Hailing from Kolkata and belonging to a Marwari family, Shantanu Maheshwari has shown his stellar performances in television shows like Dil Dostii Dance, Girls on Top, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, India’s Best Dramebaaz and Khatron Ke Khiladi 8. And currently, Shantanu is garnering love and praises after the release of his Bollywood debut film, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial, Gangubai Kathiawadi, on February 25, 2022. In a recent interview, he opened up about his parent’s reaction after watching their son on the big screen.
Shantanu Maheshwari is an avid social media user and keeps on teasing his fans with glimpses from his life. On February 26, 2022, Shantanu had taken to his IG handle and had shared a series of pictures along with a long note revealing his journey in the industry. In one of the pictures, he had looked cool donning a comfy white sweatshirt, and in the following pictures, we could see younger Shantanu from a badminton field and one from his performance on one of his shows. An excerpt from his note could be read as:
“I come from a middle-class Marwari family where for ‘stability’ one pursues being a CA. However, I had always been passionate about dance. In fact, as a kid, I had even participated in Boogie-Woogie & Mini Superstar. Still, I never thought of taking it up professionally until I moved to Bombay for college. I still remember meeting Sanjay Sir for the first time, he observed my features for the camera while I continuously told myself, ‘Don’t say anything stupid!’ But this film has been a learning experience.”
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In an interview with the Indian Express, Shantanu Maheshwari opened up about his parents' reaction after watching his Bollywood debut film, Gangubai Kathiawadi. He revealed that earlier, he had not said anything about his role to them in detail, but their reaction was unmissable once they had watched it. He said:
“Honestly, I had just told them that I am part of the film but didn’t really give much details. So they went to watch the film on Friday, and fir toh dhindora pitne lage. They asked everyone around them to watch it. It was never just about me but they too loved the film, and that is what matters the most.”
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In the same conversation, Shantanu was asked whether, while romancing Alia, he felt intimidated. To this, the actor shared that Alia doesn’t carry the aura of a star, and they were both clear about their characters. He explained:
“Not really. We were quite clear in terms of our characters and thankfully the chemistry came naturally. We never had to put in extra effort, do workshops or rehearsals. Also, Alia doesn’t carry the aura of a star. She is very cooperative and a team player. We both knew the script and surrendered to that. It all became easy after that.”
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Shantanu was also asked about his character, whether he had become nervous after seeing a tiny part of him in the trailer, and how much screen space he would be given in the final product. Answering this, Shantanu wittily replied that he wanted to give his 100 percent to the character and that whatever screen time he would get, it would do justice to his talent. He shared:
“I don’t think I approached the film that way. Yes, it was my debut film but more than that I was excited to work with Sanjay sir and wanted to give my 100 per cent. It was overall a very different experience for me, and my focus was always on that. I had full faith in him and the team. I knew that whatever screen time I get, it would do justice to my talent. I was in safe hands. As for the trailer, not many know about Gangubai and so the objective was to establish her. Slowly and steadily the world around her was revealed.”
On March 1, 2022, Shantanu had taken to his Instagram handle and had shared a happy picture of him with Sanjay Leela Bhansali from the sets of his film, Gangubai Kathiawadi. His joy of meeting Sanjay was easily visible on his face. Along with that picture, he had written a lengthy note sharing his experience of meeting the director. Shantanu’s caption could be read as:
“Where do I start?? ‘Greatest education is to watch masters at work’- MJ. I lived this quote… When I got to know that I have been selected by the genius himself... I was thrilled, coz for me Sir is the biggest celebrity that there is… I kept wondering if it is true, that soon i was going to work with THE BEST… kept praying not to jinx it... Seldom you come across people whose passion can ignite a fire within you to explore your inner abilities… Sir has that power… A pure soul, so rooted to his culture and the creative person he is, is... so inspiring…working with him was enlightening and uplifting. Thank you sir for believing in me and giving me this huge opportunity to showcase myself to the world… Never imagined I would get a chance to be in your movie… your words - “Meri film ka hero hai bhai” gave me so much confidence to believe in me to pull your vision off… I will forever be grateful to you…#sanjayleelabhansali Sir”
Isn't Shantanu’s parents' reaction is every parent ever?
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