Awards have never really been a deciding
factor in producer Rajan Shahi’s life and career because the adulation and love from the viewers for his shows such as Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Anupamaa is always been a testimony of his success. Recently, his show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai won multiple awards at Star Parivaar Awards and the show has been constantly receiving love from his fans.
Rajan Shahi’s journey has been no ordinary journey and his road to success has been exponentially inspiring. Shahi created a niche for himself in the Indian television industry by creating realistic and relatable dramas. Starting his career as a director in 1999 with Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, he turned producer in 2007 and has created pathbreaking shows like Sapna Babul Ka…Bidaai, Amrit Manthan, Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, Havan, Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, to name a few, in various genres under his banner Director’s Kut Productions, he also has one of the longest-running shows Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai on Indian television to his credit. In 2020, Rajan teamed up with his mother, Deepa Shahi, and formed a new production house called Shahi Productions Pvt Ltd. The launch of the new production house was marked by the debut of their new show Anupamaa, which quickly became a trendsetter. Not just that, Rajan even made his Marathi debut in 2019 with Aai Kuthe Kay Karte which became super successful in no time.
Rajan comes from an equally acclaimed family and has surely lived up to the legacy. His maternal grandfather late P. Jairaj was an acclaimed filmmaker, actor and Dada Saheb Phalke awardee. Though he is the third generation in the industry, he learned the basics of the business only with his sheer hardwork and rose from the grassroot level to create a niche for himself. His mom too is a co-producer of “Anupamaa” and is happy that the show has been received so well.
However, despite being born as a grandson of the legendary P. Jairaj, he has worked in every department to become one of the top rated directors and then finally opening a production house. When he decided to be a producer, he decided to be a hands-on producer and involved in every aspect of the show, whether it’s scripting, execution, editing.
In fact, his team absolutely adores him. The philosophy about DKP is always team work. Rajan always keeps his team happy and acknowledges the involvement of everyone. It’s a very committed team for their shows. Since the first show Sapna…Babul Ka Bidaai, the team members are the same but with the growth of the company every member has also grown. Rajan Shahi has a very transparent way of working. His treatment towards his team and actors is exemplary as he values their work and ethics. They do few shows but DKP puts all their heart and hard work into the shows and they reinvent themselves. They make trend setting shows. DKP has great networking and the company is based on ethics. Lots of interesting subjects are picked up and the presenting style is very unique. DKP shows never compromise on their look, feel and style. Along with that DKP shows run long as a lot of hard work is put behind it and it’s a dream for every actor and technician to work with DKP. Rajan Shahi’s team is known for their humble nature and has a very transparent and organisational way of functioning by creating new trends and types of genre
A family whose love for the business and the industry only grew over the years so much so that now the fourth generation is taking baby steps into the trade. Rajan’s daughter, Ishika Shahi, has done her studies in business and media studies and has even directed two short films in the past. She recently made her modelling debut and shot for some interesting campaigns. While she is looking forward to a career in modelling, the love for direction and production is in her blood. She is quite interested in working with her father and explore the production world in the digital space.
Looking at Rajan’s 30 years of experience in the industry which includes over 10,000 episodes of his shows collectively and more than 5000 hours of content as a director and producer is a feat only achieved by some. He has not only given top-rated shows like “Anupamaa” and “Aai Kuthe Kay Karte”, but has given many new faces to the industry too. A man who has made a name for himself only by his sheer hard work and love for his craft, we can only expect the best from Ishika as well
