Gananay Shukla, a very timid, soft and introvert child, never thought of acting when he was a little child studying in Ram Jas day-boarding School, Delhi. Although, he got a chance to act as Laxman in an uninterrupted song-drama based on Ramayana, he was never serious about acting. Acting came as a surprise when he accompanied his elder sister Ananya (A well-known child star) to her auditions and he started getting offers for ad films.Â
He reluctantly went for an audition for 'Baygon Spray' and was immediately selected because of his cute face and innocent looks. Once Gananay stepped into the world of ads, there was no looking back. Soon, he even surpassed his elder sister Ananya in terms of number of TV commercials and Print ads.
By this time, he had also realized his talent and started dreaming big. He was the first Indian child model from India who got to work for Gini & Jony (Till then only European child models were selected for their campaign) and his photograph appeared with ace designer Rocky S on the front page of Times of India, Mumbai.Â
This child star protégé has taken inspiration from his mother
Gurpreet Kaur
, who too is a famous actor on the Bollywood and television circuit."It was like fish taking to water when I took to the camera. I vividly remember that I wasn't scared at all during my first shoot. In fact, I was excited, as I was pampered by the people on the set and I was made to feel like a small prince," grins the young star.
It is not easy to juggle the demands of the glamour world while also managing the pressures of studies at the same time. But this star claims that he can do both with the ease of an expert. Really "I just exercise good time management skills and I am on my way towards mastering the art of effective prioritization."When you question him on his uncanny confidence and the aura he exudes, he replies, "I know that I am good at the work I do and that is why I have been getting so many contracts. So, it is not about being over-confident or gloating about my achievements; I have enough faith in myself to deliver and do a good job."
There are times when the rigours of the glamour world get too much for him to handle, but he is quick to add that the support of his mother and sister Ananya Shukla, also a famous actor, is what makes him believe in the job and that he can be successful.Â
He has done more than 100 TV Commercials till date, some of which are: Navratna Talc (Thanda Thanda Cool Cool with
Shah Rukh Khan
), Rupa Thermocot, Reliance Life Insurance, Reliance Energy (Corporate Ad), Mother Dairy, Nestle Milky Bar, AirTel (With Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor), Horlicks, Apsara Pencil, Parle Poppins and Rin and many more.
He has also acted in many serials like Mano Mano Ya Naa Mile Jab
Hum Tum
, CID, Parivaar, Miley Jab Hum Tum, Dastak, Crime Patrol, Aahat (2 episodes), Qatil Kathputaliyan, Amritmanthan, Khwab Ho Tum Ya Koi Haqiqat, Coffee Shop, Surya The Super Cop, Mahabharata (Star Plus) as small Karna.
His acting in feature films include Hijack Little Master and Jay v/s Jay, both in lead role, I love NY with actors
Sunny Deol
and
Kangana Ranaut
and a controversial film 'The Desire' with Shilpa Shetty.
Although very busy filming ads, he has many hobbies. He loves to dance and paint, swim, skate and still manages to play football. He has also been to Sweden to play Gothia Cup World’s Youngest Football Tournament.
His inspirational Quote is "Everyone should dream, they do come true one day" -
Sachin Tendulkar