After completing chartered accountancy from Delhi, Santosh Gupta, started a business of his own in Alighar. From Aligarh to Mumbai, he has made a long journey to establish his identity in the entertainment industry as a celebrity manager.

In conversation with Tellychakkar.com, he talks about his story. Read on.

Tell us about your journey in the industry so far…

I belong from Aligarh, a town in Uttar Pradesh. After completing my graduation from Aligarh Muslim University, I moved to Delhi to pursue higher studies in chartered accountancy. Even before the results, I started my business of exporting brass statues from Aligarh to other parts, as I had the pressure of getting married soon. After that, I tried my hands at various businesses like opening up an Archies Gallery, teleshopping and dealing in TBC products. Then I gradually started an event management company, along with a partner.

So, why did you enter the entertainment industry?

Though I was doing various businesses, I was not very satisfied. I wanted to do something more and was looking out for opportunities. One day, a girl came for sponsorship and from then, I turned into an event manager and opened up an event management company, along with the girl. Together we have organized events like Taj Mahotsav and Ghulam Ali Nights, among many others.

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For my event management business, I used to come to Mumbai to arrange for celebrities for the shows. In 2010, I moved to Mumbai permanently and started networking with industry people and after doing many shows, I set up a celebrity management company.

How did you come up with the idea of celebrity management?

When I came to Mumbai, I started with casting for shows, and I assembled few artists for a talent hunt show and gradually started to do shows with television celebrities. At that point, there were many celebrity management companies for Bollywood stars, but nothing substantial for the small screen. That's when I thought of starting a television celebrity management company.

Who are your clients now?

Most of the famous stars from television are my clients. The list includes names like Tina Dutta, Gurmeet Choudhury, Mohit Raina, Mohit Malik, Mouni Roy, and Rashami Desai to name a few.

Did you have to struggle in this profession?

If you are talking about financial difficulties then I did not have to struggle much as I already had an established business in Aligarh. But yes, it was a cut-throat competition in Mumbai as it was really difficult to get actors at the beginning. Gradually, I built up a good rapport with the celebs and things started to sorted out. 

What are your future plans now?

I am trying to enter Bollywood space. Recently, I had a talk with Manish Paul’s manager and we are trying to strike a deal. I am also planning to start a production house. The talks are on for it, let’s see how it works.

We wish Santosh loads of luck!