Mumbai: Manas Shah doesn’t see personal evolution as optional. He sees it as survival.
He said, “This is a never-ending process. Just like health. Just like you go to the gym, it can never happen that you build your body once and it stays the same for years. In the same way, if you are an artist, then your craft is something you can never perfect. You can only become a better artist day by day.”
The pace of change leaves no room for standing still. He said, “Look at the speed at which development and upgradation are happening in every field. Earlier there was 2G, then 3G, then 4G, then 5G. You have to keep running. You cannot get tired. You cannot give up. This is life.”
By 2030, Manas believes, every profession will feel this pressure. He said, “If content creation, social media influencing, or social media marketing are not connected with your company, your brand, or even you as an artist, then you will be left behind. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry has to come on social media. Everyone has to create some content.”
He sees entire mediums disappearing. He said, “Just as the time of magazines has almost ended, newspapers will also slowly disappear. E-papers have already come. Audio papers have already come. Earlier, giving 100 out of 100 was enough. Now you have to give 500 out of 100. There is a lot of pressure, but it cannot be helped. The world is moving, the world is running, the world is flying.”
On his own relationship with social media, Manas is disarmingly honest. He said, “I am, and even today I still am, very bad at handling social media personally.” That is why I have a team that handles it, because I don’t understand it, and honestly, I don’t even feel like doing it from within. But the brutal truth is that you have to come on social media. Otherwise, you won’t be able to reach people so easily.”
What holds an audience, though, hasn’t changed. Manas said, “For me, screen presence means the eyes should speak. If I connect with someone’s eyes and their expressions, then that person starts staying in my heart. Background music, costumes, hairstyles, and makeup may make you look a little better, but they cannot make you hold the audience.”
