Name: Richa Nayyar Job

Profile: Actress

Sun Sign: Gemini, 24 May 1978

Educational Experience
Honours in English from Punjab University (Government College for Girls, Chandigarh).

Post Graduation from National School of Drama, Delhi (1998-2001)

Learnt theater from the Academy Theater, Atlanta, Georgia in the United States for two years.

Film Appreciation Course from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.

Professional Experience
I've been doing theater for the last 17-18 years. After my course in FTII, I came to Bombay in 2001.

Serials: I've worked in serial like Sach (Doordarshan), Hakeekat (Sahara), Amaanat, Aap Jo Bole Haan To Haan?Aap Jo Bole Na To Na, Kamal and Astitva (Zee), Sssh?Koi Hai and Sanjeevani (Star Plus), Hakeempur.com (ETV Urdu) and Aasha Ki Kiran (ETV Hindi).

Films: I've done this film called Dharini produced by the Films Division which should release within the next two months. I've also worked in an Indo-French film called Hawaa Aane Do which is in its post-production stages and should release by July this year. Then I've acted in a short film made by FTII called Until the Next Dawn. I also have four corporate films to my credit.

Television as career choice
I've always wanted to do theater. My dad (Sewak Nayyar) has his own theater group called 'Yavanika Theater Group' and so I've always been actively involved in theater. Television has been my second priority. But today television is the most popular platform for anyone's claim to fame. I'm not made for films and I don't even think I'm heroine material and I rather do performance oriented roles than dance around trees in movies!!

Current Television scenario
The television scenario today is changing and also revolutionising as new TV programmes with new ideas are coming up. You can't fool the audience anymore by showing them anything. The audience is now fed-up of the saas-bahu sagas. Their viewpoint is broadening and television today provides a better insight to them. And soon the television scenario is going to change even more.

Right and wrong about current Television scenario
It's a very subjective question. Something that I think is right; my mom may think it to be wrong. So one can't really define what is right and wrong about the current television scenario. Personally if you ask me, I don't like the saas-bahu family dramas that are shown on television.

Five years from now
Five years down the line I see myself doing just theater if I don't do anything bigger and better in television or I see myself as a very big star on television.

Hobbies
I love singing, swimming and traveling. It's a different thing that today because of my work commitments I can't travel as much as I did initially.

Idea of enjoyment
I love watching films, not the typical masala films but more on the lines of offbeat cinema and art films. I love the movie made by director Akira Kurosawa called Red Beard. More recently, I've liked Mr. and Mrs. Iyer and Freaky Chakra. I would love to act in movies of this genre.

Name: Nirav Adalja

Designation: Head of Sales and Marketing - Anchor Health and Beauty Care Pvt. Ltd.

Sun Sign: Sagittarius, 9 December 1969

Educational Experience
B.Com from N.M. College of Commerce and Economics.

MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS).

Professional Experience
I first operated from Delhi where I was into International Marketing in garments and chemicals for two and a half years in an export house called Ari Enterprises. ('Ari' is a Hebrew word which means 'Lion').

I came to Bombay in 1997 and joined Anchor as a Sales Manager and have worked myself up to being the Head of Sales and Marketing.

Job Profile
I have to find a reason for the consumers to buy my product. I am also responsible for creating and servicing of more than 200 distribution networks throughout India and also provide the mechanism of effective service. I have to work out consumer promotions strategies, effective trade schemes and man power management.

Marketing as career choice
I had initially worked in the international market and it gave me an opportunity to learn various things. For example, I learnt about consumer behaviour and how to relate that into the ability of providing the right solution.

I had an inclination towards marketing and I had the flair for it too. So I naturally took to it. I could have been in any other sector also like finance but I wasn't predisposed towards it. I found marketing very interesting and so I'm in this field today.

Current Marketing scenario
The current marketing scenario is good. Consumer demands are increasing today and when they increase, there is a good scope for personal growth. Today the state is such that whoever does consumer interaction in any form will grow. Consumer interaction can be done in several ways like value addition to the product, consumer promotion, etc. So consumer interaction is the key word in the marketing scenario today.

Right and wrong about current marketing scenario
There are many in the marketing sector who have resorted to negative marketing to promote their product. Negative marketing is when one tries to sell their product by highlighting the faults of other products. That is wrong. I believe in positive marketing. By positive marketing I mean promoting my product for what it is and the qualities it has.

Five years from now
In every category, be it health care, personal care or consumer promotion, Anchor aims to become number two in ten years.

Five years from now I see myself heading at least two such categories. I'm saying number two and not number one because it's very difficult to be number one in five years. If I were asked where I see myself in ten or fifteen years time, then it would be heading categories which are number one!!

Hobbies
I love working. I'm totally involved with my work. Apart from that I like reading books on great personalities. My favourite book being Mohammed Ali - The Greatest. I also like the book on Alexander The Great. I fancy reading about people who have achieved something in their life, what they went through to reach these levels and how they cope with being on the top. I don't like reading management books!!

I have the zeal to explore and to get to know new things. It can be geographically; knowledge-wise?it can be anything. Apart from that I like spending time with my family, my wife and kids.

Idea of enjoyment
My idea of enjoyment is doing what makes me happy and doing it the right way. It depends what kind of a mood I am in. Once I'm out of office, I like meeting up with my friends, going for a movie, dinner or parties with friends and family. That's my way of relaxing and enjoying.

Name: Srikanth Raman

Designation: Associate Business

Director - CARAT - India Sun Sign: Libra

Educational Experience
B.Com (Mumbai University), MMS (Marketing) Mumbai University, 1991.

Professional Experience
One and a half years in Enterprise advertising as a Media Planning Trainee.

Two and a half years in Nexus Equity Communications, joined as a Media Planner; left as a Media Supervisor.

Seven years in Mudra Mumbai, joined as a Media Manager and left as a Media Director, Mumbai.

Currently with Carat India, since December 2002 as an Associate Business Director.

Job Profile
My basic job profile is essentially directing and controlling strategic planning and buying decisions for a key client.

The profile also includes initiating primary research to understand the buying behaviours of the target consumers. And periodically raising the bar in terms of service provided to our clients, ranging from better quality of Media solutions to more efficient ways of stretching the advertising rupee.

Advertising as career choice
Advertising, particularly media planning, at that point of time, seemed an ideal mix of quantitative skills blended with a certain amount of creative freedom.

For a new management graduate, who had all the ideals of making a mark in the marketing and advertising fraternity, media planning provided ample opportunities to make a difference to the client's business and therefore his bottomline.

Current Advertising scenario
It is unbelievably exciting! Due to the plethora of options that are there on the table, it has become unbelievably tough too. Reconditioning in set systems, thoughts and principles are the need of the day. One has to reinvent oneself almost on a month to month basis.

The clients, realising the importance of the investments made in Media/Communication, have increased their attention span in terms of involvement. And the increased involvement has made them more demanding. This means that one is constantly racing to be on one's toes. The experience makes an individual much richer, in terms of knowledge and information acquirement.

Right and wrong about current advertising scenario
Too many doomsday predictions are being made about this wonderful business of communicating to the consumer in a language and a manner that she understands and empathises with. Too many complications are being thrown in the ring, regarding a simple function of reaching out to the consumer when and wherever she is accessible.

Every industry is going through a churn and the same is happening here? but one has to meet challenges with a note of optimism. So nothing is wrong with this business, everything is right, and it can only get better.

Five years from now
Given such dynamism and emergence of new set of 'grammar' almost on an annual basis (from satellite channels to Internet to CAS to Convergence amongst others) any crystal ball gazing is fraught with ignorance. But wherever I am, I want to be in the thick of the action.

Hobbies
I love listening to music (from hard rock to grunge to Hindi film music of the 60's and 70's to AR Rehman and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) and movies (partial to Hindi masala and Hollywood movies of the gangster genre and romantic comedies)

Idea of enjoyment
Doing what you like everyday? and going home to people who enjoy being with you everyday! Enjoyment should be a continuous emotional experience, and not an escape.

Name: Roopali Kadyan

Designation: Senior Producer - STAR India

Sun Sign: Taurus

Educational Experience
Rather traumatic but anyway. Till the seventh standard, I was in Delhi. Later on, I was in the International School of Paris for three years.

I did my 12th from Delhi Public School, my Bachelors in French from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi and finally I did my Mass Communications from Sophia Polytechnic in Mumbai. Couldn't bear it post that!

Professional Experience
I have done various summer jobs and spent most of my later schooling years working through vacations. My dad is an army man and enforces his rules not just on his subordinates but also on me.

I worked for Prahlad Kakkar's Genesis Film Production for a year where I grew as a nocturnal being with insane shoot schedules and also grew hard of hearing with 'Papa Pancho' screaming at the top of his lungs (anyone who knows him will relate to this!!). Jokes apart, what I have learnt from him was primarily the art of detailing, which I haven't forgotten till date.

I have been with Star Plus for almost three years now and have worked on all sorts of software-format shows from Kaun Banega Crorepati, which was at the start of my career, to Kahani Kismet Ki; teenage fiction soaps like Kyon Hota Hai Pyar; kids daily Shaka-laka Boom Boom to events like the Screen Awards. Here's where I get serious!

Job Profile
The basic crux of my work is to create and implement high quality fiction and non-fiction television for mass audiences; to supervise all production and creative input on programmes; and innovate on a weekly basis with respect to storylines and visual presentation of shows.

I also act as the interface between the channel and the production houses for all issues with regard to shows; make key decisions on budgets, casting, production schedules, selection of creative and technical teams; scripting, promotion strategy and off air marketing. Phew!!!!!!!!!!

Television as career choice
Television, is a medium of constant change and reflection of society. Its dynamism and ever evolving nature has always attracted me. The mass reach of television entertainment and its ability to reach out to its audiences country wide cuts across all economic and social sections. It also gives us a direct connection to the mind, and especially in the case of fiction shows, to the heart of the viewer.

The responsibility of providing a high standard has always been challenging and I have loved this challenge. The reward of being able to read the mind of the viewers, to pre-empt their reaction and get it right is what motivates me week after week.

The opportunity to innovate on a weekly/daily basis and to create a product, that is widely accepted as successful in a very subjective field, is what drew me to television.

Current Television scenario
I think Star Plus has got it right! The total domination our channel has in the current television scenario indicates the high level of understanding the team, as a whole, has towards the taste and sensibilities of the viewers.

Star reflects the aspirations, feelings and idea of entertainment that the TV viewing audience in India has today. In a way, this is a complete reflection of our society. It also means that our biggest competitors are our own shows and therefore my biggest competitors sit right beside me!

Right and wrong about current Television scenario
It's a very subjective question. What works is right and what doesn't is wrong. All we need to do is innovate on the formats front. I would have test periods for everything so that at the end of it I can have an idea of what works and what doesn't.

Five years from now
Considering the high level of burn out in my field, I see myself on a white beach with top sunlight and waves conducive to boogie boarding with my loyalists Kurusawa, Cleopatra and Ginger (my dogs)!

Hobbies
Watching movies (language no bar), watching Roswell on Star World, going out as much as the job permits, dumping pups in my parents home. (I love dogs and they love breeding!!)

Sun Sign
I'm a Taurean but I hate cooking.

Idea of enjoyment
On a white beach with top sunlight and waves conducive to boogie along with my loyalists Kurusawa, Cleopatra and Ginger (these are my dogs)! In five years I will be doing what I enjoy most.

Name: Ranjeev Verma

Designation: Actor

Sun Sign: Leo, 30 July

Educational Experience
Science graduate

Professional Experience

TV serials : I have done a lot of films and television serials in my career spanning nearly a decade. Presently, I'm working on serials like Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand which airs on Star Plus and Mulk which airs on Zee TV where I play a Sardarji character. I'm also working on a new serial called Lakeerein produced by Shobhna Desai which will start airing on Star Plus in April.

Feature films : I've also done some movies, one of them being Yeh Dil Aashiqana produced by Aruna Irani. Presently, I'm working on another of Arunaji's movies called Ajnabee Ho Gaye Hum. I am also very excited about my character in the movie Aanch, where I play Nana Patekar's son. It is a negative role and one I'm looking forward to.

Television as career choice
I always thought that I was a good actor and could be successful in this field. I haven't undergone any professional training in acting but have done some theatre and plays. I have learnt from my experience in the last ten years or so that I have been this field.

Current Television scenario
The whole industry is going through a very bad phase. There is a lot of competition and expectations are very high. Currently, Zee, Sony and Star TV are doing well.The producers are also doing well.

But there needs to be some decorum in the way people work. Things seem to be messed up everywhere in the industry. But I'm sure good times are not far away.

Right and wrong about current Television scenario
There are many television channels at present and hence there is a lot of scope for new talents. A whole lot of people can get work and prove themselves as good actors. Earlier, actors only had the feature film medium to showcase their abilities. But it is not the case now with so many serials coming up on the numerous channels we have today.

Of course, the money is divided due to the monopoly of some people on the top. It's not that there is no money in this field but the money does not come to you at the end of the day or it comes very late.

I'd like to mention a particular experience here. Six months ago I shot for Ketan Mehta's Production Chacha Chowdhary which airs on Sahara TV. I was promised that I would get my remuneration as soon I finish shooting for the serial. Till today I haven't got my dues.

So this is how the state is today in the industry. It's only if these things are brought out in the open, will people know about the real situation and steps can be taken so that actors don't suffer.

Five years from now
Five years from now I can't really say where I'll be, but I hope to see myself doing a lot of different roles and be recognized as a good actor for the kind of work I did.

Hobbies
I love reading and watching TV. I like to spend as much time with my family as and when I can.

Idea of enjoyment
My idea of enjoyment is earning good money from the profession I am in and then spending it on my family and myself.

Redefining Indian advertising by curing its colonial hangover and reaching out to the 1 billion strong Indian masses, by speaking to them in their own language. Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and National creative director, Ogilvy & Mather, talks to Nidhi Jain about the changing environment of work for leaders.

Lesson you have learnt so far...

Lessons that are more applicable and not lessons that were discovered afresh.
These lessons come from my sporting days, which got reconfirmed in my business days. I used to play cricket. Unlike cricket over here, we are only one member of the team and that included the captain also. The role of the captain is to get the best out of the team at one level and at the other level to perform well enough to justify your place in the team. Otherwise, no one will remain captain anymore.

So, in any organization where many people work, what is important is to work well yourself as well as get good results from others. So this is one lesson that got reconfirmed from my cricket days.

In a cricket team we have nothing to manufacture and in industry we only have people around with talent. So our job is to encourage these people and make them perform at the highest level. There are ups and down but we have to keep them motivated.

How do you pacify madness around you...

If madness had a method then it will not be mad anymore. Then we would know what to do tomorrow and would get the same results. The idea is not to kill anything just because we are the head. We have to encourage new thing without sacrificing discipline, of course. We very well know when it is out of context but that does not mean it cannot sell. In advertising, good ideas sell and we have to make others understand this.

People who have influenced you so far...

Many different kinds of people and not necessarily from advertising. I am very much influenced by Vivian Richards. He changed the rules of batting by playing different shots in different ways and challenged everybody. Similarly I cannot lead a stereotypical life. Experiment with new things and follow the one that suits me.

I also got influenced by my mother who did not believe that lack of formal education was a deterrent to her being knowledgeable. So she acquired a lot by reading books.

I also got influenced by my late cook who challenged every theory of cooking. Arun Lal, who is a commentator now, has also influenced me a lot because he is not at all scared of speaking his mind, no matter what. There is no one single person who influenced me in total. I have been influenced by life. There is a certain trait in every human which needs to be respected.

What according to you are changing rules of work...

Rules are challenged when they become monotonous. Self proven rules don't work everytime. So the idea is to question and challenge and adapt to something else. Have an open mind and be willing to accept everything. The older days had an assembly line in advertising where the client used to brief up everything to the client server and then client server used to brief up everything to the creative guy and vice versa but now we all work together and things have changed, so one should not follow just what is written in books. Rather, they should apply new ideas to the same thing.

How do you ensure that your team delivers...

There is nothing to ensure. They are all good people. We hired them because they are good and can perform. I have never been under pressure thinking whether they will do well or not. I am myself not sure whether each time I touch anything will come out well since I am not superhuman and neither are they. As long as we win more number of times, we are a good team. We are commercial artists and cannot be self indulgent about in it. I make them understand to respect others and have respect for themselves too.

Fun part of your business....

Fun part is meeting different people. I meet so many of them. Some seem bizarre at times and a few interesting. A lot of excitement of our business is that we are addressing 50 different problems so there is no monotony. Taking quick decisions and watching quick results is the fun here. Unlike in movies, in our case I come to know what I did in 20 days. Maybe I am impatient but that is what I like.

Piyush Pandey's leadership mantra - "A leader should never state that he is a leader. Others should know that you are a leader."