5 Questions to Karan Mehra (aka Naitik) by Rajan Shahi

Comments: 254
Views: 5395
Posted on: 07 November 2009 at 12:00am

Dear blog buddies,

I associate the following words very strongly with karan mehra. Level-headed, honest, focused, hard-working and patient.

Our first outdoor shooting in Udaipur for 'YRKKH' and there had been another lead who was finalized opposite Hina khan who backed out last minute leaving us in a complete shock and crisis, his reason being, he suddenly felt television was too small for him, Ironically the same boy today is doing a minor role in a very poorly rated show, And then in stepped Karan Mehra who was blocked for another show for a long time however the show wasn't really taking off.

The people who recommended him spoke very highly of him and without giving it a second thought I finalized him with a glimpse of his photograph and one telephonic conversation. The first time I met him I was very impressed by his honesty, level- headedness and was extremely straight forward in matters people would hesitate, not did he only suit the show and the character but had immense energy and passion and it took me just that one meeting to cast him as 'NAITIK'.

The few things that also came to the fore-front about him are his upbringing, the values that have been given to him, and he comes from an extremely cultured family. In this industry one comes across very few actors who are so balanced and it's been almost a year working with him. Karan is one of the few who has not let success go to his head, he has managed to balance his personal life, is someone who talks straight to the point and has put in tremendous amount of hard-work and dedication and all those factors do reflect in his outstanding performance. I'm very proud that he is a star today and has retained his values too. I see an extremely bright future for him and wish him and Nisha all the happiness in their lives.

Yours Truly,
Rajan Shahi.

PRESENTING YOU KARAN MEHRA AKA 'NAITIK'.

Hello everyone,

It feels wonderful to be here sharing my experience with you guys, today I will be talking about how hectic my life has been the things I've missed and gained over the last one year. Well to begin with, a lot of things have definitely changed ever since 'YRKKH' happened to me, My life overall has gotten busy with the schedules, long hours of shoots, working 7 days a week, not having enough of time for your own self, loads of work pending at home etc. Basically your family and personal life goes for a toss which supposedly is the 'Price to Fame'. But I seem to be enjoying every bit of it, the show has only completed 9 months and 'naitik' has gained popularity and the show has reached great heights, I also have an extended family now which feels awesome, and have fans that I can relate to and it's become easier to get your work done now after all the popularity and recognition although it gets a little difficult to walk around having so many eyes staring at you, but it's nice to see different expressions and smiling faces around you, I mean that is something one craves for and is truly a blessing to see your dream come true. It's good to see more smiles than frowns. My entire experience has been overwhelming and I hope l always live up to your expectations.

1. What is that one moment you rather forget and a moment you will cherish for the rest of your life while shooting 'YRKKH'?
Karan. There haven't been any moments particularly that I'd like to forget I have loved all the moments shooting for 'YRKKH' except for the fact that sometimes you have to wait on the sets for hours before the shoot starts but it's all good, and the moments I will always cherish are all the moments I spend in front of the camera shooting I love talking to the camera and is my best friend.

2. What is common between Karan and Naitik and what is the dissimilarity between the two?
Karan. Naitik is a younger version of Karan and Karan is an elder version of Naitik and they look alike that's the similarity, However karan is not egoistic, short-tempered and sensitive like Naitik, he infact is very calm and easy going.

3. What would you change about 'YRKKH' if you were given complete creative freedom?
Karan. Probably change the way 'Naitik' is portrayed as an angry and impulsive guy which are some of the shades that are to be shown about his character, I'd rather see Naitik with some lighter shades, someone who is easy with life, doesn't get hyper or irritated, but no matter what, with his cuteness he can get away with anything, as far the women in the show are concerned no doubt they are all elegantly dressed but I'd want it to be a little more realistic.

4. If you were given a choice between a very successful career but an unhappy personal life and an extremely satisfying life but an unsuccessful career, which choice would you pick?
Karan. Without a second thought, I would go with the choice of having an extremely satisfying life whether it comes with a successful career or not because I strongly believe that if you are a good person nothing will stop good from happening to you, my happiness lies in my family and loved ones, there is no point in having a successful life and taking the stress back home as you are not only playing a fool with your life but also the lives around you which are hampered and in turn things around you will be affected, I always believed that backing is very important, not forgetting that, 'Behind every successful man there's a woman' and that is working for me.

5. Any message to your fans?
Karan. Well firstly I wish them good health, believe in yourself, it is very important for one to do so, it will really take you places you have never imagined, have a goal and work towards it, be happy with everything you do and keep spreading happiness and last but not the least keep watching our shows and giving us feedback as it will only make us perfect.

Posted in : Guest Writer

Guest Writer's!!!!

Comments: 63
Views: 1332
Posted on: 05 November 2009 at 12:00am

Dear blog buddies,

I have gone through all your comments regarding all 3 shows and understand how you guys feel about the characters, I have forwarded all your likes and dislikes to my creative teams who will definitely look into the same, some of the suggestions too were very helpful.

I also came across a couple of requests saying, they'd like to visit the sets of my shows, no doubt you guys are welcome to visit at any point in time you like, however please do let my secretary Ms. Amita kamble know in advance and she will co-ordinate accordingly, here's my office phone # 0224076755 timing's are 11am-6pm.

Its been a while that we've had a guest writer on the blog and I'm sure you guys must be very excited to know more, so here's presenting you Ms. Parul Chauhan {ragini} and Mr. Karan Mehra {Naitik} who will be seen writing about a topic of their choice and answering 5 questions that I have put across to them in the coming week, so keep blogging!!!.

Thank you all for your valuable feedback, it is extremely motivating.

Your's truly

Rajan Shahi.

Posted in : Guest Writer

Bringing you-Angad Hasija a.k.a. Alekh!

Comments: 75
Views: 5449
Posted on: 24 May 2009 at 12:00am

Hey blog buddies!

When I asked Angad a.k.a. Alekh to be the guest writer for my blog, he was more than willing to. As already mentioned, I am more than happy that I gave Angad a second chance for the role in "Bidaai". Had it not been for him, I doubt the character of "Alekh" would take such a dimension.

Angad Hasija Angad is one of the finest actors on television today. He is an absolute delight to work with. Initially I did have my doubts regarding whether/not he would be able to match up to "Alekh". In fact out entire creative team & directors, were confused, as to what Anagd's pitch would be like, as the role to be played was a complex one. We were not too sure how Angad would go about his performance. But what can I say...hats off to him! He created his own dimensions and body language, & got into the role of "Alekh", effortlessly, like he knows him, himself. Angad is impeccable when it comes to his homework. Whenever he has won any award, you know he deserves it because of the magnitude of hard work that he puts in.

Whenever I greet him, I feel very good about one fact, that no matter what, he has remained the same Angad I had auditioned. He is still very much grounded.

I have seen so many actors in my career especially those playing the lead, who believe that the role will lose its essence without them. But Angad is an exception to this. I have learnt this one lesson in the industry, that no matter who comes & goes the show must go on.

I had made a bet with him, the day he came & touched my feet & thanked me for the role. I told him, that a year from that day, I would be the one touching his feet, because maybe he will have become one of actors who has a starry attitude as success goes to their head. He very convincingly said that would never happen. And the day a year was up, he came upto me & reminded me about this bet & once again, he proved me wrong. I gave him a gift, which he has safely kept in his Pooja room & treasures it, in memory of this day. He is still the same old fun loving, efficient & disciplined Angad I had known him to be. I am very proud of him. My affection towards him is also because he is very attached not only to his work, but his family too. The sincerity he has is rare & I hope it takes him far ahead in life.

1. If you had three wishes what would they be?

Angad: I wish it were so convenient to just call the Genie & ask him to grant me 3 wishes! But anyway... my first wish would be, to fulfill all my dreams & aspirations, & keep upto my family & fans' expectations. I want to do good & productive work in the industry & accomplish all my motives & goals.

My second wish would be, for my mom. I would want to gift her a world tour, to go round the globe & see the world & do lots of shopping! After all, women love that most, don't they? Wink

My third & last wish would be, related to my fans out there. They are my support system & motivation. They help me keep myself going. I am thankful to them for all their love & good wishes & hope to never let them down. I hope they continue to be my well-wishers!

2. Your most memorable moment in industry and personal life?

Angad: There are many that I could list, but if I were to pick one, it would have to be my first day on the sets of "Bidaai". On that memorable day, I was still unsure whether I was the final choice for the role of 'Alekh'/not! When I saw all the other artistes there, preparing for their respective shots, & working so professionally & sincerely, I was intimidated! I was nervous, anxious, excited, thrilled...my adrenaline was on a high! So the thrill of my debut is my most memorable moment in the industry.

As for my personal life...well, it was when I was in Chandigarh & had left for Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple. I was on my way there, & I had a huge crowd of fans following me! It felt very special to be noticed so much but it was so big, that I had to dodge my way out & hide, to pay my respects at the Gurudwara.

3. If not an actor then what would you be?

Angad: Almost everyone knows this, that if not an actor, I would have continued my profession as an interior designer, because that is what my career was, before trying my luck on television! I was very much focused & did like my job, but somewhere deep inside, 'lights, camera, action' is what kept echoing! So here I am, hearing just that everyday, & I'm loving it.

4. What is your idea of a perfect marriage and mate?

Angad: A marriage for me is, a life-long commitment of trust, understanding & love. A marriage involves the union of not only two beings, but their respective families too. So be it love/arranged, it is extremely vital for the two to understand each others nature, & incase of anything lacking, to be willing to compromise. I think that is the key to making any relationship work. Even cooperating is equally important. Then it will automatically be balanced out!

As for my idea of a mate, the above applies completely. She should understand my family & me & be willing to work things out, while I do the same simultaneously. According to me, give-and-take is an important aspect in any marriage.

5. Message to fans...

Angad: My message to all my loving fans out there is, to keep being my drive & inspiration, so that even when I'm having a bad day, I can turn to them for their help. A big thank you for all your love & affection. It's because of you all that our entire team at "Bidaai" is so efficient. We really appreciate your support. Humein apne dil se kabhi nikalna muth!

My experience with Destiny -Angad

Angad Hasija The character of 'Alekh' from "Bidaai" was on the hunt for an actor to suit its needs & requirements for about four months! The role fell into my laps in quite an amusing way, I would say. Basically, I was in Punjab for six months & would keep coming to & fro Mumbai, for my modeling assignments. Then one fine day, my friend Umesh suggested I try out for serials. I wasn't too keen because I thought modeling was it for me, & not acting! But my friend, insistent as he was, arranged for my meeting with Rajanji. I had heard about "Bidaai" & its success so was anyway a little nervous because this was something new for me. Anyway, I auditioned for the role & seeing my personality, Rajanji was sure that I was the least suited to play 'Alekh'! Having a never-give-up kind of attitude, I was determined to get a makeover & transform myself into 'Alekh' from Angad. So I got a haircut went to try out for the role, again. Then when Rajanji saw me, he seemed a little convinced. But yet, I was not chosen as the final one. There were two others who I was competing with. I was extremely panicky & tension built up within me, as to whether/not Rajanji will take me, because anyway I had not left a very remarkable impression the first time! But once he saw my performance, that was it- I had finally won his confidence & the role.

When giving the shot, a zillion things were shooting through my head! "Bidaai" as I had heard, was a popular primetime soap & thus I was under pressure to assure a good act. The responsibility of playing the role, along with keeping upto others' & my own expectations made me pull it off well. But most importantly I think my luck favored me to quite an extent. Breaking your first impression & proving your worth, getting a second chance, & then eventually being successful in being a part of your director's favorites, is not easy. So now, I believe not only in giving your all towards whatever you want, but also that luck & destiny play a big role in helping you achieve success.

I wish lots of good luck to all the fans of "Bidaai", & Rajanji's Blog Buddies, & of course Rajanji himself too.

Posted in : Guest Writer

Welcoming Hina Khan AKA Akshara!

Comments: 38
Views: 4596
Posted on: 09 May 2009 at 1:00am

Hey Blog Buddies,

I have been reading all your comments regarding Parul and the new show. I am aware of the fact that all you lovely people are eagerly waiting for Parul's interview. But I apologize for the delay as Parul has been going through a really tough and hectic schedule due to which I really don't want to disturb her! But I promise, it will happen soon! Today when Parul called me and told me that she is out of Jhalak and though she was very upset. I was sad Unhappy but I know she has been victorious in everything she has done and I would like to talk more about this later in her interview.

I have also read all your lovely responses to the new show and big thank you from my side for your valuable suggestions and comments Smile A number of you all have asked for information regarding the casting. I always like to cast according to the character regardless of new or established actors. But for leads I prefer casting new faces the reason to which I shall share with you all later. If anyone is interested, please mail your photographs to dkpnewtalents@gmail.com or directorskut@gmail.com. You never know, destiny might just have something in store for you....

Lets get back to our much loved Askhara AKA Hina Khan Smile Internet has given birth to wonders, one of them being beautiful Akshara a.k.a Hina. I caught sight of Hina the first time thanks to internet! My audition team comprising of Hitesh and Deepika had gone down to Delhi and conducted auditions in different colleges in Delhi and since I was in a rush to cast soon, they were asked to send the auditions online. One of them being Hina's. Frankly, the quality of the auditions weren't up to the mark. The girl looked out of place, scared, nervous but she had the most important factor...she had what I required in Akshara - elegance, dignity and sophistication. Inspite of having an interactive face she comprised of an unbeatable combination of simplicity, dignity and sophistication. I called her immediately and told her that she should catch the next flight to Bombay as she was Akshara. Next day she caught a flight at reached my office totally lost, nervous and scared! And from that day I and my team were very confident that this she was our Akshara. And obviously, rest is history!

Hina is an extremely confident, intelligent, well read and certainly knows how to carry herself with a lot of dignity. Like portrayed in my shows, she comes from a family whom are really rich in culture and dignity. She is a very family-oriented person and after interacting with her family I was impressed with the values which have been engrained in her. I admire her father who has given her so much confidence and put so much faith in and trust in Hina's talent. Hina is a daughter of proud parents and its heartening to see such a beautiful family.

It is very rare to find such a combination of beauty and brains and fortunately Hina is one of them! Being a fast learner she not only picked up the tricks of the trade quickly but has also put in a huge amount of hardwork. She is an ideal combination of being level headed and extremely hardworking and will definitely make it really big in life Thumbs Up As promised, Hina has given her valuable answers to my questions and has shared one of her most memorable incidents of her life with you all. Here you go!

What has changed in T.V. Industry over the years?

Hina: TV started in India with just one DD channel. On only one channel they used to show programs on news & current affairs, education, social issues, sports & entertainment. Later on they started DD 2 as a purely entertainment channel. But the real revolution in the Indian TV industry came about after the arrival of satellite TV in India. Today we have separate channels for news & current affairs, sports, entertainment, religion etc. The quality, contents, packaging and presentation of TV shows has also improved substantially..

Most memorable moment in the industry?

Hina: I am a new comer and have begun my career just a few months back. Still. For me the most memorable moment was when I got selected to play the role of Akshara in YRKKH. I consider myself extremely lucky for getting selected by a very good production house lead by no less a person than Mr. Rajan Shahi. I am extremely grateful to Rajan Sir for having shown in me tremendous faith and providing me all the support and guidance which a new comer needs when he or she arrives in the industry for the first time. More so when you are completely raw and don't know ABC of the field. Had it not been for Rajan Sir, Hina Khan would still be an unknown person hiding somewhere in oblivion.

Q.3 Message to the TV audience?

Hina: I would like to tell the audience that what they watch on TV as a half an hour show requires lots of hard work and efforts of many days put in by several people who sometimes work round the clock to create that one fine magic moment of artistry on the screen. We all work with extreme sincerity and we would love to receive feedback from our audience. If the find our work admirable the can they can commend it which will encourage us to perform better in future, however, if they find some mistakes the can point them out to us which will enable us to introspect and know where we have gone wrong and rectify our mistakes. It's very important that an artist forms a bond with his or her audience because their support is absolutely necessary for us to keep performing better.

What are your future plans?

Hina: Well, as I have said earlier I was doing my graduation course in Business Management in New DelhiDelhi to appear in my exams. I will be appearing in my final exams around July. Apart from my studies my focus is on my work which I want to do really well and I want to see YRKKH become very successful. I am still new so I have a long way to go and lot to learn. I am very lucky to have very friendly and helpful co-actors and production team who always go out of their way to take care of my each and every need. I would specially like to thank Rajan Sir for everything he has done for me. I am away from home but I have never felt home-sick because people here have been very nice and affectionate to me. when I got this opportunity to play the part of Akshara in YRKKH. I would still like to complete my studies that's why I keep studying whenever I get time to do so. Only a couple of months back I went to

What are your strengths and weaknesses today?

Hina: My strength is my faith in God who has always shown me the right direction and my parents who have been so wonderful and caring all my life and without whose support and encouragement I wouldn't have been able to do whatever little I have done in my life. My weakness is that whenever I am upset or angry with someone I start crying. I just can't hold back my tears. Also, whenever I go shopping I end up spending a lot. At times I just buy too many things.

What is your idea of an ideal marriage?

Hina: My idea of a perfect marriage is sharing your life with someone who can be a true soulmate. Marriages are not temporary affairs. They mean a lifelong commitment. Physical appearance alone is not enough as it loses its charm very soon. Ultimately, the things which count for a lifelong bond is understanding, sincerity, care and affection. There should be absolute trust between the two and a willingness to make any sacrifice for each other. In a perfect marriage both the husband and wife should make each other feel that they really love and need each other and that the life o f one is incomplete without the other. A perfect marriage is one where the husband and wife would wish to reunite again in every 'janam'.

A MEMORABLE INCIDENT OF MY LIFE!

I was quite a mischievous child. I was very bold and was not scared of anything. I remember when I was very young, just about four or five years of age, one day I just stepped out of my house and walked away. I wandered on the road and moved on. I don' remember who caught hold of me and took me to the nearby police station. There was a hue and cry at home and everybody was out searching for me .Somehow the police located our address and called my parents who immediately rushed to the police station and to their amazement found me sitting there. Another incident I remember is that I along with my younger brother and cousins went to the same school. Every day on our way back home we used to stop outside a house which had an apple tree in its garden. One of my cousins used to stand on guard while as we used to climb the tree and pluck ripe apples. Somehow our parents came to know of our mischief and they demanded an explanation as to how we had apples with us everyday. While my younger brother and cousins tried to search for a convincing explanation I blurted out that we just stand under the apple tree and the apples drop down from the tree of their own.. Although, very angry my childish explanation brought a smile on the faces of my parents. However, our parents severely admonished us and warned us never to repeat it again.

Well, I hope you'll liked my short interaction with all of Rajan Sir's Blog Buddies! Please do keep giving Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and me the same love and affection you all have been giving!

Posted in : Guest Writer

And Here's Welcoming Mr. Ravi Rai....

Comments: 14
Views: 2019
Posted on: 18 April 2008 at 12:00am

According to you, what has changed in television industry over the years?

Packaging, advertising, marketing and the revenues have a major change in the television industry over these years. And it was known that Indian television industry was infant and would grow to lengths fold.

Which has been your most memorable moment in this Industry?

Not just one moment. Series of moments. The industry has given me moments more than I could handle. And specially the legacy that has been carried forward. When Rajan becomes a producer and his two shows reach the number one positions what more can be the most memorable moments. Ask a gardener how he feels when he sows the seeds and that becomes into a huge tree giving out fruits.

Any Message to the TV audience?

Nothing much really. They've been nice to us. They are honest. They don't play. They make number one to the one that deserves. In fact they should be sending us messages if we go wrong somewhere.

What are your future plans?

I have moved to making films with my company called Small Town Boy Productions. Small Town Boy Productions is a company that would only make films with genres that a regular money making producer of a mainstream cinema is scared of. Small Town Boy Productions wants to make those genres as mainstream genres. Though not losing the family audience, Small Town Boy Productions will concentrate on youth and values. Primarily Small Town Boy Productions has more inclinations towards making films for children.

In a span of another 10 years, Small Town Boy Productions will have a library of films that would be very different genres. Entertaining, meaningful, diverse films. Small Town Boy Productions is ready with 7 films to go on the floor. Small Town Boy Productions is also looking at prospective partners and investors for their company.

What are your strength and weakness as of today?

Content, Content and more Content is the strength that I think I possess. I have always been a content man. A writer primarily. And my weakness is that I am a lazy man. Too lazy to pick up a pen and write. Too lazy to go out and shoot. Non ambitious. They at times become my weaknesses and negative points.

And now moving on the Mr. Ravi Rai's entry:

Do you think only the producers and TV channels are responsible for Child labor, Mr. Minister? - Mr. Ravi Rai

I think this a brilliant step from our labor minister to ensure that the children working on television get enough education. The accusations and the entire onus of child labor was thrust on the TV channels and the producers. Certainly it made headlines then. The statement then, surely took us away from the agendas of terrorism, securities, elections, and whatever the entire nation was talking about that time. It definitely brought us to think of our esteemed labor minister who really thinks so much about children. Also aren't we weary and bushed up of all those exhausting, monotonous and repetitive pictures of Vilas Rao Deshmukh, R.R.Patil, Chidambaram, L.K.Advani, Mr. Naqvi and so many more who all indulged in a workshop of self mockery. They all spoke the lines which were formatted since 60 years. Few who dared to verbalize something unusual and be a little diverse, exposed and bared their caliber and level by putting their foot with gum boots in their mouths. But no matter what, we shall still stand by them. And we shall stand by them. Haven't we accepted and stood by Mr. Chagan Bhujbal without asking a single question that 'who decides him for us?'. Completely forgetting everything which happened a blink ago. And then did we ever ask "why Sanjay Dutt?" "or Sanju baba nahin to Nafisa Ali?". Who decides them? We have never questioned their credentials or credibility. Well these English speaking... Only english speaking people want to Talibanise the nation in today's times and we haven't asked them why? Everyday we see our politicians and find a gloom on our face. The shameless bunch is thrown ever second on our faces. And haven't we decided that we shall all only wake up whenever there is a Taj and Oberoi fiasco. Light up few candles, some SMSes and forwards on the internet and then feel a proud patriot and then go back to slumber. So, child labor is a new face. A new issue. And that's refreshing. That's the topic that is disturbing and I want to write about.

But I think, more than the Channels and the producers, doesn't the law say that it must penalize and reprimand the parents who are eager to push their children into this business of gloss, shimmer, fame and money at any cost? Whether television, films or advertising, these parents are so keen just to have the glimpse of their child on the display and flaunt themselves and parade the child to the relatives and friends. They are just fanatic about it. I am a producer myself and I know the kind of stress and anxiety my office has to take from these parents of these children. Mr. Minister, you should just once come to the auditions and sit there for a while. You cannot scale the desire and dream of these parents for their children to act. They can give away their right arm neatly wrapped and packed up to you like a birthday gift if you just promise them a glimpse of their child on the medium. Mr. Minister, you'll realize that the casting couch pressures would seem like a pilgrimage as compared to the pressures of these parents. One set of parents have horrified my life. They are almost doing 'Cape fear' on me. Despite telling them that I do not have a children show right now, they still mail to me, call me at my office, my residence and also my cell. And that too at odd hours. How do you deal with that? Does law take any actions on their movements? How does any labor law curb their animated excitement?

Isn't it the duty of the parents to ensure the education of their children? I think each parent deserves to do that and should do that. As a parent, I don't force my children or allow them to work as a child artist. And even if they want to, I shall myself put a fence to the clock. It is in my own hands. If I put my foot down and tell the channel that these are the timings and the schedules, they will have to abide by it. No one forces anyone to give in and neither are the channels forcing themselves into their private territory. It is no kind of a rape that the channels and the producers are being accused of. If the parents are making their child overwork then law has to take a course on them. I am sure the labour law does not pertain only to children. What about the adults who work more than 8 hours and more than 12 hours. It's stressing, unhealthy, and the intake of drugs and caffeine to keep them stirring and energetic. It unquestionably invites strain, nervous tension, anxiety, heart diseases and breakdowns. Aren't adults also a cause of concern? You must be having people around you who work round the clock and it's time to ponder on that as well as a labor minister

Now well one would debate and say that it is for money they work. Right.. But then why not ban the child labor completely? Why have an elasticity to the whole issue? A monkey will perform for the tamasha because the master wants him to. Poor monkey, what does he know.. The monkey has been trained by the master to do so...But isn't the master who makes the monkey dance punishable? The master takes the money and goes home merry. How can you punish the one who's organized the tamasha or people who are watching it. Let's get on to the seeds first before it flowers the poppy.

Mr. Minister, how many of us have you ever thought of homeless children in a place like Mumbai? I want to ask the NGOs to before they brandish their verbotic whip that with not more than 20,000 to have shelter and more than 2,50,000 homeless children dwell in Mumbai. I am confident that they must be having the exact figures of children pouring in daily and the ones on the street. Have any one of us ever given a thought to the 12 year old girls selling flowers on the signals? Have we ever thought where do they come from? Has it ever occurred to us that where do they vanish when they turn 18? No, I don't think that we have ever touched this issue. We go home every night and switch on our air conditioners and go to sleep. We don't care a damn that does the Mumbai streets let these girls sleep. The rickshaw wallahs, the tea vendors, the local mafia, the beggar mafia, the police, the law and so much more. Where are the shelter homes for them? Who thinks the education for them? The entire nation seems to bash politicians and talk anti Pakistan as it is easily heard and surfaced. This is in vogue media. But we know human trafficking is as equal on degree as the drugs and ammunition. And for that matter specially the girl child. Isn't the education for those children on the traffic signals and streets equally important to those that you are targeting at? Does your child labor law does anything to shelter them and educate them? Or pointing to only television, films and advertising makes it again fashionable because there are presumed layers of cream and strawberries.

How does one ration the playtime that a parent allows the child? In a cricketing era today, where mother wants her son to be a Yuvraj and Dhoni, sends her son to play for more than 6-7 hours. Similarly parents want their child to be an actor. You term it as a child labor because they are paid for it. If children were paid for the practice of their cricket, I am sure we would have had no Dhonis and Sachins because they would come under the laws of child labor. I don't think that we have ever thought of children who are the sole bread winners of the family. The child labor laws are so stringent at times that it can put the families to starvation at times.

It took 5 days for me to write this. And on the 3rd day the parents of the child artists thought that 4 hours was too less. But rounding it all off, I think we shouldn't restrict ourselves to only television. Let's go beyond TV and films.. What we are talking about is a bigger problem than the 26/11. Qasabs are born out of hunger and poverty and lack of education.. Let's take that also in consideration. My new film 'Chanda' deals with homeless children, girls on the street and their education. The film shall release on international girl child's day. My earlier film 'Tingya' dealt with the plight of the farmers. I hope 'Chanda' makes us to give a thought for them and light candles for them too. For the lives that do not change before and after 26/11. Let's bring a change in them.

- Ravi Rai

Posted in : Guest Writer