Writer Sharad Chandra Tripathi is today a proud man as he completes a ‘decade’ in the City of Dreams, Mumbai. Well, the renowned writer has achieved a lot over the years, and now looks forward to exploring various other avenues. Says Sharad, “Parivartan prakriti ka niyam hai…” His entry into the entertainment world began via a talent hunt contest (writing) conducted by Balaji Telefilms and Ved Raj. The young boy was picked from Kanpur and trained by veterans in the industry. “We were called the Lucky 50 and were given a chance to work with the biggest names in the TV industry. Among the 50, only some have managed to survive and sustain. Manish Paliwal, Divyana Khanna, Swati Pande, Sumit Arora, Vinod Sharma, Bandana Tewari, Deepti Rawal, Sukriti Saxena, Abhishek Dixit, Abhishek Garg, Pavni, Koel Chaudhary, Garima Goyal are the ones who got selected from the contest and are today successfully working with different organizations.” Time has flown since then and Sharad, who awaits the release of his maiden movie as writer, Fraud Sayyan on 18 September is on the verge of signing a big banner movie. Also, Sharad plans to turn Producer and bring on few amazing concepts of his own on TV. Talking about his next moves, the writer tells us, “I am looking at expanding myself in Bollywood. And if all goes well, I might end up directing as well as writing for a big banner movie. Also, I am presently pitching my own concepts to major GECs. So you can say that, my company probably by the name of Tripathi Telefilms will soon see the dawn.” Sharad who is presently associated with the shows Suhani Si Ek Ladki and Swaragini had a ball of a time participating in the dance reality show, Nach Baliye. Talking about the experience in the show, Sharad explains, “I simply enjoyed being part of Nach Baliye. The rigorous schedules were too demanding for me, and being a writer, I could not easily juggle between dance and the love challenge tasks. However, the learning experience has been great. The stage experience and interaction with fellow contestants has given me a high level of confidence. And I will be able to use this confidence to work at the poetry shows I attend.” Ask him about his great camaraderie with judge Chetan Bhagat on the show, and he states, “Yes, the fact that post our elimination, I was featured on the Google Hangout with Chetan Bhagat and not with my partner Mrunal Thakur really shows the kind of on-screen and off-screen chemistry we shared. I guess the similarity lies in the fact that we belong to the same writing fraternity.” On his 10 years journey in Mumbai, Sharad avers, “Well, I never expected to rise to this level, especially as I am from a lower middle class family coming from a small town. There was a time when we had to plan for months to purchase what we want. But now, I am glad that I need not think twice before I decide to buy something for me and my close ones. Well, there was a time when my confidence level used to be so low that I used to fear getting into hotels and restaurants. Now, my love for food has increased manifold, and I even contemplate starting a hotel business in the future. Mumbai has taught me to think with my mind, and have controlled emotions.” A charming personality that he is, Sharad has also been getting acting offers post his stint with Nach Baliye. Answering this query, Sharad with a smile tells us, “I am not at all a camera person. I will choose not to be a star, but to be a star maker by being behind the camera.” Ask him about his love life Mrunal and he states, “Well, it is a great achievement that I have got her in my life.” On wedding plans, he says, “We do not want to hurry. We have our own careers to look into, and we are moving towards our goals.” Sharad, we wish you all the more success in Mumbai…