Vikas Gupta celebrates his 30th bithtday today.
At the age of 17, when most of us were dealing with issues of adulting, here was a guy handling the most important shows of that time with finesse. Vikas Gupta, with no knowledge of the entertainment industry but only dreams and hopes of making it big, joined Balaji Telefilms when he wasn’t even an adult and was working on Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kasautii Zindagi Kay under the shadow of Ekta Kapoor. Today, apart from being known as one of the most celebrated producers of the small screen, Vikas also enjoys a great fan following thanks to his constant appearances on social media and his super successful stint on Bigg Boss 11.
Vikas Gupta took the name ‘Lost Boy’ early in his career and also has a production house with the same name. As the name suggests, the creative soul feels he is yet to find his destination but from what we have seen in the last couple of years, he has surely found his way into million hearts. Having produced number of shows and headed two channels (MTV and &TV), Vikas continues to be a man with a heart of a child. Who else would throw a superhero themed birthday bash and actually turn up in a Super Man costume and even unapologetically ask for gifts.
His emotional side came to the fore when we saw him fighting for his dear friend, actor Pratyusha Banerjee who allegedly committed suicide. Vikas along with few others stood by her parents throughout. He also saw his share of controversy when his alleged relationship with Parth Samthaan became the hot gossip after the latter decided to walk out. With a lot at stake, Vikas might have faltered in few moments of distress but he held his ground and emerged stronger from the entire fiasco.
While Bigg Boss has been a turning point in his life, first let’s shed light on his professional career that made him what he is today. After working diligently with Balaji Telefilms and working on more shows like Kis Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil and Kitani Mohabbat Hai, Vikas was having sleepless nights over his dreams of telling his own stories and making his own shows. And then life took off when Vikas launched his first show The Serial with all his friends from the industry playing pivotal roles. It was for the first time that viewers got to see their favourite actors in a different light and the show became popular overnight. Lost Boy Productions successfully produced other shows like Gumrah, Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan, Fanaah and Webbed among more. For the first time, the young audience had so many options on TV and Vikas was soon hailed as the showrunner who understood the pulse of the youth.
Taking a big step ahead, Vikas joined MTV and changed the face of the channel by revamping few of its shows and bringing in more. He brought on board Sunny Leone as the host of Splitsvilla and the rest, as they say, is history. And when he moved to head &TV, he got actors like Prince Narula, Amrita Rao, Karan Kundra, Ratan Rajput, Deepti Naval and Zarina Wahab to do shows for him, strengthening the brand further. The ‘mastermind’, as he is fondly called, has launched numerous actors, and while he says it’s the low budget that gets him to work with newcomers, there’s a rally of stars who have to thank him for making their career.
Bigg Boss came calling last year. And what a journey it turned out to be. The first week saw him and co-contestant Shilpa Shinde locking horns. The actor, who had a turbulent relationship with &TV after she stepped out of Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai, blamed Vikas for making life difficult for her. While initially, Vikas gracefully handled her atrocities, soon he started breaking down, even on the verge of jumping out of the house. But with time, he found his foothold and how.
Acing all tasks and the only one using his ‘brain’ in the show, he was made fun of with the title ‘mastermind’. But he took the joke in his stride and held the title like a badge of honour and continued to entertain masses with his intelligence and emotions. He was one of the few contestants who received praises from all celebs visiting the house and social media went crazy over him. So much so that when Shilpa and Vikas kissed and made up, people started hoping that they will end up together and even get married.
While Vikas ended up as the second-runner up in Bigg Boss, he found love not just from the housemates but also his audience. Host Salman Khan too seemed to like him and showed his affection quite a few times. He might have been a popular television personality but for the first time, Vikas was treated as a star and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.
After enjoying the limelight, Vikas Gupta is now all set to get back to business and recently announced his web show Puncch Beat that will stream on ALTBalaji. A high school drama starring Priyank Sharma, Harshita Gaur, Siddharth Sharma and Khushi Joshi, the show is one of the most anticipated ones this year. Sources say that there are a few more shows that his team is working on. Fans have also been demanding him to get back as the host of his show Badmaash Company.
Today, Vikas turns 30. He has already experienced a lifetime of success, controversy, adventure and drama. However, knowing him, we know there’s a lot more on the way. He might have become a star but in his heart, he continues to be the Dehradun boy, who loves being loved and continues to keep his family and friends close to him. Here’s wishing him a super happy birthday!