Born and brought up in Prayagraj, Ashish Shrivastav (40), was drawn towards theatre and films since childhood. At his school, KV Naini, and College at Allahabad University, he was a member of the dramatics society and a part of the management team.
"By the time I passed out of college, I realised that my interest lay in acting. My parents wanted me to join the government sector, but I had no interest in doing so, and thankfully they never pressured," says Shrivastav, Director of the ongoing hit TV show, Shaadi Mubarak on Zee TV.
After completing his studies, Shrivastav enrolled for a three-month course at Samanantar Theatre run by Director Anil Ranjan Bhowmik, and moved to Delhi in 2000 to secure a seat at National School of Drama, but as luck would have it, the admissions were already over by then.
"I had two options, either wait for the next academic session or join Adi Natya Drishti theatre group by NSD professor Robin Das. I chose the latter; I didn’t want to waste any time," he says. It proved to be a wise decision since Das taught along the lines of NSD.
"I remained associated with him for over two years, living within the NSD premises, and learning the nuances of acting and directing," he says. By 2002 end, Shrivastav moved to Mumbai to enrol for a course in mass communication.
"I wanted to become an actor; my idea was to study and also try my luck in acting. But nothing substantial happened for more than a year. I just got some small roles. Meanwhile, my dad who had been supporting me financially all this while was getting a little concerned about me, and calling me back. Since I didn’t want to go back to Prayagraj, I decided to take up direction," he says.
In 2003, through a friend he got the job of an Assistant Director at Balaji Telefilms, which he held onto for over three years before becoming the show's director. As of today, he has directed over 20 TV serials, including the hits Kasam Se (Zee TV), Bandini (NDTV Imagine), Parichay (Colors) and Yeh Rishte Hain PyaarKe (Star Plus), among others.
He also enacted small roles in some of these, "but acting is no more a burning desire it once was". He is now working on a couple of web series for OTT platforms. "OTT is here to stay. Youngsters have moved to it for the variety of content available here. Further, production houses spend huge money on shoots, outdoor locations, etc., which increases its quality," he says, adding that all this gives creative satisfaction to actors and directors.
All web platforms are bound to grow since each one has its own niche. "Like Alt Balaji is a soft, semi porn channel targeting UP and Bihar, and it tops in these regions," he says.
Steering clear of the controversies that keep emerging over content on OTT platforms, Shrivastav feels that responsibility lies with the platform owners, and not writers, actors or directors. "It is very easy to make a hatespewing crime story as compared to a simple story that talks about values," he says.
What does Delhi mean to you?
I love Delhi, especially its street food. This city gave me the confidence to work, and because I lived in Delhi, I could adjust to Mumbai easily. Otherwise it would have been difficult for a small-towner
like me. All my friends are still in Delhi; when I was here, roaming around DU North Campus was our favourite pastime.