ITV

Tag: Chalti Ka Naam Antakshri

  • “Channels do interfere a lot…”: B.A.G Films, Mumbai Head Rajesh Chaddha

    “Channels do interfere a lot…”: B.A.G Films, Mumbai Head Rajesh Chaddha

    To say that Rajesh Chaddha, Head of Mumbai operations of B.A.G.Films, is a man of steel would be an understatement. The production house’s game show Hai Na Bolo Bolo recently went through a really rough patch, but Chaddha has weathered the storm.

    The show, launched early this year, did not start off on a promising note. The TRPs were as low as 1.78. Chaddha went in for a risky revamp, one that saw the replacement of host Karan Oberoi with Ravi Behl. The trick worked and Chaddha is now hoping for greater things for the show.

    “I have done my homework. I am sure Hai Na Bolo Bolo will pick up,” he says, rocking back and forth in his chair, almost suggesting that ups and downs are a part of every business. Clearly, this man believes in the ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ adage. He has faced challenges before, only to emerge triumphant.

    Into his ninth year with B.A.G.Films, he has no plans to shift loyalties. In fact, he has chalked out big, ambitious plans for the company. Taking time off from his busy schedule at his office, he spoke to Vickey Lalwani.Excerpts:

    Of late, you have revamped your show ‘Hai Na Bolo Bolo’. What went wrong?
    Nothing went wrong as such. Let me tell you from the beginning. Our Chalti Ka Naam Antakshri had run for about two years. It was losing its freshness. It needed a break. We suggested that we’d do a new game show. Star Plus showed keen interest and asked us to get ready.

    I personally designed Hai Na Bolo Bolo right from its look to the content. Star was mighty impressed. But we had a hitch. We wanted a good-looking singer who could anchor well. We could not get anybody who had all the three qualities- looks, ‘sur’ and style.

    Realising that, we thought of Karan Oberoi and Nausheen Ali Sardar. We had done a lot of surveys, including many mock shows. A large section of the society wanted Kkusum, sorry, Nausheen. We were excited about the idea of software driven shows on television- the first of its kind. We planned only six episodes. We had decided that we’d go by the feedback. It was a trial-n-error exercise.

    Were there errors?
    I guess so. The feedback we received demanded that we go in for an immediate revamp. We needed a transformation, in terms of the format and the set. We needed to add pace and colour.

    But why did Ravi Behl step into Karan Oberoi’s shoes?
    Karan Oberoi informed us that he did not have dates to shoot the newly improvised episodes, as he was busy shooting for a feature film in Jakarta along with The Band of Boys. He tried to readjust his schedule but his prior commitments could not be rescheduled. And so, we parted ways amicably. Then arose the question of finding the replacement. We had a long debate on who we should rope in. Finally, we zeroed in on Ravi Behl. He has done a mind-blowing job. To top it all, he is a gifted singer.
    “EPs can never be a hindrance in a proper and phased structure like ours“

     

    If Karan had not been booked for Jakarta, would he have remained?
    Hmmm. Yes, but going by the feedback on anchors’ profile, he would have had to undergo a change in his look and style. If you see carefully, even Nausheen has undergone lots of changes in the new version.

    Rewind. How did you get into production in television?
    While I was doing my MBA from Pune university, I was absorbed by Reliance as a marketing trainee. Before that, I had a brief stint at Contract and HTA. Reliance slotted me in their company called Observer India. Out of the blue, Rajiv Shukla, who was also working there, asked me that why I didn’t get into television. He said I would be better suited to the electronic media. He even offered me a job… in B.A.G. Films. As it was, I was not enjoying my work at Reliance.

    Why?
    It was a typical 9-5 job. I was looking for something creative which would offer me some flexible atmosphere. I found myself quite suffocated and straitjacketed there.

    So you took up Rajeev Shukla’s offer?
    Yeah. I took it up, but not before I had made sure that I was going to like it. It is extremely important that you feel a sense of enjoyment before you feel a sense of belonging.

    Then?
    Suddenly, I discovered that my new boss Anurradha Prasad was Shukla’s wife! (smiles).

    Interesting. Please continue…
    The company was in operation since 1993. I joined them in 1994. It was a very small set-up at that point of time. There were just four or five people working for the company. They wanted me to look after the ‘marketing and business development’. Today, after nine years, I am the head of their Mumbai operations.

    Initially, Anurradha Prasad and I were doing the spade work for the launching of Channel 9 in India. During that exercise, we realised that it was imperative to have an office in Mumbai. The television and film people we met were under the impression that we were a Delhi-based set-up, heavily into political, infotech and cookery shows, despite the fact that we had done lots of fiction in the past.

    We were not being taken as a complete production house. Imagine, we had done Chalti Ka Naam Antakshri, Do Aur Do Paanch and Tum Pukar Lo by that time! Yet… Anyway, clearly, we had missed out on a large chunk. Enough was enough. We decided to set up our own thing in Mumbai. Anurradha entrusted me with the challenging task of setting the ball rolling in Mumbai.

    As a producer, what difficulties do you encounter?
    No project can sail through without some problem. Moreover, every project has a different difficulty. But the most common difficulty is scheduling the dates of the artistes. If there’s a goof-up in a daily serial, the situation can get completely out of hand. The channel deadlines have to be met at any cost.
    “We do feel like puppets, but whatever they say, works towards the betterment of the programme”

    What is the job of an EP? At the end of the day, is he really an asset? Last week, a director told me that the EP department often messes up the whole show.
    EPs can never be a hindrance in a proper and phased structure like ours. In fact, an EP is responsible proper execution of the show. He/she is the hands-on person.

    Coming to our structure. We have an in-house creative department, programming department, finance department and a news bureau. Extensive research and debate is done on every decision taken. Every staff member here is a professional. The pros and cons of every aspect are dwelt upon. The requirement of the director and the technicality which varies from project to project is never compromised upon.

    Like, when we start off on a serial, we first go deep into the story. We ensure that there are enough twists and turns in the plot so as to keep the viewers’ interest alive. Importantly, we safeguard the viewers’ sensibilities. Then, we sit and decide upon the director. He/she has to be the best one for handling the genre of that project. If we are coming out with a thriller, it would be foolish to take someone who specialises in socials.

    Going back to the EP aspect. At least in our set-up, we have a production manager and a scheduler who work in tandem with the EP. This reduces the load of our EP, which in turn, promises better output. Like it happens in some productions houses, our EPs don’t have to monitor petty things like availability of lights, time-setting with the artistes, etc. Our EPs are rather focused on the requirements expressed by the directors on sets and taking care that the scenes are executed exactly in the manner written. We allow the lines to be changed here and there, but not the gist of the scene.

    If memory serves me right, you dropped Indranil Goswami who was directing your serial ‘Haqeeqat’. Why?
    There again, we had not made a wrong choice. Midway, we realised that Goswami was unavailable to devote sufficient time to the project, which in turn, had an adverse effect on our despatches which otherwise have always been timely. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he was a Kolkata-based guy. So let’s not say that we dropped him, but rather, we parted amicably.

    Does PR with channels help in getting a programme passed?
    I don’t think so. Today, channels can judge the quality of your product immediately. Only if they find that you have the class, talent and potential to sustain, you will get the nod. In the early days of satellite television, PR might have been a helping factor. Initially, even I laboured under this myth.

    Do channels pressurise the production houses?
    Channels interfere a lot. At times, the creative department’s viewpoint does not go down well with the channel guys, and you have to alter or even resurrect the whole thing to satisfy them. Sometimes, they say that what we have written has been already shown on the tube, sometimes they do not like the look and the clothes of a particular artiste… Channel guys are literally dominating the scene. At times, with other production houses, I have even heard that the channel has got the director changed, saying that the current one is not happening. It’s a big problem, but at the same time, a good learning experience.

    A learning experience! With so much of intervening, don’t you guys feel like puppets?
    We do feel like puppets, but whatever they say, works towards the betterment of the programme. Today, our serial Kumkum on Star Plus has touched a TRP of 7, which is a record of sorts in the afternoon transmission. Let me admit that Star Plus has been a big player in the success story of this serial.

    What next?
    We are coming up with a one hour weekly show. It will be fiction. It’s for Star Plus, hopefully. After that, we have planned a crime series, which will be based on true stories. And then we are coming out with feature films. Our budgets will not be extravagant.

    We have two scripts up our sleeve. One is a cross-over project, to be shot 25 per cent in France. The other one is a comedy thriller. A formal announcement in this regard is in the offing. And before I forget, let me tell you that we are broadening our news set-up. We are very serious about news and current affairs. We are coming up with a big set up in Delhi in this regard in terms of studio, and will probably have an uplinking facility there. Who knows, we might even come out with a news channel of our own!
  • ‘The very scope of creating something new is extremely limited on TV’ : Vipul D Shah

    ‘The very scope of creating something new is extremely limited on TV’ : Vipul D Shah

    For someone who came to Mumbai from a small town in Gujarat as a teenager and could hardly speak or even understand English, Vipul D Shah has certainly come a long way.

    Shah made his debut as a writer with the Anand Mahendroo-directed Dekh Bhai Dekh which won him the TV and Video World best writer award. Soon to follow were other successful comedies like Philips Top 10, Battle of Bollywood, Asha Parekh's Dal Mein Kala, I Love You and the recently concluded soap on SABe TV Lekin.

    Shah is a restless guy. Not satisfied with the money and fame that TV writing gave (by his own admission, his desire in life is to be extremely rich and famous and he plans to achieve this by being a successful writer-director of movies), Shah ventured into direction. He is currently directing Chalti Ka Naam Antakshri on Star TV, which shot into fame last year when 10 of its episodes were shot in the open near the India Gate and all of these had prominent celebrities as their participants. Shah is the producer of Khulja Sim Sim on Star TV which is already off to a flying start in its first few weeks.

    The writer in Shah is also very much alive and kicking.

    He is the writer of the soon-to-be-released film Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, produced by Vashu Bhagnani, which is the remake of a Tamil film Minnele, also written by him.

    Indiantelevision.com's correspondent Amar met Vipul to find out what makes the man tick.

    How did the idea of being the writer of TV serials come to you?
    There is an interesting story behind it. I came to Mumbai when I was in Std. 8 from a small village called Parnala in interior Gujarat. I could hardly speak or understand English. One day my teacher asked me what my aim in life was. I confused aim for name, since both words sounded similar. So I replied Vipul D. Shah. She kept asking me the same question and I kept replying Vipul D. Shah. Finally, she punished me by making me stand on the bench for more than an hour. I felt extremely humiliated and when I returned home, I asked my uncle the meaning of aim. At that very point I decided that my aim in life would be to make a name in whatever I do. Since even as a child I enjoyed writing Gujarati poetry and was fascinated by movies, I immediately decided that my aim in life would be to become a successful writer and director in the medium. I have not deviated from this since.

    Your forte seems to be comedy. Any specific reason for that?
    No, not really. I have never taken life too seriously and have had this knack of finding something funny in every situation. This attitude was there in me even in my days of struggle and it reflects in my writing.

    They say comedy is the most difficult part of acting. Does it hold true in writing also?
    Well, it depends from person to person. I have found it the easiest because my attitude to life is one of going out and having fun. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing my comedies.
    I came to Mumbai when I was in Std. 8 from a small village called Parnala in interior Gujarat. I could hardly speak or understand English.

    Where do you draw your inspiration from?
    I draw my inspiration or flair for comedy from the small and oft forgotten incidents / conversations that take place in our daily lives and the characters I get to see and interact with regularly. See, I 've told you, it is not difficult for me to search for a comical twist in any situation and this is my biggest strength. Political satire doesn't impress me because I hardly take any interest in it.

    How do you go about creating your characters?
    Almost all my characters have traits of people I normally get to meet or observe in real life. Whatever shades a character in a comedy serial requires is more or less taken care of by this.

    It is said that in shooting a comedy quite a bit of improvisation takes place on the shoot which must be requiring you to alter the script regularly. How do you cope with this?
    Are you present on the shoots? Yes. I have been present on 95 per cent of my shoots. On many an occasion I have even written the future episodes on the shoot. This is because unlike soaps which move in a set style or pattern, the style of comedy ought to be altered immediately if on the shoot you find that what actually comes out is not quite what you expected it to be like.

    Outline your whole process of work right from the conception of the idea to the actual churning out of the serial.
    The first thing I do is conceive a concept. In doing that, I look for a new approach and treatment to subjects rather than being very particular about new subjects altogether, because TV is a limiting medium and moreover in the last 10-15 years, every possible subject has more or less been explored. Then I gather the necessary matter or content. If need be some market research or information searching is needed, especially if it is a film based-programme. Thereafter I write the screenplay and dialogues of a sample episode and take it to producers and directors. This is the complete process I had followed in the case of a program called Battle of Bollwood, which was my brainchild.

    What you write for the 20th episode can more or less be repeated in the 25th episode on different characters and with some other minor changes.

    We've heard a lot about the significance of catchy one-liners in a comedy. Just how important are they?
    Nobody can deny the importance of one-liners and playing with words. I feel I have a good sense of humour and can play with virtually every word or sentence. For instance, a simple word or sentence like "Baal bachche hain"? (Do you have children?) can be shown as being understood by the other person as – Is your hair intact? – And the other person starts feeling his hair. It's as simple as that.

    How much time does it take you to write one episode and how many projects do you work on simultaneously?
    Normally, it takes me two days to write the complete story, screenplay and dialogues of one episode. I don't work on more than two projects at a time because when I take up more than two projects, my interest levels tend to wane.

    What is your writing schedule like?
    (Laughs) I am a very lazy writer. I don't start writing seriously unless the deadline is very close, even though the ideas are there in my mind. I like to write in the mornings and late nights. Afternoons and evenings are spent meeting people.

    How paying is TV writing?
    I won't say the money is bad, even though it does not satisfy me. (Laughs) I am too ambitious. I have got anywhere between Rs15,000 to Rs.25,000 per episode.

    How is writing a movie different from writing a serial?
    Writing a movie is like writing a novel while writing a serial is like writing a newspaper article. The shelf life and the recall value of a serial is much, much less. As a result, frankly speaking, at least in my personal case, I have found that I have not been able to put in as much commitment and dedication in writing for TV as I have done in the case of my movie. Also, the very scope of creating something new is extremely limited on TV. For instance, in a long running soap like Lekin, all you need to do is create new plots, even the central story tends to take a backseat and what you write for the 20th episode can more or less be repeated in the 25th episode on different characters and with some other minor changes. I have realized that once you understand a few basic tricks, TV writing can be very easy.

    Tell us how you shot 10 episodes of Chalti ka Naam Antakshri in the open near India Gate?
    Basically, it was the brainchild of Anuradha Prasad, president of BAG Films, which is presenting the show. India Gate is a visual delight at night and we tried to capture it in the backdrop in all 10 episodes of the show. It was an unprecedented move and got us a lot of mileage. We used eight cameras, positioned strategically, for the purpose. The shoot would begin at 7:00 pm and continue till 3:00 am. We were able to complete the entire shoot in just four days which was a very rapid pace considering the vast levels of crowd management required and the presence of celebrities.


    On the sets of Khul Ja Sim Sim with Shruti Ulfat and host Aman Verma (extreme right)
    Nobody can deny the importance of one-liners and playing with words.

    Your quiz show Khul Ja Sim Sim is doing well. What makes game shows click? Do you see this trend continuing?
    Human greed and ambition, the desire and the prospect of making easy and quick money.

    This trend will definitely continue but at the same time not all game shows can succeed. After all, both Zee's and Sony's efforts in this direction have failed. The format of the game show has to be simple and enticing enough to catch the attention of viewers immediately.

    What made you choose Aman Verma as an anchor for the show?
    This decision was taken by the channel. In fact, Star TV has helped us in many areas in the shooting of this show. Also, the infrastructure of Star is an added boon.


    On the sets of Chalti Ka Naam Antakshari with Sachin Pilgaonkar and Shruti.
    I draw my inspiration or flair for comedy from the small and oft forgotten incidents / conversations.

    You've done almost everything – comedy, soaps, gameshows, Antakshri. Was it all planned? What's up next?
    No, none of my career moves have been planned. I take life as it comes.

    As far as my immediate future plans go, we are planning to produce a daily soap and another gameshow. I will continue writing but now expectations from me have gone up and I will be more selective in taking up future projects. As of now, I have not decided what I will write next.

    Many writers feel that the authenticity of what they have visualised gets eroded at times specially if the director has got different ideas. Have you ever felt the same?
    Yes, this happened in the case of Philips Top 10 (on Zee). The director did not have the same flair for comedy and as a result the desired result was not there.

    Which has been the happiest moment of your career?
    (Laughs) Last week, I was driving across Juhu Beach. Within a stone's throw of one another, there were two hoardings with my name on them. One had me mentioned as writer of "Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein" and the other had me mentioned as the director of "Chalti Ka Naam Antakshri". I felt very happy at that moment.

  • “It is very difficult to identify creativity that sells” : CMD, Anurradha Prasad

    “It is very difficult to identify creativity that sells” : CMD, Anurradha Prasad

    Anurradha Prasad started her career as a journalist. After her marriage to fellow journalist and now Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla, the duo decided to focus on news programming.

    In 1993, they floated their own production house with a news show called Aaj Ki Baat on DD. Now nearly a decade old, B.A.G Films not only continues with news programming, it has also diversified into all genres of news as well as entertainment programming. Haqeeqat and Chalti Ka Naam Antakshri are some of the more popular shows that B.A.G has on air currently, while Kumkum, a new daily soap on Star’s afternoon band is the latest addition to its fast expanding portfolio.

    Anurradha Prasad, CMD, B.A.G Films took time off from her hectic schedule during a visit to Mumbai for a chat with indiantelevision.com correspondent Amar. Excerpts –

    How has your journey from journalist to producer been like?
    After my graduation, I started working as a journalist with PTI TV and later with the BBC. I also headed the Observer News Channel for a while. My first show on TV was a business show called Money Matters. As Rajeev also has a journalistic background, we always wanted to get into news programming ourselves. So in 1993, we floated B.A.G. Films with a programme called Aaj Ki Baat and later produced a cookery show called Zaike Ka Safar.

    One has always been curious to know – what does B.A.G. stand for?
    B.A.G stands for Bhagwaan, Allah and God. It’s our way of paying obeisance to the powers-that-be for always having been benevolent.

    What is the ratio between B.A.G’s fiction programmes and its non-fiction shows?
    A couple of years ago, it used to be 1:4. Now, it’s almost 1:1. In future, it is more or less going to stabilise at this ratio, because non-fiction and news programmes have always been our strength and will definitely hold importance in our future scheme of things.

    What is the production set-up of B.A.G Films?
    We have a team of about 100 people in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. We have a CEO, Avinash Mehrotra, a COO, Rajesh Chaddha, based in Mumbai, the all-India head of news programming Ajit Anjum, based in Delhi and a GM who has recently been appointed to look after our Chennai operations. Anjum has a team of 50 people under him covering news across the country, while Chaddha is aided by a creative director, Sharad Raj and six executive producers. We have our own editing and post production facilities both at Delhi and Mumbai.


    A still from Kumkum, that airs on Star Plus    		 “I feel the incentives offered by channels for attaining certain TRPs certainly act as morale boosters for producers”
    __________

    How important a strategic partner is Doordarshan for B.A.G films?
    When we started off, we were mainly only into news and current affairs programming, which meant we had to operate out of Delhi. As DD was also Delhi based, it was much easier to negotiate and put our programmes on it. Later of course, this partnership got consolidated and when DD News came up, we came up with a daily half hour programme called Rozana. Even though I must admit that marketing programmes on DD is not easy, we don’t really mind it. One, our programmes have helped build B.A.G as a brand and two, DD lets us retain the rights over the product. The latter has been helpful in the case of some fiction shows we have had on DD.

    Which areas of B.A.G. Films are you personally involved with?
    I am involved in every possible way. I may not personally look into everything but I am regularly updated by our designated group heads and whenever I am required, I am there for them.

    How is Rajeev (Shukla) involved in B.A.G.’s day to day functioning?
    Rajeev plays a very important role in strategy formulation, planning and formalising our expansion plans. He is not involved on a daily basis though, because of his political and journalistic commitments.

    What are B.A.G.’s sources of funding?
    We have a tie-up with some financial institutions that provide us finance on a regular basis. Besides, as we expand, we are planning to come up with a public issue in the next four to six months.

    “Non-fiction and news programmes have always been our strength and will definitely hold importance in our future scheme of things”
    A still from Haqeeqat, that airs on Sahara TV

    Have you ever felt channel executive producers’ attitudes overbearing or intrusive?
    No, I haven’t found them to be overbearing. They might have differed in their attitude but their approach, by and large, has been positive. See, we must understand that in the present situation of channel wars, even the EPs are under enormous pressure, because one faulty programme can mar a channel’s reputation. Besides, being a creative person with experience in this field, I can tell you that it is very difficult to identify creativity that sells.

    Who are your favourite directors on TV?
    Sanjay Upadhyay and Sourabh Narang. I have worked with them and found both of them to be very intelligent and sensitive.

    How is ‘Kumkum’ different from other daily soaps?
    Well, the whole attempt was to not make it very different from the current trend of soaps. So, while it’s a normal family drama, the difference lies in that we have tried to reduce melodrama and make all characters very real. Besides, to give it a fresh look we have hired the services of professionals hitherto unexposed to TV. Binod Pradhan, who did the lighting forMission Kashmir has done the lighting for Kumkum. We also got Omung Kumar to design our sets.

    What is the future programming line-up of B.A.G. Films?
    At present, we are looking forward to the revival of Rozana in a new format on DD from 15 August. Besides, we are working on a musical game show that will come on Star from October. We are also working on another daily soap.

    Do you feel strongly about producers not retaining the rights over their serial as far as satellite channels go?
    Well, at least for Kumkum we have worked out an arrangement with Star, wherein we get the rights over the serial back, one year after its telecast ends on Star TV. I wish this clause is contained in more deals in future. Besides, I feel the incentives offered by channels for attaining certain TRPs certainly act as morale boosters for producers.

    Where do you see B.A.G. films five years down the line?
    (laughs) Over here, it’s difficult to predict what is going to happen in the next 10 seconds. Five years is a long time. But yes, we will aim at consolidation of our existing programming content. The next important thing on our mind is diversification. We would like to venture into film production as I see it as a logical extension of our existing business. Apart from production, our other important projects include setting up a convergence studio at Noida and a training institute offering specialized courses in film-making.

  • No kidding for Star on kids’ broadcasting day

    No kidding for Star on kids’ broadcasting day

    This Sunday, 9 December, kids rule the roost on the Star Network. After all it is International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB).

    Through a series of special programmes, children will express their fears, anxieties and uncertainties. Star’s basic message is that every child has the right to education and children are necessary for the world to grow. Through this programming initiative, the network also wants to send the message across to adults that they are wrong to think that they know all that is best for the kids.

    On Sunday Star News will have a special episode of Star Talk at 7:30 pm where information & broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj will face some tough questions from children.

    Network driver Star Plus will showcase the celebrated children’s film Halo directed by Santosh Sivam (The Terrorist).

    This will be followed by Chalti Ka Naam Antakshri. Anchored by Sachin & Shruti, the studio will be packed with children singing and dancing a tune of their own.

    Star Gold has a delightful lineup of its own. At 12:30 pm Mammo will be shown. It stars Farida Jalal and Surekha Sikri. Then at 3 pm Bachpan with the late Sanjeev Kumar starring goes on air. This will be followed by Hip Hip Hurray. Directed by Prakash Jha it stars Raj Kiran and Deepti Naval. The film deals with the experience of going to school. The turmoil and adulation one receives is at the core of the story.

    Finally the network’s music channel Channel [V] will run five fillers throughout the day. These fillers will consist of pictures that kids have taken. Their progress will also be tracked by the Channel [V] team.