Director Akarsh Khurana addresses students of MICA at MICANVAS

MICA's annual marketing fest MICANVAS began on Friday, November 18. The first day of MICANVAS began with an inspiring session by Akarsh Khurana, noted director, writer and actor who spoke of his long-standing love for the movies, the craft of writing and the many turning points in his career.
“Surround yourself with things you love; and find your voice in whatever you do,” said Akarsh Khurana, to the students of MICA, Ahmedabad.

Akarsh, known for his notable works including movies like Krrish, Karwaan, Rashmi Rocket, a popular web series Tripling and more, addressed the students as part of MICANVAS. The speaker session was organized under the festival’s segment called ‘Mindspeak’ which brings eminent personalities from the industry to MICA to deliver the most insightful sessions. His highly captivating session titled ‘Roll Camera Action: My Life in Media’ covered the highs and lows of his career and life as a skilled and renowned media professional.

The session was graced by professor Shailendra Raj Mehta, President & Director, MICA and professor Githa Heggde, Dean, MICA along with several faculty members. Akarsh spoke of his long-standing love for the movies, the craft of writing and the many turning points in his career that had a massive bearing on his life and his perception of how to live it fully.

Emphasizing the ever-growing scope of storytelling in the country, he spoke of the pervasiveness of content. “All content has an audience and, every audience has a piece of content that caters to them. This is the perfect climate to tell the stories that you believe in because there will always be an audience looking forward to what you have to tell,” said Akarsh.

Speaking of different kinds of stories, he shared the nitty-gritty of writing for different seasons for shows like Mismatched and Tripling. “Covid-19 changed the way I looked at life. I had to also relook at the kind of stories I wanted to tell. Season 1 of Mismatched was a campus love story, but Season 2 addressed therapy and body shaming issues. It made me tackle real issues. We need to stop underestimating the audience,” said Akarsh.

Sharing his insights on successful brand integration, he cited an example of Tripling, which features the newly launched Tiago car as a focal point in an enriching story. “Organic brand integration is very hard to combine. Brand integrations must be content dependent and not brand dependent,” said Akarsh.

On a concluding note, he urged the students to find their voice, “No matter what industry you are in, what is absolutely crucial is to surround yourself with things that you love and find your voice. Pushing back in life is the key to growth and fighting for what you believe in is what matters the most. It is why I never shy from creating shows that are unafraid to tackle real-world problems. Because those are the stories I want to tell.”

These purposeful lines resonated with every young MICAn and student present in the room. The session was a roaring success and a chance for the students to learn the ropes of life from a highly experienced and eminent professional like Akarsh Khurana.

In addition, the festival hosted an interesting line-up of exciting and challenging events and competitions.