Shantanu Maheshwari on completing 10 years: Nothing goes according to what you plan in this industry

Shantanu Maheshwari. Picture courtesy/PR

One of Indian Television's favourite youth stars and dancing sensation Shantanu Maheshwari recently completed 10 long years in the industry. From fiction shows to reality TV, web series, music videos and even globetrotting across the world to represent India at prestigious dance reality shows and competitions, Shantanu has successfully conquered every space in the world of Indian and global entertainment. While these 10 years have been a roller coaster ride for Shantanu, there was a lot of learning he acquired along the way, which has shaped him to be the personality that he is today.

Speaking about important takeaways which proved to be great teachers for Shantanu in the last 10 years, he shares, "There have been no shortcuts for me in these 10 years. Coming from a non-industry background, I have had to work very hard to bag projects of my liking. It was initially a challenge to create space for myself in the entertainment world, but with time, experience and prominent exposure, I worked my way around building a unique niche for myself as a dancer and actor. I have also learnt that nothing goes according to what you plan in this industry, which is honestly a good thing because you eventually have to adapt to new situations and trends and keep upgrading yourself and your knowledge about how the industry works. The overall work structure in our industry is unpredictable, so working hard with absolute determination and being honest to your work is the only way that someone somewhere will recognize and acknowledge the work you do, which will eventually give you a chance to bag better and bigger projects and importantly the kind of roles you want to specifically play."

Elaborating on his favourite roles till date, Shantanu says, "All the projects I have worked on till now are close to my heart and have taught me a lot, but my favourite project will always be Dill Dostii Dance. The show was my stepping stone into the industry so it will always be very dear to me. Without D3 I would not have gotten an opportunity to be part of this beautiful industry. People still love and recognize my character Swayam, which enabled me to experience a deeper sense of acting over the 4 years that I played the character, which was one of the best experiences of my life! The strong and relatable connect that Swayam and D3 made with the audience really helped build my confidence and move up the ladder as an actor, performer and dancer which I am truly grateful for."