May 13, 2026 10:00am IST
Shantanu Maheshwari on ‘Campus Beats’ Milestone and Why Indian Entertainment Industry Needs Risk-Takers (EXCLUSIVE)
Now into its sixth season, “Campus Beats” has created a record for becoming the longest-running Indian web series. Shantanu Maheshwari, whom viewers have seen previously on youth shows like “Dil Dosti Dance,” “MTV Girls On Top” and “Yeh Hai Aashiqui,” headlines the show.
Sharing his joy with Variety India, the actor says, “When the team started with the first season of ‘Campus Beats’ (2023), they never thought it would achieve this milestone of becoming the Indian series with the maximum number of seasons. The youth drama genre is tough to crack in terms of storytelling and world-building. Moreover, our series also had a dance backdrop with an ensemble cast in a simulated reality setting.”
In “Campus Beats,” Shantanu plays Ishaan Mehrotra, the quintessential bad boy with a good heart. He admits being unsure if he could pull it off with conviction. He elaborates, “I was extremely skeptical if I could do justice to the character as the writer envisioned it. The reason being I had never played such a role before.” He also credits the makers for giving him such a multidimensional role. “Very few characters make you feel like you are living the lifetime of a person, Ishaan’s one of them,” he adds.
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While Indian TV audiences have seen some truly memorable youth shows in the past, like “Banegi Apni Baat,” (1993) “Campus,” (1993) “Dill Mill Gaye,” (2007) “Remix” (2004) and “Hip Hip Hurray” (1998), shows around urban youth in present times are few and far between. There is no concept of multi-genre youth shows in India like there is in South Korea or the West. Shantanu admits to this, adding, “People might assume it is easy, given there is a huge target audience. India’s youth demographic is massive, but there is a constant shift in content preferences in the urban segment. I feel makers do not create enough stories for India’s urban youth. This might be a reason why young Indian viewers are gravitating toward South Korean or Western content.”
International shows like “Euphoria,” “XO, Kitty,” “Maxton Hall - The World Between Us”, “Weak Hero,” “Study Group,” enjoy a huge fan base in India, but somehow Indian makers have not come up with a very successful youth show of late. The obsession with numbers seen in OTT platforms seems to be a key decision-maker. Shantanu also expresses that platforms are number-driven and makers do not get the scope to experiment with stories. He reminisces about working on the Netflix series, “Tooth Pari: When Love Bites,” a fresh take on a vampire and human love story. “It had a completely original script. Also, I feel viewers easily accept foreign shows with such stories, but will need more time to warm up to similar content from Indian showrunners. Perhaps Indian producers need to think more about it and tell unique stories rooted in India. Making a show is also risking time and money. The Indian entertainment industry needs some risk-takers to create such stories,” he opines.
Over the years, Indian web series set in small towns like “Kota Factory,” “Panchayat” and “Jamtara” have found a loyal audience. Shantanu comments, “Creating a story around urban youth is challenging as their needs, problems and desires change faster than those in rural India. As of now, content consumption is higher in the rural areas, hence makers might be more focused on that demographic. I feel that if the content is good, youth all over India will enjoy it, whether they are city-based or village-based. The popularity of the platform also matters.”
Shantanu, one of the founders of Desi Hoppers, a dance crew that won World of Dance 2015 Championships and performed on “America’s Got Talent” (Season 11), started his career as a dancer. He shares how “Michael” was the only movie he ensured he did not miss out on while promoting “Campus Beats.” He says, “I loved it. It was a clean film. It was not something they wanted to make to spark controversy. It was a story every fan wanted to hear and experience. I feel even today’s youth need to see a glimpse of him.”
He further says, “Michael Jackson’s journey is too vast for a two-hour-long movie. The rage, power and ambition he exemplified are unparalleled, as is his insane fandom. I know it because I have a dance background. To date, hip-hop choreographers admire him for incorporating street-style dancing in his videos. All the OGs of the hip-hop world look up to him. He is still very relevant today.”
Shantanu also heaps praises on Jaafar Jackson, who plays his uncle Michael, commenting, “He had big shoes to fill, and he is amazing for his debut film. Hats off to the entire team for making him look so much like Michael Jackson.”
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