Blogs written by Shakti Arora on his website -
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.
Edited by Mahi_ve - 8 years ago