‘Don’t stagnate, always reinvent’
11 Jan 2015 9:31 PM GMT
You must remember the bubbly girl playing Meghna in the National Award winning movie Khosla Ka Ghosla. Yes, we are talking about Tara Sharma. The fair-charming lady who debuted in Bollywood with Anupam Kher’s Om Jai Jagdish has been aloof from the mainstream for quite a long time. The actress got married to Roopak Saluja in 2007 and have two kids Zen and Kai who kept her busy way long. Well, after that the ‘mompreneur’ in her came out. Tara successfully concluded two seasons of The Tara Sharma Show – Ek Nayi Ma Ka Safar and is up with the third season too!
Let’s hear from Tara Sharma about how she manages her family, work and her life as a mompreneur. Excerpts :
How did you come up with the idea of show?
Soon after I became a Mum I realised I was loving being a hands on mum but slowly I wanted to get back to work too. I tried to think of what I could do that would combine being with our kids and working. It struck me that I had seen cooking show, carpentry show, all kinds of show, but never an honest, maybe humorous and hopefully helpful show on bringing up kids. So I decided why not try and create one! My husband Roopak loved my idea and as he has a media company, he agreed to co-produce the show with me and as I have a business background I went about looking for sponsors and TV channels. We got great sponsors Johnson’s Baby and channels, Star World, and the show is now in it’s 3rd Season and is getting great response which I hope keeps getting better and better touch wood!
Tell us something about this project.
The Tara Sharma Show is a platform to freely discuss topical parenting issues with people from different walks of life. I play the role of a non-patronising moderator, as me and my guests share experiences, discuss, debate, perhaps laugh and learn as we grow together as parents on the incredible journey of bringing up kids.
The show continues to be rooted in my blog diary as a mum where I refers to personal anecdotes and stories relevant to the particular theme being discussed, always reiterating that I am no expert but just a regular mum who is always learning, hence being relatable and credible to the audience.
There are celebrity and non-celebrity guests on the show as well as tips from professionals – child psychologists, educationists, pediatricians etc, inspirational stories and personal anecdotes.The premise of my show is each to their own and no one should judge another parent as each one’s situation is different.
How do you manage kids, home and your career? What makes you keep the balance?
As always I say each to their own so what works for me may or may not work for someone else. In my case as creating, writing, co producing and hosting our show entails quite a lot of working from home, I find even if sometimes it is very hectic, I do manage most often to have lots of time with our kids. Of course there are times I have to go for shoots and meetings etc but by and large as my show is about parenting I find I am able to work around my kids timings. I am a mompreneur, a word I discovered while creating our show...a mummy entrepreneur! We discussed this and more in episode 1 of our show. Having a good infrastructure of help with my Mumm living in the same building also helps allow me to be a working mum and also good help at home and a supprotive husband who as I often joke is the co producer of our kids and our show!
Are you a strict a mother off the screen?
I am a big believer in balance and most often try and follow a middle path. So in parenting too I think I am somewhere in the middle when it comes to being strict. Not too strict and no too laid back. However as one parent often has to be the more disciplinarian one I think in our case that is Roopak as as I am with the kids more they do sometimes take my strictness with a pinch of salt haaha!
What’s your definition of a perfect modern mom?
I believe each parent is unique, special and perfect in their own way and in their particular situations and for their own children. There is no formula or definition of a perfect parent as everyone is different and I think as long as our kids and happy have good values and are healthy and we are too we are all on the right path. There are always ups and downs and so I think one should enjoy the fact that parentings imperfections are sometimes what make it all the more perfect!
It’s been a long time since you appeared on the silver screen? Any specific reason?
I have been extremely busy with our kids and with creating, writing, co producing and hosting our show and I really love this role and the amazing feedback we are getting touch wood, akes me feel very rewarded. I love acting and would love to act again if a great offer comes my way but to be honest it would have to be really amazing for me to take time away from our kids and my show.
After having kids the truth is unless you are a super star, acting offers become much less so either one can be ok with that or choose not to work or like me one can create their own work and be busier than ever! My Dad used to say to me, ‘If something you want to do doesn’t exist, create it. Don’t stagnate, always reinvent’ and I think my creating this show is testimony to that!
Any message to all the working mothers?
Do watch our show, episode 1 is all about this! I would say as always do what works for you. If you enjoy and have to be a full time working mum, find the balance that works for you and make it work. Or is part time or a mompreneur like me. Most important I think is to becontent and happy in the choices you make as as one of our guests said on my show, happy parents = happy children.
Any plans to make a comeback in Bollywood?
As mentioned in my answer two questions above, if a great role comes along and I can work it around our kids and my show, sure.
Let’s hear from Tara Sharma about how she manages her family, work and her life as a mompreneur. Excerpts :
How did you come up with the idea of show?
Soon after I became a Mum I realised I was loving being a hands on mum but slowly I wanted to get back to work too. I tried to think of what I could do that would combine being with our kids and working. It struck me that I had seen cooking show, carpentry show, all kinds of show, but never an honest, maybe humorous and hopefully helpful show on bringing up kids. So I decided why not try and create one! My husband Roopak loved my idea and as he has a media company, he agreed to co-produce the show with me and as I have a business background I went about looking for sponsors and TV channels. We got great sponsors Johnson’s Baby and channels, Star World, and the show is now in it’s 3rd Season and is getting great response which I hope keeps getting better and better touch wood!
Tell us something about this project.
The Tara Sharma Show is a platform to freely discuss topical parenting issues with people from different walks of life. I play the role of a non-patronising moderator, as me and my guests share experiences, discuss, debate, perhaps laugh and learn as we grow together as parents on the incredible journey of bringing up kids.
The show continues to be rooted in my blog diary as a mum where I refers to personal anecdotes and stories relevant to the particular theme being discussed, always reiterating that I am no expert but just a regular mum who is always learning, hence being relatable and credible to the audience.
There are celebrity and non-celebrity guests on the show as well as tips from professionals – child psychologists, educationists, pediatricians etc, inspirational stories and personal anecdotes.The premise of my show is each to their own and no one should judge another parent as each one’s situation is different.
How do you manage kids, home and your career? What makes you keep the balance?
As always I say each to their own so what works for me may or may not work for someone else. In my case as creating, writing, co producing and hosting our show entails quite a lot of working from home, I find even if sometimes it is very hectic, I do manage most often to have lots of time with our kids. Of course there are times I have to go for shoots and meetings etc but by and large as my show is about parenting I find I am able to work around my kids timings. I am a mompreneur, a word I discovered while creating our show...a mummy entrepreneur! We discussed this and more in episode 1 of our show. Having a good infrastructure of help with my Mumm living in the same building also helps allow me to be a working mum and also good help at home and a supprotive husband who as I often joke is the co producer of our kids and our show!
Are you a strict a mother off the screen?
I am a big believer in balance and most often try and follow a middle path. So in parenting too I think I am somewhere in the middle when it comes to being strict. Not too strict and no too laid back. However as one parent often has to be the more disciplinarian one I think in our case that is Roopak as as I am with the kids more they do sometimes take my strictness with a pinch of salt haaha!
What’s your definition of a perfect modern mom?
I believe each parent is unique, special and perfect in their own way and in their particular situations and for their own children. There is no formula or definition of a perfect parent as everyone is different and I think as long as our kids and happy have good values and are healthy and we are too we are all on the right path. There are always ups and downs and so I think one should enjoy the fact that parentings imperfections are sometimes what make it all the more perfect!
It’s been a long time since you appeared on the silver screen? Any specific reason?
I have been extremely busy with our kids and with creating, writing, co producing and hosting our show and I really love this role and the amazing feedback we are getting touch wood, akes me feel very rewarded. I love acting and would love to act again if a great offer comes my way but to be honest it would have to be really amazing for me to take time away from our kids and my show.
After having kids the truth is unless you are a super star, acting offers become much less so either one can be ok with that or choose not to work or like me one can create their own work and be busier than ever! My Dad used to say to me, ‘If something you want to do doesn’t exist, create it. Don’t stagnate, always reinvent’ and I think my creating this show is testimony to that!
Any message to all the working mothers?
Do watch our show, episode 1 is all about this! I would say as always do what works for you. If you enjoy and have to be a full time working mum, find the balance that works for you and make it work. Or is part time or a mompreneur like me. Most important I think is to becontent and happy in the choices you make as as one of our guests said on my show, happy parents = happy children.
Any plans to make a comeback in Bollywood?
As mentioned in my answer two questions above, if a great role comes along and I can work it around our kids and my show, sure.
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