TANYA MANIKTALA
Actor
24-year-old Tanya made her debut as the lead in Mira Nair’s much-talked-about adaptation of Suitable Boy—a role that catapulted her to fame, almost instantly. In the days that followed, Tanya found herself gaining scores of fans, and two new releases—Chutzpah and Feels Like Ishq. As many industry insiders have noted, this is an actor to keep an eye on. “Believing in myself, initially, was a big challenge—and my biggest hurdle,” says Tanya. “But I was blessed to be surrounded by loved ones who pushed me to go on, especially my sister. I have always abided by the rules, and the only one I have broken has been to follow my heart—that is, to quit a corporate job to become an actor. Actors are sometimes put on pedestals, and people expect them to be a certain way. The focus is on being ‘the face’, but the human behind that exterior can get lost. Our job requires us to put ourselves out there for the world to see, and with it, comes both love and criticism. But you can’t hero-worship somebody when it pleases you and pull them apart when it doesn’t. I believe in kindness and knowing that we are all here doing the best that we can.
What defines me as a person is that I will always stand up for the things I believe in and that, in my opinion, is what is most important.”
ARJUN MATHUR
Actor
“I think people who don't follow the rules are often the ones who bring about change. If you keep doing the same thing as others and try to fit into the same mould, you won't ever be able to break the rhythm. It is when your uniqueness connects with a bunch of people, that change comes about. All my life, I have been a rule-breaker…you put a rule in front of me, and I want to break it!
As an actor, I prefer to rely on emotions and experiences from my own life and share those with people through my work. I'd like my work to offer them a chance to either reflect upon their own life or connect with the character on an emotional level. I think it would be pompous of me to say that my work makes a difference. Having said that, I am mindful about selecting roles that reflect the realities of life and society. For instance, Made In Heaven touched many lives and created a difference. I know for a fact that it helped many people come to terms with their sexuality. In that sense, I think I could make a little bit of a difference through my work. I believe that people need to be driven by a desire to make a difference. We also need to create more diverse content because there is an audience for all kinds of stories. My mother, who is no more, has been my greatest inspiration in life, and everything I do is to make her proud. I am also inspired by actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Irrfan Khan, who swam against the tide and earned a place for themselves. The journeys of people who stood their ground, no matter what, inspire me the most. Anyone being true to themselves is going to face hurdles. The only way to overcome that is to keep doing it. People will always doubt you and laugh at you but, eventually, when you succeed, they will be pleasantly surprised. Fear is the greatest enemy. Only our passion and zeal can make a difference in our lives and in the world.”
ADARSH GOURAV
Actor
At just 27, Adarsh has shared a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor with Anthony Hopkins, Chadwick Boseman, and Mads Mikkelsen. fame actor is a trained classical singer. In fact, when his family moved from Jamshedpur to Mumbai, one of the major reasons for the shift was Adarsh’s potential playback singing career—he had already appeared on and similar contests aired on national television. After singing for Subash Ghai’s and Ujjwal Singh’s , it was in 2007, while performing at Kala Ghoda Festival, that he was approached to consider acting and. Coming from a family of academically-inclined individuals, Adarsh gives the credit for his success to his parents, who have not only been his biggest supporters, but also given him the freedom to choose his life path.
