As an actor, Shakti fully committed himself to performing and pursued his passion. He found inspiration in his life struggles, using them as a driving force to continuously learn and improve.

Shakti Gaikwad is an artist and space manager at Indie Productions.

Originally hailing from Maharashtra, he relocated to Ahmedabad twenty-five years ago due to his father's employment. He did his schooling in Gujarat itself and used to do drama and theater in school. Opting not to pursue higher education, he started working immediately after completing his schooling. He worked in various sectors, including marketing, sales, and call center roles.

In 2015, Shakti's life took a turn when his father was diagnosed with cancer. In pursuit of superior medical treatment, the family moved back to Mumbai.

Unfortunately, his father succumbed to the illness in 2016. He took on the responsibilities of his family and started doing two jobs at that time. Realizing that he would not be able to do these jobs for long, he decided to pursue his passion for acting. He talked to his mother about it, and she supported him in his decision but also warned that it would require complete dedication and that struggle would be inevitable.

Shakti recounts relocating to Mumbai in 2017 while his mother remained in Ahmedabad. He initiated his acting career in the Marathi film industry and concurrently enrolled in an acting workshop. Although initially he faced homesickness and returned to Ahmedabad after a week, his mother encouraged him to continue the workshop's remaining classes on weekends, commuting to Mumbai every Saturday.

Simultaneously, Shakti maintained a call center job in Ahmedabad during the weekdays. The purpose of the workshop was to identify his strengths and weaknesses and receive constructive feedback.

Following the workshop, Shakti received an invitation from Rangayan to participate in their theater workshop. After joining in 2019, the workshop temporarily halted during the lockdown, and he was also not able to attend the online sessions.

Resuming his participation in 2021, he reached out to a fellow participant for help. Eventually, after that, he became involved in theater rehearsals. By chance, he assumed the lead role after the original actor's unfortunate accident. After four months of intensive rehearsals, the play premiered publicly. He continued his job at night and also did theater. He even cycled 16 kms from home to the theater to manage expenses. Subsequently, he secured a job at Prayogshala, the same theater company, enabling him to combine his passion as well as earn from it.

Reflecting on his role models, Shakti cites his mother as his enduring inspiration, who guided and supported him through life's decisions.

To maintain mental peace, Shakti emphasizes the importance of staying connected with friends and never remaining alone.

Offering advice to aspiring artists, Shakti advocates dedicating three months to the field before deciding on their pursuit. He also advises that if they are engaged in some other profession, they should not leave it just for theater because it might not be a good source of income for them.