Beyond the Spotlight – Yuvaa All Stars Panelists Open Up About Failures, Gratitude, and Define 2023 as their ‘Main Character Era’

On its 5th anniversary, Yuvaa brought together an audience of 300 people for the second edition of their year-end roundtable, headlined by Adarsh Gourav (actor), Dharna Durga (creator), Dr. Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju (actor, doctor, creator), Naveen Kasturia (actor), Niharika NM (creator), and Rajshri Deshpande (actor) in conversation with Nikhil Taneja (Co-founder & Chief, Yuvaa).

Yuvaa, India’s beloved Gen Z-driven organization, concluded the second edition of its flagship live end-of-year roundtable: All Stars. The roundtable featured a stellar lineup including Adarsh Gourav, Rajshri Deshpande, Naveen Kasturia, Niharika NM, Dharna Durga, and Dr. Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju. The evening, hosted by Nikhil Taneja, Co-Founder and Chief of Yuvaa, was marked by candid conversations, insightful reflections, and a celebration of the extraordinary journeys of these Gen Z icons.

Social Nation was elated to witness this wholesome panel LIVE! The event commenced with a heartwarming Compliment Roundtable, where panelists engaged in an uplifting exchange of compliments – showing their appreciation for each other’s work.

Moderating the discussion, Nikhil Taneja delved into the challenges faced by the panelists in navigating the industry as outsiders. He talked about the feeling of not being content with what we do, especially in today’s rat race. He further asked the panel about how to deal with the feeling of not being enough. The conversation also focused on the intricate dynamics of social media and its impact on opportunities within the industry.

Adarsh Gourav, who stars in the upcoming Netflix film ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahan,’ shared – “We are a lonely generation because we have too many options. Earlier we had Facebook, now we have Instagram. I think we have just gotten lazy to work on real connections and you don’t spend enough time investing in those connections for those connections to become anything more, for it to become a solid friendship.”

Niharika NM reflected – “First you’re irrelevant, then you break the internet, then it’s like – ‘why is she still here?’ Toh main kya karun? Kahan jaaun? I am not going anywhere. I am here to stay.”

The Trial by Fire star Rajshri Deshpande spoke about the importance of not hesitating while sharing your opinions. “It’s important to speak up. About the world, about society, about community. A lot of the time, plenty of things that should have been said have not been said. Even if only one person thinks about what I say, that’s enough,” she said.

On the topic of getting recognition for one’s work, actor Naveen Kasturia shared a heartfelt revelation. He spoke about a leading OTT award function refusing to invite him despite his shows (Pitchers Season 2 and Aspirants Season 2) being massive hits on their respective OTT platforms. He also spoke about a leading award show’s baffling decision to label one of his shows as a ‘comedy.’ He shared: “Filmfare awarded Pitchers Season 2 Best Comedy. I feel it is a very dark show from the word go. We never made a comedy.”

The panelists further reflected on their professional successes, with Dr. Trinetra Haldar sharing a powerful sentiment. She said: “When the billboard (for her show Made in Heaven Season 2) went up, I was like dude, that’s a trans woman on a billboard.” Dharna Durga, who was recently awarded the title of Forbes No. 1 Digital Star, shared that she finds happiness in tiny, fleeting moments. “When people recognise my mom in the mall, saying ‘you are Dharna’s mom,’ I feel like I have made it,” she shared.

The event wrapped up with a thoughtful discussion on defining 2023 as an era and setting resolutions for 2024. Each panelist offered a unique perspective on the year gone by, reflecting on its significance, and shared their aspirations for the future. The full conversation is now out on Yuvaa’s YouTube channel.

About Yuvaa

Yuvaa is India’s most loved Gen-Z driven youth media, insights and impact organization. We listen to the stories of young India and create purpose-driven solutions to make meaningful content online and start meaningful conversations offline. We believe in making important things interesting for the youth by talking about urgent issues like youth empowerment, mental health, gender, sexuality, internet safety, misinformation, climate change and many more and have found great success in creating impact-driven content and entertainment.