Dancer-actor Shantanu Maheshwari is here to stay, thanks to his dedication. In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, he discusses his journey, collaborating with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, his recent series Tooth Pari, and more.
Tejal Sinha
Shantanu Maheshwari! He’s just more than a cute face. It’s safe to say that he’s the perfect boy-next-door, at least for the ones who’ve been following him since his breakthrough performance on Channel V’s Dil Dosti Dance (2011) as Swayam Shekhawat.
His tryst with dance can be traced back to his childhood. He partook in several dance reality shows including Kya Masti Kya Dhoom, and Boogie Woogie. He later went on to participate in dance reality shows like Nach Baliye 5, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, and Nach Baliye 9.
One can’t ignore the fact that he has always been a stupendous actor too. We’ve seen that during D3 itself! He starred in several shows, web series, short films and music videos before he made us all go ‘Awww’ with his character Afsaan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi. And, recently he was seen in Netflix’s Tooth Pari: When Love Bites.
This boy has surely come a long way and traveled the path to burgeoning success!
“So far, so good, survived,” he giggles as he discusses his journey. “It’s been a roller coaster ride but it’s been so good so far. I’ve been happy with the struggles that I’ve faced. It makes me who I am in a better way in a much smoother manner. I never thought I would be able to survive and be relevant for this long. God has been kind and I’m continuously trying to work hard, being able to connect with audience, and be a part of good projects, doing what I love. I wish and pray I continue to do the same.”
No surprise! Gangubai Kathiawadi’s success put him on the map. Debuting in Bollywood with a Bhansali production, is not less than a dream coming true. Before Gangubai Kathiawadi, Shantanu auditioned for a couple of films, got shortlisted, but those projects never materialised. But he doesn’t really feel bad about it, as he says, “I think that’s in a way a good thing so I got a chance to work with Sanjay sir. He spotted me, gave me this opportunity, had a belief in me, he had this confidence in me.”
He further goes on to recall, “I still remember someone on the sets asked me not to be nervous before all these big stars and Alia. To which sir said, ‘he’s an actor, why will he be nervous, and he’s going to do good’ and that gave me immense confidence.”
It’s a bit of a dream to act in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film and the D3 star had never imagined he’d be the chosen one. “I wasn’t even expecting it, it just happened. Even in my wildest dream, a) I’d never thought I’d get such an opportunity in a film, b) never thought I’d get to play the lead in a Bhansali film, that’s something I never imagined. I’m glad this happened. Now people perceive me differently as a performer, and that’s something I’m loving. It helps me be a part of scripts that are different and unique and get to work with people who are amazing and doing great work.”
Certainly, Shantanu made his mark by working on diverse projects. He shares that when it comes to his project, “It’s a conscious choice with the kind of scripts I go for, or the kind of work I’d like to do. I don’t want to do the same thing again and again. I need to upgrade myself all the time for every work that I do because I feel that’s how I’ll be able to grow as a performer, otherwise, I’ll stagnate and that’s not something that’ll make me survive in this industry for a long time.”
The television world tried its hands on the Vampire genre with shows like Tere Ishq Mai Ghayal, and Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani. With Tooth Pari, the makers explored the genre in the web space.
Shantanu calls this romantic thriller fantasy series, a ‘desi’ vampire version. “I’m more than happy to be a part of this project because I feel this is the original story. It’s an Indianised version and a beautiful ensemble, where I’m getting a chance to work with many senior actors. It’s an experimental genre in the Indian circuit. People have been consuming this kind of content from abroad and from K-dramas as well.”
The series garnered critical acclaim, but, “people are gonna be sceptical initially to maybe sample the episodes but once you do you’ll understand it’s a fantasy genre.”
The Medically Yours actor revealed that for the longest time, he never delved into this genre, until he began working on Toothpari. The actor says the show picked up through word of mouth. “Just like D3, there was no immense amount of marketing that happened. It was all about good content, and that is what is happening with Tooth Pari. We are happy with the fact that people are accepting that something like this is being done in India. Kudos to the Netflix team for making this possible.”
“It’s the story for me and then the character,” avers the actor. “When it comes to the character it breaks down to how different it is, or what I can add to what’s written. That is the bare minimum I look for,” shares the artiste who also shares that he really enjoyed playing the character of Dr. Roy.
His fans wouldn’t disagree with the fact that he’s synonymous with dance. When will we see him dancing on the big screen? “Well, if only they offer me a good dancing project (wink),” enthuses Shantanu. “
People think it’s easy to make, but it’s not what I feel. I’ve done D3 and it ran for so long. People still remember me through the D3 days. So, the audience also has some kinds of expectations, and I don’t wanna disappoint them by doing something which is not at par to do it. I’m very conscious when it comes to choosing a dance project.”
During our entire conversation with the actor, we figured that he’s a strong believer of working hard.
“It’s like a whole cycle. If I don’t perform well, it doesn’t matter who you know or not. If you perform well, people will want to work with you.”
People might think that he might have gotten roles because of his previous works, he believes that’s not the case. He in fact auditioned and worked really hard for both the roles.
“I think it’s lovely to get good negative roles because not everything is positive-negative. There’s beautiful performance-oriented roles that are great and that’s where you love to portray to perform in grey areas. I don’t want to stop myself from doing just one particular character. If I’m getting something new and good, so why not,” signs off Shantanu, who’ll next be seen in the Ajay-Tabu starrer Auron Mein Kaha Dum Tha.
