ITV

Tag: Ravi Kemmu

  • “Indian television is in its infancy even after a decade ” : Sunil Hali

    “Indian television is in its infancy even after a decade ” : Sunil Hali

    As head of CinéMaya Media, Sunil Hali has emerged as a pioneer in South Asian media production and management in the US.

    A double gold medallist in engineering, Sunil claims the distinction of being featured on the cover of The New York Times, Metro Section.
    In June 2000, he launched NREYES, the millennium TV series profiling the most successful US-based NRIs, on Zee TV Network. The same month he launched, as the publisher, the North American edition of     The Indian Express through a Franchise Agreement. Hali is also the chief executive consultant to EBC, the first South Asian FM radio station in the US.

    In an email interview with indiantelevision.com, Hali holds forth on his company, projects and ambitions. Excerpts –

    How did your foray into the medium begin? How long have you been in this business?
    I have been in theatre since childhood and have worked in Baaki Itihaas, Ek Aur Dronacharaya, Under Secretary, etc through my college and postgraduate degrees in engineering in Roorkee and Nagpur. I came to the US in 1997 and within a short time felt a creative urge to fill up the void in the South Asian media scene, initially by making a TV Serial. I created a TV serial Aadhey-Adhooray (1992) after acquiring the rights to the script. It was telecast on TV Asia UK (now Zee), TV Asia USA, cable channels, and later released on video. I soon realised that television will become big through satellite and to become a major player, I needed to understand the field completely, and produce high quality programmes in order to stand apart. Since my expertise is management of large projects, I opted to start producing television and events in 1993.

    But, how exactly do you operate sitting in the US? Do you have a set up in India?
    I have a full-time staff of three persons in India. I have a good relationship with channels, and am always networking with able writers, directors, actors and technicians. This has been developed through observing their work and frequent trips to India. Since we are the only company that has produced most of international television work in the last decade, we have established a unique name for ourselves with the channels. And we propose projects with international audience in mind, television or events.

    Being outside the “box”, my effort is to propose unique concepts, pitch them to the senior programming people in channels. I believe strongly in “partnering” and the directors are very active players in my projects and are given wide responsibilities. I am also setting up an office in Mumbai with additional staff. My goal is to produce high quality entertainment TV programmes and films with South Asian ethos for our audience world-wide.

    There would be limitations on the kind of work you can source from India. So what are your alternatives?
    In fact, our limitation is our strength. Being probably the only company that has produced international subjects, with authenticity, we have a headstart and identity. As we have made a name for ourselves for quality and standards, and earned the trust of channels, we are ready to produce subjects based in India. Also, sooner or later, the canvas of shows will expand and some will be shot abroad, In fact, Zee TV, Zee News, B4U, and CNBC/TV18 have sought our services for projects on a short notice and we delivered.

    Do you essentially cater to the Indian diaspora or do you look at a wider canvas?
    We are a media company and provide programmes that should appeal to Indians around the world. But the prime target audience is India, this is the largest segment and also helps make projects commercially viable. Our initial entry was obviously through programmes based abroad. But now our reputation has established as producers of high quality, and the trust we have earned is helping us to get programmes based in India. These will be primarily shot in India.

    The channels are so caught up with daily issues and are not able to respond and act on getting new programmes off the ground fast.
    A still from Dollar Bahu

    What is your production set-up like?
    We have about 2,400 square foot office space in mid-town Manhattan. We have a crew on full-time staff and others on an on-call basis. We have camera, liner and Non-liner editing setup, sound and light package for smaller shoots. But we have a complete knowledge of the space in US and rent on an as-needed basis.

    Which subjects appeal to you as a producer?
    Any subject which has potential for appeal to the largest audience, offers visual treatment, has depth and is entertaining.NREYES that features successful Indians in USA inspires youth while Mausam got featured on the cover of New York Times. Dollar Bahu has become a brand on India, and Bollywood Awards in USA and a six-nation cricket series for international broadcast involved international crews and established a milestone in production in the USA for us.

    On what basis do you choose a channel?
    Generally speaking, every channel has a character with respect to the type of programming and people to deal with. Zee is the first Indian channel and we have started with them and done most of the work with them. We are expanding with programmes for Sony and Star too.

    On what basis do you choose a director?
    The foremost criteria are professional background and abilities to work with an international crew. The flexibility and commitment with us and not being spread too thin, commitment to quality and mutual respect and somewhere down the line, cost consciousness. After that, the relationship evolves and we move forward.

    What exactly went wrong with Dollar Bahu when Ajai Sinha had to be replaced as director with Ravi Kemmu?
    Zee suggested I take Ajai Sinha as director. I researched on him and contracted him to do the work after explaining our functioning style that requires serious and single minded commitment.

    But once he got Justujoo, and Dollar Bahu became a twice-weekly show, I anticipated trouble. When I asked him on how he would handle the two projects, he said his friend Eshan Trivedi would direct Justujoo after the initial two episodes. But he got busy with Justujoo untill he reached the US. Then, I started getting complaints from EPs in Zee that editing suggestions were discarded. On checking with my team, I found that he was using music from Hasratein and stock CDs which was inappropriate to our scene requirements. This was unacceptable as the product suffered and he was charging me for the music anyway. In the US, his weaknesses started to show up. His directorial inabilities were exposed when a party scene with major cast and 25 plus people took two days to shoot. After returning to India, his attention again shifted to Justujoo and he asked his assistant to direct some scenes of Dollar Bahu. When confronted, he said he wanted to give him a chance.

    Have you ever felt that not being physically present in India has been a handicap to your production business?
    Production of work on hand has not suffered due to this but business has. The channels are so caught up with daily issues and are not able to respond and act on getting new programmes off the ground fast. This is in spite of acknowledging that our product will make a difference. Communication and progress has improved due to Internet. And now with international presence, most channels are actively communicating to progress on our projects faster as they are unique in concept, quality and are shot on visually stimulating backgrounds.

    Do you feel your company is in a position to take up a daily soap if an opportunity comes your way?
    We have been discussing a daily soap and a daily sitcom. These are based in India and the USA. In fact, we were prepared to make Dollar Bahu thrice a week. This is possible once channels make a serious commitment like in the West where projects have a definite life for the season.

    What is your company’s vision? Which are the programming genres you would like to venture in?
    CinéMaya’s mission is to create quality content that can compete with international media at the highest level, thematically, aesthetically and technically. A fast growing, vertically-integrated minority owned company, CinéMaya has a diverse range of interests including: Television, Publication, Advertising, Events, Radio.
    I believe TV can create an audience if a planned and sustained effort is made involving professionals.

    What do you think of the present programming variety on Indian channels?
    In fact, Indian television is in its infancy even after a decade. It started off with no identity for any channel, and then a period came when you could almost recognise the channel by watching a programme due to subject and treatment. One would have hoped a serious uplift in programming standards. But we went backwards. Everyone was trying to do what worked for others without looking internally on what was one’s strength and weakness. Whether it was game show or subjects for a soap or mythological. I believe TV can create an audience if a planned and sustained effort is made involving professionals. Essentially, the programming variety is static except for some innovations.

    Are you satisfied with the response your programmes have got?
    There was a time when it was tough convincing even CEOs that Indian TV programmes could be made based in India and the US and that too almost around Indian budgets. And keeping that in mind, if I do a retrospective analysis, it is very good.

    What’s next in line from you?
    We have been shortlisted for fiction and non-fiction programming. These include a soap and a sitcom based in the US, two daily soaps in India, news and current affairs programmes and a weekly entertaining profile show. We are also scheduled to launch a unique annual event that will be a corporate branding event and will help in India’s image on the international level. This will be held in India.

  • “Aamrapali will have tremendous resale value” : TV serial director Ravi Kemmu

    “Aamrapali will have tremendous resale value” : TV serial director Ravi Kemmu

    Ravi Kemmu took the plunge in TV direction in 1995, when satellite Indian television had just started to come of age. He debuted with a romantic series called Suhana Safar and went on to direct Mausam, a series on NRIs. Dollar Bahu and Dulhan were natural successors.

    With Aamrapali, this former protégé of Shyam Benegal has hit big league. The ease and finesse with which he executed this historical of epic proportions has won him admirers already. His strong cultural moorings, belief in the educational value of entertainment and tireless efforts in shooting speak for the enthusiasm and commitment of the man.

    Ravi took time off from his frenzied schedule to speak to indiantelevision.com correspondent, Amar.

    Excerpts:

    How did you get started as a director?
    My father worked in the Jammu & Kashmir’s state department of culture and retired as secretary of the same department. So, the family was involved with cultural activities throughout. Right from a very young age, I have been fascinated by drama and as I grew, this fascination only grew stronger. In 1977, I took an integrated course at the National School of Drama, encompassing acting, direction and stagecraft. I came to Mumbai in 1987 and started as an assistant to Shyam Benegal. My first independent project was a TV serial, Suhana Safar in 1995.

    Have any directors influenced your style?
    Shyam Benegal has influenced me the most. I have imbibed a lot from the way he would treat a scene, his co-ordination of choreography, his screenplay.

    How is Benegal’s treatment different from other directors?
    Basically, the difference lies in the use of trolleys. He uses the light trolleys in such a way that it exploits the geography of the scene to the maximum and creates depth in visuals. For a historical, the lighting pattern is of key importance because it has to be used to provide maximum details of the pillars, windows and the architecture of the time. Shyam Benegal had his own way and that explains how he created so many successful historicals.

    How important is formal training for a director?
    It is indispensable. In the absence of trained directors, the aesthetic value of the film gets lost. When assistants turn directors, they invariably tend to emulate the directors they have assisted. While there is nothing wrong with it, a formal course helps in forming a more balanced and rounded view of things. It does not confine you to the learning you can imbibe from one person.

    Which factors do you take into consideration before taking up a new project?
    My basic concern is that whatever I undertake be fresh as a concept and different from what I have been doing.

    “For a historical, the lighting pattern is of key importance because it has to be used to provide maximum details of the pillars, windows and the architecture of the time”
    __________

    What made up take up a difficult project like Aamrapali?
    There are two reasons. One, I felt honoured by the faith the producers showed in me for directing this grand-scale historical. It made me feel vindicated and wanted. Two, I have always believed that the purpose of entertainment programmes should also be to educate. Aamrapali fitted the bill this way. Besides, I have assisted Shyam Benegal on Bharat Ek Khoj which covered this period in one of its episodes and have also always been culturally inclined.

    How different is Aamrapali from other projects you have handled?
    The grandeur involved makes me slog that much more in every department. Right from the personal appearance of the artistes – dressing them up authentically, right from their hairstyle down to their footwear – to the lighting, camerawork, and choreography – all these require a very careful supervision and control at every stage. This requires me to be on my feet all the time.

    How long did it take to shoot one episode of Amrapali?
    On an average, it took me four days of 12 hour shifts each to can one episode. The maximum number of re-takes required would be 12 or 13, whereas some scenes would be okayed even in a couple of shots. Most of the scenes have been shot with one camera for colour consistency. For the outdoor scenes, specially where there was movement of horses and animals, we used three or four cameras.

    Another important aspect involved in directing a historical is handling the performances. What problems did you encounter?
    Well, most actors we have taken have a rich background of theatre, hence it was not difficult for them to adapt to these roles. But, yes there are some new faces – like Shilpa Shinde (who plays Aamrapali) and Seema Kar. The main problem we faced had to do with their diction. Being Mumbai bred, they were not able to pronounce words correctly. My assistants took up the added responsibility of tutoring them in the language. Also, as some important dance sequences featured these two actresses, they had to be trained in specialized dances which took a lot of time and effort. Besides, the actors also had some difficulty in carrying off the ethnic costumes.

    But does it make good business sense to put an expensive serial like this on DD?
    DD has its own advantages. One, its viewership remains unmatched by any satellite channel. Two, with the Sanskritized form of Hindi used in the serial, it is likely to appeal more to the people in the interiors – Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar – than in the metros. DD certainly has a far better penetration in the interiors as against the satellite channels. Three, with DD, we are able to retain our rights over the serial. This serial will have a tremendous re-sale value and we plan to dub it in several languages, including some foreign languages for retelecast elsewhere later

    “One also derives tremendous satisfaction by creating such exceptional stuff at a time when everybody is just interested in saving costs and churning out the same routine stuff”
    ________

    Don’t you feel drained out doing such taxing stuff? How do you motivate yourself?
    (laughs) Washed out rather. Of course, directing an epic like this sucks all my energy and I do feel dead at the end of the day. Shooting in the terrible summer heat in a non-stop schedule of 75 days was also some experience! But one also derives tremendous satisfaction by creating such exceptional stuff at a time when everybody is just interested in saving costs and churning out the same routine stuff. Seeing the curtain raiser of my serial gave me a rare high and I am proud to be associated with the serial.

    What are the factors you never compromise on as a director?
    I never compromise on the way I want a shot to be taken. I never compromise on the kind of lighting I feel will work best for a scene. If I feel certain scenes will come out better with mis-en’ shots, I go for them irrespective of the time and effort required.

    Which subjects appeal to you otherwise?
    I like to take up path breaking subjects that give people food for thought and those that really move them. In the next few months, I will be starting a movie where the story revolves around a 16 year old girl who is forced to become a nun.

    What factors do you take into consideration before taking someone under your wing?
    Well, the person should be sincere and hardworking. Besides, he or she should have a reasonable level of technical knowledge. I also look at the person’s knowledge and understanding of literature and his inclination towards art and culture. These factors indirectly play an important role in the person’s approach to work.

    On hindsight, do you regret any shot and feel you could have done better, given another chance?
    (laughs) I feel that way for every scene I have shot. But the fact is that given the constraints and pressures one has to cope with at least on TV, the best seldom comes out. I don’t regret any shot as such.

    Which has been the happiest moment of your career?
    There have been several very happy moments. Whenever the telecast of my serials have begun – whether it has been Dollar Bahu or Amrapali, I have felt very happy and proud because most of my serials have been widely acclaimed.