Mohhabbatein on Star Plus, Kumkum Bhagya on Zee Tv and Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma on Sab TV. So that was something which is quite consistent over the year,” he says.

The producer adds that there were also different genres which were introduced in TV. “Another trend is that a lot of shows started and quickly shut. But a lot of supernatural, mythological and historic shows were again loved by the audience. There's a lot of variety on every channel. There are family dramas, supernatural, mythological and other genres,” he says.

The on screen chemistry shared by the lead actors was also a highlight of the shows on television this year. “The top-rated shows are relying on the chemistry shared by the leads. A lot of shows have seasoned actors and successful shows are running because of the chemistry shared by the actors. Karan and Divyanka, Nakkul Mehta and Surbhi Chandna, Sriti and Shabbir are amazing with each other on screen,” says Shahi.

A lot of seasoned actors have also made a comeback this year, says Shai. “Also, there are a lot of good, seasoned actors, on TV. I saw less of newcomers working in shows and television is once again working with old actors. Good actors are coming back to television and are in demand,” he says.

The foray into digital space is an amazing advancement this year, says Shahi. “A lot of makers are going towards the digital platform with the kind of story they want. It would be explored much more in the coming year,” says the producer.

However, Shahi adds that the constant changes in ratings have been putting a lot of pressure on show makers. “One trend which I saw was that there was a pressure on the channels every week, in terms of consistency in TRPs. The  fluctuations happen every month or every week and television has been on it’s toes this year. There will be a lot of change in the way we approach television shows now because of the competition. There will be a huge pressure on the makers and also the budget. I think now cost-effective shows will be looked into seriously and a lot of shows which are not getting good ratings will be sacked,” he says.

From Digital space to return of the veterans, Rajan Shahi analyses TV’s last year

From variety on television to foray into the digital medium, the last year has brought in a lot of new tends in the television industry. ProducerRajan Shahi, whose show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai is probably one of the longest running shows on the tube, says that he has observed many changes in the last one year.

To start with, Shahi says that one major trend was that long running shows continue to enjoy good ratings. “One very consistent trend which appeared and in 2017 was that the shows have been running consistently, have been giving good TRPs. They have been the backbone of the channel. These are shows like Yeh Rishta... and Yeh Hain Mohhabbatein on Star Plus, Kumkum Bhagya on Zee Tv and Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma on Sab TV. So that was something which is quite consistent over the year,” he says.

The producer adds that there were also different genres which were introduced in TV. “Another trend is that a lot of shows started and quickly shut. But a lot of supernatural, mythological and historic shows were again loved by the audience. There's a lot of variety on every channel. There are family dramas, supernatural, mythological and other genres,” he says.

The on screen chemistry shared by the lead actors was also a highlight of the shows on television this year. “The top-rated shows are relying on the chemistry shared by the leads. A lot of shows have seasoned actors and successful shows are running because of the chemistry shared by the actors. Karan and Divyanka, Nakkul Mehta and Surbhi Chandna, Sriti and Shabbir are amazing with each other on screen,” says Shahi.

A lot of seasoned actors have also made a comeback this year, says Shai. “Also, there are a lot of good, seasoned actors, on TV. I saw less of newcomers working in shows and television is once again working with old actors. Good actors are coming back to television and are in demand,” he says.

The foray into digital space is an amazing advancement this year, says Shahi. “A lot of makers are going towards the digital platform with the kind of story they want. It would be explored much more in the coming year,” says the producer.

However, Shahi adds that the constant changes in ratings have been putting a lot of pressure on show makers. “One trend which I saw was that there was a pressure on the channels every week, in terms of consistency in TRPs. The  fluctuations happen every month or every week and television has been on it’s toes this year. There will be a lot of change in the way we approach television shows now because of the competition. There will be a huge pressure on the makers and also the budget. I think now cost-effective shows will be looked into seriously and a lot of shows which are not getting good ratings will be sacked,” he says.