MUMBAI: Writer Sameer Arora, creator of Paparazzi Entertainment Company’s spiritual show The Vedas Speak, says that the spiritual show is an attempt to bring the philosophy of the scriptures into the language of the present. He adds that this will help a new generation find resonance with their depth and meaning.
Speaking about how he balances the wisdom of the Vedas with modern storytelling, he recalled the struggles of his early years. “I started writing in 1990, though I got an official opportunity only in 2001. For those eleven years, I survived in the industry and worked as an office boy, production assistant, assistant director, and assistant in the art and editing departments. I got a chance to edit a show called Yug on DD, and that’s when I got a better hang of screenwriting. My initial work did not find success, and there was no astrologer whom I did not consult. All of them said that I had a ‘Neech’ ka Shani. I decided to be my own astrologer and started learning in 2007 with the intention of reversing my challenges. That’s when I began to discover the power of the Vedas and the wisdom that the scriptures hold.”
Sameer explained how his faith became a turning point. “I fell in love with Krishna and surrendered myself to His energy. It gave me immense confidence. I had begun to interpret the wisdom in my own way, and I started to believe that Saturn would open the door of success for me, and it happened. My Saturn dasha began in 2013, and I delivered the blockbuster show Ek Hasina Thhi, and since then, I haven’t looked back. Saturn became my Raj Yog Karaka despite being debilitated,” he said.
But the memory of his most difficult phase remains etched in his mind. “I was battling for survival, and trust me when I say this, I literally had just 485 rupees in the bank in the summer of 2006. It was the wisdom of the Vedic scriptures that became a guiding light in that phase. I consider them my savior, and it is possible that there are many like me fighting their own battles. The intention of The Vedas Speak, our spiritual show, is to offer ease and light to those who seek it.”
The influence of his family, especially his children, pushed him to adapt his approach for younger audiences. “Because of my twins, who have just turned into adults, I got a chance to interact with Gen Z, and I realized that many of them do not resonate with the way spirituality is generally expressed, and it was a concern for me. Having a generation that is disconnected from the Bhagavad Gita and the wisdom of our scriptures was a disturbing thought. This was the impetus to present my show in a language and style that conveys the concepts and theories from the scriptures in a modern way that could resonate with them as well,” he said.
For him, his creative and spiritual paths are deeply intertwined. “I now feel that Krishna made me a writer to equip me for this journey, which I know is my soul’s purpose. Spirituality, and talking about it, brings me peace and happiness that I cannot describe in words,” he said.
On the relationship between astrology and the Vedas, he shared a strong conviction. “I will start by saying that using astrology merely for the sake of predictions is a big folly. Astrology is the greatest study we have been blessed with. It is, in fact, the study of Lord Vishnu Himself. Why do I say so? Because these planets and grahas sustain our lives, and Lord Vishnu has been given the charge of nourishing and nurturing us.”
He added, “To me, astrology is one of the key lenses through which Vedic wisdom can be decoded. Vedic philosophy harnesses tremendous energy, and one of the ways to understand its deeper meaning is through astrology, by studying the Navagrahas, the 12 Bhavas, the 12 Rashis, and the 27 Nakshatras. Astrology is the map of life. It holds the answers to every turn and twist we go through in our journey. It is the most beautiful tool we have been gifted. A horoscope does not just hold the Navagrahas, it also harnesses the energy of the nine Avatars of Vishnu and the nine manifestations of Maa Shakti.”
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