MUMBAI: Dubbed the "King of Relationships", Rajan Shahi is behind some of the most popular and successful shows on the small screen. He made his directorial debut two decades ago with the series, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi. What followed after was a succession of hit shows including Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, Hamare Tumhare, Rishtey, Kareena Kareena, Reth, Mamtaa, Millee, Virasaat and Saathi Re. On the strength of his success, he floated his own production company in 2007 and launched Sapna Babul Ka Bidaai on Star Plus, followed by the super popular Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, which is presently running on television.
While the whole world was engulfed in gloom due to the crises wreaked by 2020, Shahi created another masterpiece called Anupamaa. The show is currently ruling the TRP charts, as audiences resonate with its beautiful and relatable storyline. Now, the producer is gearing up to bring the second season of the hit show Mann Ki Awaaz Pratigya. Interestingly, the sequel has retained the principal characters. Along with Pooja Gor, the returning cast members include actors Arhaan Behll and Anupam Shyam.
He went on to mention the cast will comprise of new as well as old faces. Season one was known for its brilliant writing and performances and made a huge impact on the audiences, so it follows that the team is working hard towards creating a more impressive second season.
Mann Ki Awaaz Pratigya 2 is very different from the other dramas he has created and he was always interested in a second innings for the show, shared Shahi. This longing of his came closer to becoming a reality when around a month ago, showrunner and creative producer Pearl Grey approached Shahi to see if he could produce it. Without batting an eyelid, Shahi pounced on the opportunity.
Grey, who is known for bringing high voltage drama in her shows, lauded Shahi for understanding the temperament of the show and for providing his creative inputs.
Shanti Bhusan, who is penning the dialogues for Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 2, shared, “In season one, we showcased the love story between Pooja Gor and Arhaan Behll sticking to the same plot, season two will now have their kids. Pratigya the lead character is now a successful lawyer. Relevant to today’s time their responsibilities have changed, there will be different sets of challenges and how they are tackling those issues while maintaining their relationships.”
More than guns and bullets, there will be war between the characters. For Bhushan, at the core of the show lies the reality and rawness prevalent in the heartlands of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He jokingly added that he never imagined working with Shahi due to their different creative approaches. Shahi’s main tagline is ‘I hate villains’ whereas Bhusan feels the exact opposite. Nevertheless, he is ecstatic to collaborate with Shahi on this project and is confident that the show will resonate with viewers.
In order to establish this connect with audiences, the showrunners are doing their best to be authentic by incorporating local flavour and relatable elements. The cast and crew recently flew to Prayagraj to shoot for the outdoor schedule of the show. Filming took place in the interiors of the city and nearby areas, though the latter half of the shooting is bound for Mumbai’s Film City Studio. The show's antagonist Chetan Hansraj plays the character of Balwant, who belongs to Haryana. So, it is reported that some portion of the shoot will commence in Haryana.
Unlike other TV shows which are relying on VFX, CGI, animation or green screen, Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 2 will be purely filmed outdoors.
Pooja Gor, the female protagonist, is both excited and nervous about making her comeback on TV after almost six years. Gor was last seen in the TV show Ek Nayi Ummeed – Roshni that ended in 2015; in between she has done a few cameo appearances.
“It doesn’t feel like a comeback, more so because the reruns of the show have been successful. People still watch and talk about the show. It feels like homecoming. To be honest I never left TV, just that I was exploring other avenues as well. I did Kedarnath, a few OTT shows, short films and lots of ads. As far as Mann Ki Awaaz Pratigya 2 is concerned, the kind of love and affection that we’ve received, it didn’t feel like eight years have passed,” remarked Gor, who recently finished shooting for the original series Shrikant Bashir.
Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 2 will air from Monday, 15 March at 20:30 pm on Star Bharat and Utsav Bharat UK. This marks a big shift from season one, when the programm used to air on Star Plus.
The Media Ant co-founder Samir Choudhary opined that the network wants to position Star Bharat as a more local channel which appeals to the audiences of Hindi heartland. “According to BARC India data, in terms of viewership Star Bharat is as big as Star Plus. It is a conscious positioning of putting Star Bharat as more Hindi land channel. Star Plus has more urban and metro viewers, whereas Star Bharat is completely mass India. Basically the channel is getting more mass which in return is attracting major advertisers from across the category that includes FMCGs, banking, automobile, e-commerce and several others,” he explained.
Choudhary further commented that DD Free Dish channels are in the race to compete with mainline Hindi GEC channels. In the coming months, more channels will go DD Free Dish route. Owing to its high popularity in rural India, broadcasts would be more keen to latch to DD Free Dish.
Ormax Media partner Keerat Grewal concluded, "Characters with a strong equity have the ability to pull in audiences. Pratigya was among the top ten most popular characters on Ormax Characters India Loves across 2011-12. This has given the show a starting point advantage on buzz. Star Plus seems to be currently focussing on exploring family-relationship based dramas across its FPC, making the social-issue drama of Pratigyaa a better fit for Star Bharat."
