A Dream Come True:Meeting Sanish..Detailed WU+Pics

And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. - Paulo Coelho

When I started watching Rangrasiya, I was struck by this weird notion that I would meet Ashish Sharma somewhere. I don't know how and why, but I would. And this was in early April. So, imagine my surprise when 4 months later, I actually get an opportunity to do so and meet theonly Indian actors I truly like. Yes, I like Sanaya Irani and Ashish Sharma and not any other Bollywood actor. And here's my story how it went across.

24^th August, 2014

Imagine my surprise when I receive a call on Sunday from one of the admins of AshishSharmaFc, who is a good friend of mine, asking me if I would be willing to bunk work and visit the sets for Ashish Sharma's birthday shoot. The shoot which was initially supposed to be for Thursday was brought forward to the 25^th of August. I thought for a moment, about my work and meetings the next day wondering if I could cancel them and just go and visit the sets and do what my heart was clamouring for me to do.

So, I said yes. I would go. And I would be the representative for all Rangrasiyans everywhere.

But more than that, I wanted to sort of give a gift to them for theRangrasiya Tumblr fandom. Because no matter what, we've been together, we've borne it all and are truly a fabdom!

So, at 3 PM in the afternoon, I deliberated on what do I take for Sanaya & Ashish. I had less than 12 hours and I was out for the day. There was literally no time to do anything, and no way I could go shopping. So, I did what I could do best (or my mum could ) Bake A Cake. But that wasn't enough, Because what if I never met them? How would they ever get our tribute to them? So, I decided to make something for them.

And thanks to the dedication and hardwork of ret-ke-sehran ,cuckingfrazyy, saiyaan-sabmeratu ,palkein , kaalikajol we were able to pull something off and sort of make a magazine for Ashish & Sanaya to read our thoughts from.

And I was too excited and terrified to sleep. And then the next day dawned.

25^th August 2014

Waking up at 6 am after a restless night isn't easy. I had to wake up, bake the cakes and finish the magazine. Luckily, my mum helped me and both a date and walnut cake for Sanaya and a simple sponge cake for Ashishwere ready. I then had the task of carrying them, picking up the cake from the FC at Mahim, travel to the India Forums office and then move on from there to Filmcity. I must mention that the people at Indian forums were amazingly nice, really helpful and if it wasn't for their kind gesture to let us know about the change in shoot, this would never have happened.

So, Filmcity is located in Goregaon. And really far away. Its near the mountains and looks like some jungle. Remember the scenes whereShantanu attacked Rudra and Paro, or Rudra riding his bike as he goes to find Dhruv, or even where Myrah is running after her stolen bag, that is all Filmcity. So, the IF girl and I travel by rickshaw to this place.

Me: Will I get a chance to talk to Ashish & Sanaya ? Is this a weird thing?

She: No, and you will get a chance. You're new to Indian TV, I think.

Me: Um yeah. And thanks for this.

So, we finally pass through FilmCity. All the IF girl did was show her press pass and say we're going to the Rangrasiya set. It was really far in. On the way, we passed the set of Bawri, Pyaar Ka Dard Hai, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, and finally reached the place.

On the seeing "Saurabh Tewari Productions with Rudra & Paro's picture" on a banner almost set my heart racing.

I was at the sets of Rangrasiya. OMG! I was going to meet Ashish Sharma & Sanaya Irani. My Paro & Rudra. I was going to see the set. The haveli. I wasn't ready. OMG. I wasn't ready.

So, we walked in. As we did so, we had this interesting conversation.

Man: Stop. Where are you going? Who do you want to meet?

IF: We're here to meet Ashish Sharma. He called us for his shoot.

Man: Who is Ashish Sharma?

IF: Um, Rudra?

Man: Oh, Well, Then You Can Go.

So, as I walk past the gates of the Haveli, I look in. I can see the front yardwhere Paro applied the rangoli when they moved in here, where Myrahdropped the stone on her feet.

I can see the terrace where Paro confronted Shantanu and Sunheri. I walk past the shed where Samrat & Myrah were kidnapped. And I walk into the yard from where Samrat was kidnapped by Sisodia's men. They really use every part of it well.

So, I along with the IF people sit at the bench. In front of us, is greenery and the cast rooms are towards the side. The IF girls take the cake to Ashish Sharma's room. And he opens it.

I'm about 2 metres away, but I see him. I see Ashish Sharma.

And I am all "OMFG! THAT IS ASHISH SHARMA" And I'm trying to calm myself down. I see Sanaya and Mohini come out from a room. Sanaya is as white as milk and she hurries to her room. I spot Samrat talking on his phone as he walks back and forth . And Dhruv is this hyperactive kid running all over the place. I am still in a stupor, sitting there. Not knowing what to do.

The IF girls wanted to have an IV with Sanaya as well, and go on to ask her. But she is changing in her room and come back dejected.

And then, Sanaya leaves her room . She is wearing the clothes she wore in the epi on friday. The denim jacket and jeans and she walks past us with her cup of coffee in her hand.As she passes us, the IF girl says Hi.Sanaya is startled and says hi back and walks away. And the IF girls decide to go after her and ask if she could do an IV with them.

So, I'm left alone on that bench. And it's a boring wait. I open my book to read (Looking For Alaska), but I can't concentrate. So, I decide to write a card for Ashish & Sanaya so that they can say the names of some people on Tumblr.

And then I look up.

Ashish Sharma has left his room. He is wearing that indigo shirt and formal trousers he wore for friday. He is walking and shall pass me as he goes onto the set. Ignoring the feeling to go and hug him, I stand up.

I smile at him.

He smiles back, shyly.

Me: Hi, I was wondering when we could give you the gifts?"

AS: Oh, I have an OS now. So, maybe after that. Is that fine?

I nod my head and he goes away. He is a bit taller than me, and his face is much more chiselled. He is handsome. More so than he looks on TV, andI sit there in a daze, telling myself that I just spoke to Ashish Sharma.On hindsight, I think he thought I was some media person. But then, I wsa just dazed.

I sit back again and this time Samrat walks past. He looks just as handsome as Ashish does. And I smile at him as he does with me.

Suddenly, the IF girls come back and tell me to sit on the sets as I wait for Ashish to finish his OS.

So, I go in. I enter the haveli. And I'm in Mohini & Danveer's bedroom. I walk past and I enter the main hall. It looks nothing like I imagined. Its dim. Hot. Shoot paraphernalia everywhere. I'm directed to a settee and I sit and observe the haveli.

To my left, I can see Rudra's bedroom. Although I don't go in, I know it is his. The same window seat.

In front of me, I can see the dining table and above it is the first floorwhere Rudra ran behind Shantanu. Its actually an awesome feeling being there.

The scenes from Friday's episode are being shot. I witness the shot where Myrah is pulling Samrat along as well as the shot where Rudra confronts Myrah and demands her forgiveness. And she asks for three qualities which are her own. At the moment, my heart almost sank as I whispered "She isn't Paro. Damn it." Each scene was repeated 5 times, and I truly wonder how the actors can give the same expressions in each and every shot.

Suddenly, they all come and meet some man. Ashish, Sanaya and Prashant (Samrat) shake hands with the man and they're sitting 10 feet away in a circle as they joke and laugh. I am shamelessly looking at Ashish and thanking my stars I wasn't on the set when he wore that ugly red and blue suit.

And suddenly, they disperse. And as Ashish walks away, I look towards him. He gestures for me to join and meet him , so the segment can proceed. OMG! And only I saw it. I'm so attuned to the Rudra in him. And I tell the IF girl to come along.

As we move out, we bump into Sanaya. And while the other girl is mute, I speak up.

Me: Hi, is it possible if we can meet for a minute or two as I need to give you some gifts?

SI: Oh God, I have no time. I've just got the scene and have to read it through. And with the show ending, we are shooting so much. But I can spare 2 minutes or so. Or maybe you can wait, but I don't know how many hours it will take.

Me: Oh a minute or so would be more than enough.

And I move to follow her.

SI: You can sit here.

Me: Well, Ashish asked us to meet him as he is free now, so I thought we would do his and then wait for yours? (I sound so mucb like a media person)

SI : Oh. Okay then.

And we follow her. She goes in and talks to Ashish and calls us in.

And that's how we got entry into their rooms.

I enter the room. And it is ridiculously small. Just a bathroom, a vanity mirror, a fridge and an L shaped bed. But why should I notice all this as I see ASHISH SHARMA & SANAYA IRANI sitting there.

Okay, I must say I have no idea how I behaved like a sane person there. I was calm and sophisticated and didn't combust into flames. Thank God.

Looking at Ashish & Sanaya be the crazy people they are on SBS is a treat.Sanaya truly just says anything and is an absolute riot. While Ashish is more staid, he is funny. And they share a warm equation. Seeing the way they ate the cake truly warmed my heart. Also, the amount of times I said"I'm Sorry" in that video wasn't funny. Maybe its my stock phrase. Sanaya says "So good. This is so good." Ashish says "Thank You So Much. I'm So Overwhelmed".

And I did tell them my name as well, so they would know this wasn't given to them by some nameless person.

What amused me the most is how Mohini was interested in eating the cake, she literally didn't care what anyone was saying. Prashant andSanaya were talking about Ashish's birthday party plans and Ashish just sat there wondering what he was doing , while highly amused at everyone.

While both the videos ended, I do happen to know what happened after that.

So, in the last part of the India Forums video Ashish brings out the cake I made and offers it to everyone.

Mo: OMG. More cake. Wow. This is really good.

SI: Hey, don't finish my cake. This was made for me.

Then, Ashish brings out the sponge cake made for him.

Mo: OMG. More cake. Who made this?

Me: Um, I did

And Prashant and Mohini turn to look at me with awe and say wow. I literally wished I never opened my mouth. Ashish & Sanaya are too busy eating.

Pr (to Sanaya):Learn something from this girl. You just dream of being a baker and keep telling everyone. And do nothing.

SI: Hey, I am a baker. And I bake amazing cakes. And I shall open my shop soon.

Everyone laughs.

Before they leave, I just say

I would like to thank you, all of you, for giving us a show like Rangrasiya. It may sound crazy, but the show truly was our life. And it shall always have a special place in our hearts. So thank you so much for bringing your characters to life.

And then Mohini,Prashant and Sanaya leave. And we're left with Ashish.

So, as it was a gift segment, people's gifts were sent to India Forums and delivered to Ashish. He opened each and everyone of them and thanked everyone so cutely.

AS: Thank you so much for your love and support. It truly overwhelms me and I shall truly cherish everything from the bottom of my heart.

And then, I ask Ashish if I could take a picture of him, and if possible with him. Because why not!

AS: Yeah, sure. Come.

And then, I sit near Ashish. And I'm pretty sure I looked a fright. My hair was a mess. But I was happy. And he smiled and I smiled. And then I turn to him and say

Thank You Ashish. For playing Rudra so well. And I hope you win Jhalak.

AND HE SHOOK MY HAND.

And I know it sounds crazy, but when he did, I felt safe and protected and just really comfortable.

And then he says "Thank You so much Crystal. For all you have done. I read all your blogs and gifs and edits and I try to reply to them and go through them as and when I can."

So, he actually reads what so many of us tag him in at Twitter. Like OMG! That means he may have read any of our blogs at a point of time. I was in a stupor hearing that!

Me: Oh, then maybe you can give us a shoutout on Twitter sometimes.

AS: Haha, definitely. I'll try and see what I can do.

And then we file out and have to wait once again as all the gifts haven't been given as yet.

While I was talking to Ashish, the Production team had a problem with us. Because of the cakes and the celebration, the shoot was getting delayed and they had a tiff. Then I got to know the khabar that The Rangrasiya Productuion Team are a bunch of idiots. The Colors PR is useless and they are the reason why the show wasn't doing well. The actors were lovely.

And as we sit there, Ashish comes back. Uff, the way the man walks!

There is another gift segment and he is utterly adorable as he goes through everything. And reads through the poems sent. And he thanks everyone in the end.

I just observed his hair and hands and they truly are as awesome as it looks. His eyes are the colour of sherry and he has very kind, warm eyes. His entire aura is very pleasing and I felt truly lucky that Ashish was a good actor, but he was an even better human being. And I was happy I met him through Rangrasiya.

As he was done with the segment,

Me: Thank You Ashish. And I hope you have a wonderful birthday and all the best.

AS: Thank You Crystal.And keep doing your stuff on Twitter.

We shake hands again *Swoon*

And I walk out in a daze.

We're waiting to pack up and are standing to the side.

Ashish Sharma walks by on the way to the set and smiles at me as he walks on.

Samrat walks by and smiles once again and so does Sanaya.

And as I pass the haveli once again, I see Mohini and Samrat and I wave to them as they wave back to me.

And I walk out with a feeling of utter happiness and satisfaction.

I have achieved moksh in Indian TV.

And I can truly take a sanyaas from it now, when Rangrasiya ends!

I hope I was able to give you a glimpse of what I went through.

Thank You Rangrasiya Tumblr Fandom for encouraging me to delve into my inner fangirling self and get a chance to go on twitter and sort of fulfil my wish.

Thank You!