Happy birthday Vikas GuptaAfter his many on-screen stints, Mastermind Vikas Gupta is back being behind the camera with Yeh Ishq Nahi Aasaan. The episodic format romantic show will air on Dangal TV on weekends. Every episode will project a new story.
Producer Vikas has already roped in popular young actors like Rohit Suchanti, Fahad Ali, Chetna Pande, Varun Sood and Divya Agarwal among more for the series.
Today, Vikas turns 31 and to celebrate his birthday, he has flown out to a secret destination to spend time in solitude. The creative mind recently sat down for an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com about his new show, love and his plans for the coming days.
Here are excerpts from the conversation.
Q. Tell us more about your new show Yeh Ishq Nahi Aasaan.
Last year, I had done a lot of things on screen but decided it was time to now head back to producing. A friend had told me about Dangal TV and that it is on the lookout for shows. I knew it was viewed predominantly in the north but Mumbai was yet to know more about it. I reached the office for a meeting expecting them to ask me to make something massy. But they surprised me saying they want a youth-based show to target a new audience. The synergy just matched and we were on-board. The only limitation was the budget but thankfully, we managed to face all hurdles.
Q. Do you feel the audience can never have enough of love stories?
Love stories always work because everyone wants love in their lives. Also, everyone of us has relationship issues, so it’s easier to relate to it. But then with so many shows around, the challenge is how you do it differently. What more can you give to the audience? I have already done Yeh Hai Aashiqui and Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. This time, the characters are very different and stories are way darker.
Q. On a personal front, what does love mean to you?
The only love that I have truly understood is the unconditional one. And that I get from my mother and my dogs. Also, I have understood that one should love themselves first before loving others. Sadly our society feels that it’s selfish to put yourself ahead of others. Luckily for me, I have my Lost Souls, who keep pushing me to indulge in self-love.
Q. What are your plans for your birthday?
I have decided to run away and be with myself on the day. I know a lot of people have been expecting the annual bash but I want to spend sometime alone.
Q. Last year was quite an eventful one for you. What was your biggest learning?
It has been quite a cruel time. I always thought that there were two kind of people – good and bad, who keep interchanging as per situations. But recently, much to my shock, I realised there’s also the evil kind. It was like a child awakening in me to these kind of people. Life is actually not fair but you need to make peace with it.
Q. And your plans for the coming year?
I am going to rock it. There are a lot of interesting projects that I am working on. I will be telling more stories this year. I am sure there will be a lot more, much more than what happened in the last three years.
Q. Lastly, you seem to have been attracting a lot of controversy on social media.
The problem is I am quite vocal about things. When the Tik Tok ban happened, this popular actor (referring to Kubbra Sait) wrote something against it. Now, I have seen families enjoying on the app and so I wanted to give my take on it. And before I could know, it had already become news. And then again, there was a controversy build on how I had unfollowed Parth Samthaan on social media. But we never followed each other. I have realised however stupid it would be, if someone wants to make the news, they will. So it’s fine.
