New Delhi:

Study to pass in life, not just exams, and identify your strengths during challenging times, actors Vikrant Massey and Bhumi Pednekar told school students during an interaction on PM’s Parisha Pe Charcha aired on Sunday. The actors shared their school experiences, tackling exam stress, parental expectations and the importance of resilience at a special session of Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC), an annual event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students appearing for board examinations.

In a shift from the traditional town hall format, this time the prime minister preferred a more informal setting and took the students to Delhi’s iconic Sunder Nursery for his annual interaction with them ahead of board exams.

Massey, who saw a career turnaround with the 2023 film “12th Fail”, asked students to practice the “power of visualisation”.

“We all know how to subconsciously visualise. You can take out 10 minutes a day to write about your feelings and what you wish to achieve in a journal… It’s a kind of manifestation,” he said.

“Never feel arrogant about getting good marks. Keep your eyes low and your thinking high. That’s very important. Study to pass in life, not just exams. Be kind to yourself and if you do not meet your expectations, restart,” he added.

Recalling the time she lost her father, Pednekar said she was very young when she realised she had to focus on her strengths.

“At that age you don’t realise that such a big unfortunate event has happened to you. I just knew I had to play by my strengths. Identify your strengths during challenging times… Explore new ways to learn… Like whenever I am given a scene, I try doing it in different ways,” the “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” actor said during the eighth edition of PPC.

During his school days, Massey said he was “an above average student” who was more into sports.

“I used to pick up books days before exams. We had cable TV at the time so that used to be disconnected during exams… I’m a bit sad to see today’s generation. Our playtime was all about the playground. For today’s generation, it’s mobile. Cricket, which is our country’s most favourite sport, requires one to be present in the moment. Even the prime minister says ‘The present is God’s favourite present’,” he added.

Pednekar too said she was never a frontbencher and used to enjoy participating in extracurricular activities.

“I was a very obedient student and I still am. I was mischievous but I shared a beautiful relationship with my teachers… I realised early on that I want to be an actor. I wanted my parents to be happy and proud so I used to work very hard in studies.” Children are unable to grow when the expectations of parents start to feel like a burden, added Massey.

“Express yourself. If your parents want you to become an engineer but you want to become a photographer, you should tell them what you feel. They will get convinced over a period of time because all they want for you is to be happy,” he told students.

Pednekar emphasised the importance of having a good sleep routine.

“I used to take an hour-long break in a day during exams. I would go out and play, I loved dancing, playing badminton. All that was important for me was to give my brain a break…

“When I was young, I just didn’t want to sleep. Now when I’m shooting, I quickly finish my lunch in 15 minutes and sleep for half an hour. That half an hour of sleep will give me a very focused eight hours at work,” she added.

Massey shared his three hacks on how to be an ‘Exam Warrior’.

“Eat well, rest well; keep improving; and go, play, unplug,” he said.

Asked to give her go-to tips to handle stress, Pednekar said: “Be a warrior, not a worrier. Being spiritual keeps you grounded and focused.” Previously, eminent personalities like boxer MC Mary Kom, spiritual leader Sadhguru, and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone also shared their experiences and knowledge with students on key aspects of life and learning in different episodes of Pariksha Pe Charcha this year.

The first edition of the prime minister’s interactive programme with school and college students was held at the Talkatora Stadium in February 2018. Its seventh edition was held in a town hall format at the Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, engaging participants from across the country and overseas.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Actors Bhumi Pednekar and Shehnaaz Gill visited the new Parliament building today ahead of the release of their upcoming movie ‘Thank You For Coming.’ They met with Union Minister Anurag Thakur along with their other co-stars Shibani Bedi and Dolly Singh.

Speaking to NDTV about the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, or the women’s reservation bill, Bhumi Pednekar said: “I feel very proud to be here and be a part of such a historic moment. It is a beautiful building (the new Parliament). Being a modern, Indian woman, this (women’s reservation bill) is a very important thing for us. Through our films and our work, we have tried to maintain equality for our gender. The messaging of the bill will go far and wide – change is here and our tomorrow will be even better.”

“The bill will bring a change that will help women get better representation. If there are no women in places of power, the policies and laws won’t be proper. The representation will happen now, there is hope,” she added.

Ms Pednekar’s co-actor Shehnaaz Gill said men and women should be treated the same. “It is a big thing for me … Something big is happening for the women of our country and I am here. I am here on a historic day. I had the opportunity to see the Parliament from inside. Not everyone gets such an opportunity. I even heard the debate (on the women’s reservation bill). 

“It is a good thing – the proposal to have 33% reservation in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. I feel men and women should be treated the same. India is growing,” she said.

“It felt nice to see the House proceedings live after seeing them on TV for so many years. We went around the complex and everything was explained to us. I got to see the art on display. It was fantastic,” Ms Gill said.

The new Parliament reverberated with fiery speeches from women MPs today during a heated debate on the women’s reservation bill. Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, DMK MP Kanimozhi, and the NCP’s Supriya Sule ripped into the government for failing to respect women, while Union Minister Smriti Irani responded by declaring the government has “made women count”.