Entertaining people and bringing smiles on everyone’s faces is what describes Nisha Shetty. One of the most reputed emcees, she is a phenomenal anchor, entertainer and an aspiring actress. She is an IT professional turned artist who has worked in an IT firm for almost 3 years until she discovered her passion for anchoring. The first milestone she achieved was overcoming her phobia of performing on stage when she hosted an annual event for her company Capgemini for a crowd of more than 25,000. Since then, there has been no looking back for her and she transformed her dream of becoming an artist into a reality. The 3 important things which Nisha lives by in her life are ‘Smile’, ‘Talk’ and ‘Inspire’. Be it weddings, corporate events, press conferences or delivering speeches, this woman has excelled in the field and is truly living her dream today. Her clientele includes some of the powerful brands including Filmfare, ICICI, Tag Heuer, Havells, Audi, Aditya Birla group , Castrol among others. Her work is taking her to places like Paris, Thailand, Turkey, Japan, South Africa, Singapore etc. and looks like Shetty is on her mission of dominating the entire globe.
In a tête-à-tête with Clout News, Nisha Shetty candidly spoke about her journey as an artist, the challenges she overcame while chasing her dreams and much more:
Q: When did you realise your calling to become an anchor/emcee?
A: I always wanted to connect with a larger audience. Being able to reach the maximum number of people through my work is what always excited me since I was a kid. During my school, I always took part in elocutions, debates, plays and dance competitions. The stage has always been my temple and as the popular saying goes “work is worship”, I totally live by that saying. Seeing the audiences getting entertained gave me immense happiness and I realized my calling for becoming an anchor after hosting my annual event at my former company Capgemini. It was then I realised that I wanted to make anchoring my profession and entertain millions of people for the rest of my life.
Q: What was that one thing that made you choose anchoring as your profession over your IT job?
A: Well, I would not say only one thing, but there were three strong reasons which I consider that made me choose anchoring over my regular job. Firstly, the cliché quote, ‘Love what you do’. I took it way too seriously and I simply chose my passion over my profession. Secondly, being an artist allows me to connect with people from different industries and different walks of life who inspire me with their stories. Thirdly, which I consider as an important factor in all our lives – Money. Anchoring as a profession has a lot of scope to earn good money. It took me a while to understand the business structure and when I did, I started taking right financial decisions to grow my brand.
Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced in your journey as an anchor?
A: The biggest challenge I faced in my career as an anchor was getting out of my comfort zone. I had a well-paid fixed job with a secured future. Like every parent in India, it was my mother’s dream job to see me work as an engineer with an on-site opportunity, which I could have had. Convincing my parents that more than coding, I loved anchoring and making them understand my decision of switching my profession was the most difficult task for me. The other major challenge in the initial days of my career was the transition from mal activations to corporate events. But with sheer hard work, dedication and patience, I seamlessly made that transition too.
Q: You are going to places for your events and shows. Which has been your most memorable experience so far?
A: Honestly, every destination has a special connection with me. Every show is new and different from the previous one. Be it a domestic or an international show, every event that I have hosted has been very close to my heart and it has taught me a lot. But if I have to specifically mention one show, it would be the Filmfare Awards 2018 press conference with the one and only Shah Rukh Khan. It was one memorable show and the magnitude of love and respect I received after it went live is unmatchable. Also, hosting an event in the presence of King Khan was like a dream come true for me. I learnt from him the true meaning of humility despite being one of the biggest movie stars of the world. The show was so impactful that it changed my career.
Q: In the entertainment field, there has been a cut-throat competition. How do you manage to stand apart from all?
A: I would say not just in the entertainment field, but competition exists everywhere. If you see closely, everyone wants to be better than others and prove their worth. My take on dealing with competition is different. My only competition is with myself and my goal is to be a better version of myself every single day. When I look at my fellow colleagues, I only look at their strengths and learn from them as every artist has their own style of doing things. So there has never been competition with others but only with myself. I get inspired by my peers and this attitude has kept sane all these years.
Q: Lastly, what do you have to say to people who quit their job to follow their passion?
A: Many people have previously asked me about it. In my story, I followed my passion and worked relentlessly to reach where I am today. I never encourage anyone to take a rash decision because it is the most important one of your life. One decision can either make or break your career. Quitting a job to follow a passion is a risk but it has to be a calculated one. All I would say is quit your job or change your profession only if you are sure that you can make a career out of it and when you are completely sure about what you want in life. Also, if things don’t work out, always have a plan B so that you have an alternate career plan to fall back on.
