~*Shakti The Sedulous Arora AT #9*~Epitome of Versatility

My First Blog

Hi everyone,

This is my first blog ever..not very much use to this..but this is kinda fun..to write my thoughts so that i can share with u all.. And since this is my first write up ever let me introduce myself..as in what i am in real life.. I am a very simple down to earth person.. very passionate about my work..have big dreams..high ambitions..which often puts me in a self criticism mode..but i guess its good to be passionate and to love what u do..although many tv actors dont need to really act to get it to the top..but i feel acting is in my blood..and i am made fr films..as i had said tht i hav "big dreams" ;) ..aur waise bhi kisi ne kaha hai ki sochna hi hai to bada socho..sochne mein tax thodi na lagta hai..

Recently apart frm acting i explored a new territory of being an anchor..which is very unlike me..n infact it was almost forced on me..but luckily i got hang of it..n now i thoroughly enjoy it as well..hosted several live shows as well as tv shows..it gives kind of an adrenaline rush to me..:)

One more part which is very close to me is my spirituality.. i didnt knw abt this term around 4 yrs back at all..n to be frank, i use to get irritated if someone use to follow it..i use to run from it..but life had some other plans for me..there was a sudden interest to know about my future..so i learnt tarot card reading, numerology, reiki, pranic healing..everything gave me solace..n by all this i mellowed..started understanding life better..but again m not god..so still coping up with lot of things..n enjoying life coz its not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced.

Signing off now..i will keep sharing my thoughts..so stay tuned..god bless all..;)

A rewarding experience

Meri Ashiqui Tumse hi...as an actor I began by portraying the inherent strengths of the character Ranvir..and later his transition to RV ,with his weaknesses, a challenge,because I had to work within myself to retain the flavor of great commitment to my love,and yet take up an arrogant stand.

There was a lot of work on keeping my body language in a different tone and let my eyes speak a different one,perhaps I could manage this effortlessly because viewers took note ,by giving me a lot of positive feedback. An actor can actually never sit back and continue to work within comfort zones,because the value addition in terms of adding nuances to the character portrayed has to be,with changing circumstances ,transformed into performances ,and keep on raising the bar ,almost every day.

In playing a larger than life character,the humane touch is so important,because a little bit of overdoing,can cross the fine boundary between reality and fiction,so I keep on exploring within,searching for solutions that can bring my character closer and closer to the hearts of my viewers,making them believe and experience the storm within...and the growing number of fans bears testimony to my efforts...a rewarding experience

Spirituality

We live our lives in layers either personal or professional, two diverse realms, where our personality is projected in controlled manner...but one realm that encompasses both is the realm of the Spiritual Being.

Spirituality for me has been an extremely strong backbone for my being and in the diverse roles I play. It stems from an awareness of me being a part of the grand scheme of things...an awareness that within us is the power to create an ambiance of goodness and goodwill. A state where I am in control of my actions and reactions, and the cause and effect don't change my perceptions. This state is a realm of great comfort, because in moments of weakness -it empowers, in moments of despair - it nourishes hope and in moments of an inflated ego -it holds me onto the ground.

Spirituality or Consciousness is not difficult to practice; it's just the art of observing yourself, objectively and correcting wrong actions, as a constant process. It's looking within, understanding, analyzing and believing. It's a perception that goes beyond mere black and white, like a blink of an eyelid, a split second sense of being another self, looking at yourself.

Spirituality has leveraged my performances tremendously, every character I portray gets another dimension, because they are not me, they are the characters written by the story writer and I as Shakti, can objectively look at , as well as add value to their traits, just by increasing the spiritual quotient in them. The character then comes to life, very real.

Learning from people

People teach us so much; I firmly believe that every life is a story.

Sometimes it's the smallest gesture, just the body language of people in our daily lives or casual encounters become teachers for us, as actors. Because role playing is to get out of ourselves and adapt a new style, a new look, a new nuance to make our characters authentic. The writer can describe a character, but we as actors have to actually put life into them. And the more we observe, the more the variety in our portrayals.

Beyond just the body language and the gestures, I study the action - reaction' method with people. Given a situation, every person reacts in a different manner, and that adds spice to my character. So it's a continuous learning process to create a small drama and see how the person reacts, from all strata of society. Be it a servant, to a family member, to a personality...the essence remains the same, but each person comes with his or her background of a certain culture, and it's fun to see sometimes how a servant talks like a sensible business person or how a so called educated elite demonstrates a quality that we get shocked with.

This priceless process is a boon for me, and in many ways than one, because it lets me remain grounded to reality. It adds colour to my personality and makes my wardrobe of characters richer.

Psychological Mind Game

Was reading Paul Coelho, and came across this very interesting quote, which set me thinking

"CONVINCE YOUR ENEMY THAT HE WILL GAIN VERY LITTLE BY ATTACKING YOU, THIS WILL DIMINISH HIS ENTHUSIASM."

This psychological game of weakening the opponent is one of the best methods for warriors, and also life in general. When we demonstrate a confidence by telling the opponent that he is wasting time in fighting with me, he begins to doubt his own capabilities, and fear sets in and he begins to doubt his own strength. The mind gets weakened by confrontation, just words sometimes communicates more than physical power, because strength is a notion of the mind, which pushes the body to attack or defend.

If the mind remains in self doubt, automatically the body will respond passively and not cooperate with the moves. Victory is a mind set, so is defeat, if the opponent gets a slightest hint that he might get defeated, he loses half the battle. Similarly if the attacker says he will win, half his battle is won too.

Our minds are the seats of power, mere physical strength is just a notion, if the mind doesn't conjoin with the body.

The Bhagwad Geeta

The Bhagwad Geeta...a profound shloka.. Krishna says:

"I am the taste of water,the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable of OM in vedic mantras, I am the sound in ether, and the ability in man ,I am love between lovers, I am bhakti in a bhakta ,I am the heat in fire, I am the life of all that lives, the intelligence in the intelligent, the prowess in the powerful, I am the ritual, and I am the sacrifice, the healing herb, ,I AM THE JOURNEY AND THE GOAL, I am Time, THE CREATOR, SUSTAINER, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend"

Interpreted philosophically this statement answers one of the most intriguing questions we ask"Is their God,where is he,what is his form?"isn't this beautifully and explicitly explained here...HE is there in the act and in the action,the reason and the result,the origin and the end.So why do we search for a form? He resides in our thoughts,our desires and our actions.Understanding this if we dedicate every moment of our lives to Him,will He not pervade all around us?

SuRrender...and the journey of Life gets steered by none other than the Creator.

Road to success

Was reading an interesting book..ROAD TO SUCCESS,by Napoleon Hill...one of the thought processes that was admirable and very pertinent was Learning From Failures.

"There need be no permanent failure,every reverse and every set back can be turned into a building stone for a solid foundation of success"

As artists one daunting thought always remains in our sub conscious mind,the reasoning to seek success,with a dreadful fear of failure..little do we realise that it is failures that makes us rise above our limitations and seek more and more of excellence..failures are like a tempering process,gradually removing the polluted dirt that we carry with ourselves,that of an inflated ego and need for adulation.

A drop into a ravine is most beautiful when we can climb back and look down to say"I came up from down there!".Had we not fallen,where would we have climbed to?

If one can survive repeated failures,its an assurance that he/she will surely be able to conquer new peaks of greater heights.

Failure as a term should be seen with a new perspective, a lure towards betterment.A necessary evil which has the potency to make you fly higher.Success is very fleeting,there today,gone tomorrow,but failure is far richer in its teachings,to be able to draw out the enormous potential that you never realized you possessed.

Beyond just being a celebrity

The whole world and its inhabitants are fighting to find a place under the sun!,Though this applies aptly and directly to celebrities,there is another dimension to this phrase.

Human society is evolving,groups of like minded people come together either to fight a cause,or launch a new product, or encourage a new initiative on public platforms.And the best way to draw crowds is to get a celebrity to appear,either endorsing the opinion,or inaugurating the event or just be a crowd puller.

When I attend such events,I am humbled by a feeling of gratification,not the adulation,but being worthy as a face at the event,which has a cause or promotes social awareness.This perhaps is the best perquisite of a celebrity status,being a part of an evolving world and its people, or being a motivator or the face of a new initiative.

The cheerful fans who come to see me,carry back with them a fond memory and the message,maybe all will not be instrumental in bringing about a change,but yes,some will surely look beyond the admiration and get to imbibe the message,act on it,and become one of the small cogs in the wheel of change,gathering force to become a movement.

Indeed ,this perquisite is far above the status we enjoy,it's a soul warmer,touching our core.Something we will carry on within us beyond our starry lives...forever

Journey of our lives

"Not everyone will understand your journey" ...in Life, this is a very pertinent lesson!

As we go along the journey of our lives, we interact with a cross section of people, personally and professionally, and a majority of them we can adjust to, understanding their and our limitations, accepting the difference in attitude, born out of circumstances. But there are times when the intentions of people are visibly seen as harmful, and yet day in and day out, we are interacting with them, keeping a vigil on our reactions, lest it leads to a battle of sorts.

It's easy to escape, by being brusque and carefree, slinging mud and defamation, but that means stepping down from our dignity. With the power of self realization that "not everyone will understand our journey", the mind and heart prepares itself to face the wrong attitude - with a grace. It's such a factual statement, we can't have like minded people around us, there are bound to be conflicts, within those circumstances, what best we can do is to comprehend the essence of this mantra, and move on, charting the path of our own inner journey, undisturbed and focused.