MUMBAI: Star Utsav is welcoming 2006 with a programming initiative titled Vote Do, Show Lo, where viewers can vote and demand for the new show they would like to watch on the channel.
Vote Do, Show Lo voting begins from 26 January and goes on till 8 March.The show receiving the maximum votes will be on air in the month of March. This year the contending shows jostling for the viewer’s attention are: Saara Akaash, Jeet and Sanjivani.
Star India EVP marketing & communications Ajay Vidyasagar says, “Vote Do, Show Lo is designed to let our audiences know that their choice is what really matters to us. Last year, the initiative received an overwhelming response. This year too, the choice will be a closely fought battle between the contending titles.”
Viewers can select their favourite show by sending in an SMS or tele-voting (call and select) or log onto www.indya.com and voice you opinion. To make the selection process more active, Star Utsav mobile vans ‘Utsav Di Gaddi’ will be visiting various cities across the nation where viewers can cast their votes, states an official release.
Tag: Saara Akaash
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Star Utsav to launch ‘Vote Do, Show Lo’ initiative
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‘Saara Akaash’ collects Rs 150,000 for Indian Air Force Wives Association
MUMBAI: Recently in a promotional campaign conducted by Star Plus’ new show Saara Akaash, the channel managed to garner 150,000 signatures for the Indian Air Force. Star Plus’ has volunteered that for every signature collected one rupee will be deposited into Indian Air Force Wives Association fund.
According a company source, the campaign managed to get an overwhelming response in spite of the heavy monsoon showers. Working men, women, students and senior citizens eager queued to sign and scribble warm messages to the Indian Air Force.Over 150,000 signatures were collected from Mumbai and Delhi. The book containing signatures will be kept at the Indian Air Force Museum in Palam, Delhi and Rs 150,000 (a contribution by Star that is a rupee equivalent of the number of signatures) will be given to the Indian Air Force Wives Association.
While the first of its kind serial on life in the air force Saara Akaash launched on 7 August at 9 pm on Star Plus may be creating ripples on the air waves with its emotional content, the campaign surely must have spread some cheer in the IAFWA.
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“The day perception towards writing changes, the sun will set on the herd mentality which rules the roost these days”: scriptwriter-actor Preeti Dayal
A lot many things about Sony’s serial Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahi has aroused curiosity among people. One thing that everyone wants to know is Jassi’s real identity. But what many don’t know is that the popular daily is being co-scripted by actress Preeti Dayal (of Banegi Apni Baat (BAB) fame) who plays Nilu in Kittie Party – a high society, firebrand activist, always helping people with their problems. Besides this, Dayal is also scripting the Star Plus weekly Saara Akaash. And if that was not enough, she has also been spotted recently in a couple of films too.
This Delhi-based arts student was passionate about reading, acting and writing right from her college days, and in pursuit of satisfying one of her passion, took part in a lot of amateur theatre. Post-college, she also dabbled in computer graphics. Destiny took her to England with a team of professionals from a production house who had come to India for making a documentary on Moharram which was being made for Yorkshire TV. There, she not only assisted the production house behind the camera but was also asked to pen a few stories. She started writing non-fiction stories and anchoring them too.
Alongside, she wrote some stories and safely tucked them away. Then she decided to come back to her roots with husband Jogi Dayal and son. This time she decided to shift base from Delhi to Mumbai – because she believed Mumbai had opportunities for her.
indiantelevision.com’s Vickey Lalwani caught up with this actor-cum-writer in one of her moments of leisure. Excerpts of what transpired thereafter:
How did ‘Jassi…’ happen?
It was my long association with Tony and Deeya Singh since the Banegi… days and their belief in me that Jassi… was offered to me. I liked the narration given to me because it was very different from the typical saas-bahu serials. It’s a great feeling to be writing the much talked about serial of today.And how does it feel to write ‘Saara Akaash’?
Saara Akaash is also very close to me. Again this is not like the usual soaps of today where most characters have short a shelf-life, and therefore I can explore each character to the hilt.How did you get into writing for Indian television?
Quite by fluke. Zee had just launched the Rishtey series and were constantly on the lookout for writers. Actually, I had been asked to contact a friend of mine, who was the original choice for Rishtey. As luck would have it, my friend had to leave for Kanpur in a day or two and could not meet the demand of dishing out stories at a short notice.At this point of time, I was asked whether I knew someone, rather, anyone else. I stuck my neck out. I handed them around 10 scripts which I had penned and stocked. Out of that, two stories got selected and telecast. One was Halki Se Dhoop starring Madhavan and Iravati and the other was Pal Do Pal with Pawan Malhotra and Mrinal Kulkarni. I also got to write the screenplay and dialogue. Through Pawan, I met his wife Aparajita Krishna who was starting Antaral, for which I was later appointed to write the dialogues.
And what about acting?
Writing happened first. Around the time of Antaral, I was offered a role in BAB and Saans. Actually, Zee TV had just launched and there was a lot of work for everyone. I too tried to cash in on it. Sutapa Sikdar who was writing BAB suggested my name to Tony and Deeya Singh.Around that time, I also did a play titled Piano with Saurabh Shukla. It was about a man’s conversation over the telephone. And I was the voice on the other end of the phone.
“I am in an industry which hardly sleeps, and I make the most of this fact“You’re a writer as well as an actor. How do you balance the two activities?
I think the two are a foil to each other. I am in an industry which hardly sleeps. I make the most of this fact. I observe so many things around me, I meet a lot of people. I am constantly on the move. So I absorb a lot. Now… I need an outlet.As an actor, I cannot give vent to all my feelings. I personally feel that acting is giving vent to feelings. Like when a scene is narrated to me, it automatically gets associated to one of the happenings / situations in real life. Now, there is a limitation here. As an actor, I am bound by the script and the director. I can be a bit flexible but I can’t let my entire reaction pour out… (Pauses).
Go on…
But… I can do this when I am writing. I can give the lines to an actor, which I feel a character ‘must’ say in a given situation. That’s why I write. If you are going to ask me whether I am firm about I what want from life- acting or writing, my answer is- writing. Once a writer, always a writer.I took up acting because I wanted to try my hand at something different. But writing never leaves you. And I think it is more creative than acting. When it comes to films or serials, you are the creator of a character. And what that character does or says is what you want it to do.
What are the requirements to be a writer?
Anybody can scribble, but to be a good writer, you need to feel a lot while writing. It is this quality that helps me to write. Writing cannot be a mechanical process. Mechanical writing can assault a good concept; it can mar the best creativity and make it appear as sheer mediocrity. And of course, one needs a good command over the language he / she writes in.What is the basic requirement when you write a different serial like ‘Jassi…’? Or is it just one of those things?
You need a sufficient number of like-minded writers for a serial like Jassi…. Like earlier in Jassi… we had only two writers. The ideal number would have been four from the word ‘Go.’ This would keep everyone fresh to write his/her chunk of episodes. So, the earlier days were a trying period. Although now we are getting more writers.“Mechanical writing can assault a good concept; it can mar the best creativity and make it appear as sheer mediocrity”
Why do you need like-minded personnel?
Like-minded means they should not only think but even write and speak in a similar manner. Else the serial will start suffering from jerks and would lose the regular flavour that it has. Wherever there is more than one writer involved, there should be a constant change of notes amongst them in the beginning. After a certain stage, (which we have thankfully achieved in Jassi… rather quickly), there is no need for me to see what the other guys are writing. A kind of flow sets in.Why will the show start suffering from jerks? Do you need like-minded personnel in soaps?
If there are no like-minded people in soaps then it may not affect too much because every 10-15 days the focus keeps changing to different characters. If two different people have written two different tracks, the viewer won’t realise it. The concentration has shifted from actor A to actor B, so the change gets masked and importantly, does not hamper the continuity of the show. Jassi… is a character driven show where the focus does not shift from the protagonist. If she (Jassi) appears even slightly different the glitch would show.According to you, what is the difference between acting and writing?
Acting in instinctive, while writing is not. I may be able to give ideas instinctively but weaving them together in the right kind of words which would hold the viewer’s attention involves a lot of craft. One needs to read and write a lot right from a young age. Plus the reading should be not of the ‘time pass’ type or ‘fast read’ type. Whatever one reads, meaty or fluffy, should be observed with a sharp eye. You can even say that actors are born, while writers are made.Let me know how close you go to ‘Betty La Fea’?
I don’t think we go too close. Jassi… has been totally Indianised. Like, the values abroad are totally different. We have to treat the characters as Indians because they are shown as Indians, we can’t start making them think like the West. If Jassi… hadn’t been made keeping the Indian audience in mind, perhaps it would have been made differently. Like, the kissing and love-making scenes would have been retained. That would have given a different flavour and feeling.Plus, here the environment is totally different, though I don’t exactly know how Columbia television functions. There is too much pressure. We all know, TRPs matter a lot. The show should not slacken. In order to ensure that, many times we need to bring a few of the forthcoming episodes together and condense the story telling. The audience should not feel that the serial is dragging. Here, a writer plays an important role. He/she needs to have a foresight to see where exactly they need to do the compression.
But then again, we can’t deviate from the main track as most serials do, because at the end of the day, we want to remake Betty La Fea only. It’s tough, interesting, challenging actually (Smiles).
Was it easier to write ‘Jassi…’ because you already know the route?
In that sense, yes. But it should be remembered that a writer has to curb many ideas which naturally come into his creative mind or those which someone bounces off to him, and hence there is no flexibility.Once, someone told me that Jassi should have been shown as an ugly duckling with a very seductive voice, working in a call centre. And some guys should have been shown going crazy after listening to her voice. They would have proposed to her on the phone. And then when they would meet her, they would bang their head against the wall! That would have created many funny and realistic scenes. Don’t such things happen in real life?
Your one pen is for Star Plus (‘Saara Akaash’), while the other is for Sony (‘Jassi…’)?
That makes my job more challenging. Many people have told me that I should give up one of the shows. But I am a creative person. Creativity needs change. I am lucky to have that change sitting in my lap. Both these shows offer two different flavours.“Actors are born, while writers are made”
Do you get jammed while writing?
In my case it is a different situation for each of the serials that I am writing.For Jassi…, since we know the middle and the end, there is no chance of getting jammed. For Saara Akaash, presently I am not involved with the twists and turns given to the plot. We plan to have monthly meetings where we all would put forward our inputs and one person would take the cudgel of taking the story forward for a particular period of time. That’s why I said earlier, more writers are required for any show for that matter. There has to be a demarcation of jobs.
When you write the dialogues, do you prefer writing the hard hitting variety?
I don’t like the stuff which goes over the top like ‘tumhari aakhri saanse mere haath mein hai’, ‘agar tumne yeh nahin kiya to dekh lena’… and the likes.Maybe this is my limitation. I will not be able to write stuff which hits the skies and comes out amidst thunder and lightning – something like what Komolika (Urvashi Dholakia in Kasautii…) or Pallavi (Sweta Kawaatra in Kahaani…) speak. I am more close to reality.
‘Saara Akaash’ started promisingly, but has not been able to sustain the high TRPs. Why?
(Laughs) My two shows Jassi… and Saara Akaash clash with each other! Plus don’t forget that Saara Akaash is a one-hour weekly. A one-hour format is slightly dicey, some people forget to tune in on a particular week.Are those the only reasons for the dropping of ‘Saara Akaash’?
Hmmm… no. I think we started with a bit of Air-Force and then got into love relationships. We did not balance the mix. Perhaps, it was not clear what was precisely required. We should have maintained a balance in the showcasing of professional and personal life of the protagonists but the personal lives began to dominate and the whole show became very soapy. But now… we are going back on the Air-Force track and focussing strongly that the guys still are very strong on their mission.But didn’t you’ll take a long time to go back?
It’s not in one person’s hands. The channel, the producer, the writers, they all need to sit and reach a consensus. The final call is with the channel. If I had my way, I would have never deviated. Mind you, I am not talking about the early days when lots of changes were made and the whole thing was rewritten. I was not in the picture, then. I was brought in, because they wanted to give an urban feel to the show. Maybe I am categorised as a writer for urban stories (laughs). I am talking about the first four episodes only. I would have loved to maintain that tone.
“A one-hour weekly format is slightly dicey as some people forget to tune in on a particular week“As a writer are you happy with the casting done for your serials?
Not always. But I can’t give you examples where I have been unhappy. I can’t take names, that would hurt many artistes. (Laughs). But sometimes, there have been cases where I have been more than happy.A case in point was Om Puri in Antaral. He shocked me in most scenes which I wrote for him. He often took it way beyond I expected him to. Another case is Parmeet Sethi in Jassi…. He is a tremendous actor. I am surprised, sorry and shocked that he had little to no work sometime back.
Why do you think there is a scarcity of writers on Indian television?
There is a scarcity of writers on Indian television, but I know for a fact that there is a lot of talent in this department, which can be tapped. The problem is that the writers themselves are shying away. They nurse a myth that there is no scope for writing on Indian television.The same thing happened with me. I fared well in school. But when I joined Fine Arts in the Delhi College of Art, people who knew me asked me why don’t I take admission somewhere else? Those who didn’t know me took it for granted that I must have obtained very poor grades in school.
There was a time when we all thought that the advertising industry didn’t have a scope. But now! Heavens! A day will come when the perception towards writing also will undergo a sea-change.
Do you think television writers in India are paid well or no?
That’s a difficult question. You can’t compare the salaries paid to a writer in India compared to a writer in the West. Go to see, there are a few cons which are the outcome of this. Writers and actors take up more projects than they can handle and then work against time. This is how the herd mentality is born.There is no time to think anything original… a lift has become very common now. Anyone who lifts, will obviously do that from something that has clicked and not from something that has bombed. Anyway, the day when the perception towards writing changes; the sun will set on the herd mentality which rules the roost these days. Till then, we need to wait patiently and make the best of what we have. Encouraging our kids to inculcate the hobby of reading and writing should be the first step on our behalf.
‘Kyunki…’ was a trend-setter. As a writer, do you feel that ‘Jassi…’ too can be one?
I don’t think so. As I told you earlier, Jassi… is a character driven show. Now, this ugly duckling concept is too much of a micro. It would come across as highly repetitive, if anything similar was attempted again.On the other hand, the saas bahu shows are repetitive in concept, but they bring out different situations in everyday life of most people. One can create a thousand tracks and many a times viewers can identify with these. Hence they can identify with the ‘saas bahu’ shows to a large extent.
How much did the aggressive marketing methods adopted by Sony help in ‘Jassi…’ being a success?
Tremendously. The marketing succeeded in generating a huge curiosity factor by which Jassi became a household name even before the first episode had been telecast. Brilliant is the word for the marketing methods adopted by Sony on Jassi…“The marketing of ‘Jassi…’ succeeded in generating a huge curiosity factor by which Jassi became a household name even before the telecast of the first episode“
How come you ventured into films?
There were a lot of offers which came my way in the past few years. But there was nothing substantial that I could be proud of, so I kept dilly-dallying. Eventually, I did Saaya (John Abraham, Tara Sharma) and Dhoop (Sanjay Suri, Gul Panag).Have you enjoyed doing films?
I have. I like the elaborate planning that goes in the making of a film. It’s all very organised and streamlined. But if you are not a hero or heroine, it has its cons also. A lot of your scenes may get chopped at the editing table. But yes, I am one actor who doesn’t mind waiting on the set – be it films or television. Michael Keane had once said “Acting is one profession where you are paid to wait, so you bloody well wait!”Did your portions in films get chopped ever?
I said that from a first-hand experience (Laughs). I had two scenes in Honey Irani’s last release Armaan – one with Anil Kapoor, the other with Amitabh Bachhchan. When Armaan released, I was not in the film at all!What are your future plans?
I intend to write a film script. There have been good offers, even before Jassi… happened. Post Jassi…, such offers have multiplied. But time is a constraint. I don’t want to scribble!I would also like to do a play. I get very excited when I see artistes on stage. I will not do anything for a stop-gap arrangement, but only when I have the time at my disposal.
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Anuj Saxena opts out of Asha Parekh’s ‘Kucch Pal…’
MUMBAI: Television actor Anuj Saxena, who stars in serials like Kkusum and Saara Akaash, has opted out of Asha Parekh’s Kucch Pal Saath Tumhara. The serial airs on Sahara Manoranjan every Friday at 10:30 pm. The role will now be taken over by actor Akhil Ghai.
Ghai has earlier played a brief role in Subhash Ghai’s box-office turkey Yaadein . He also acts in serials like Aashirwad, Gharonda and Piya Ka Ghar.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Asha Parekh said that the parting with Saxena was amicable. She said, the serial required more inputs from him in terms of quantity but due to his commitments with Kkusum, Saara Akaash and Pratima (Bollywood star Rani Mukherjee and her brother Raja’s serial which he recently signed), he couldn’t meet their demands. Saxena is also expecting a foreign tour soon, Parikh said.
Saxena revealed that, “I will be in the US for Navratri. I had told Ashaji about my plan, long ago. I had informed the Kkusum and Saara Akaash unit as well, and they prepared themselves for it by shooting my portions before hand.”
Saxena said that Parikh had also built a sufficient bank of episodes to go ahead with the serial in his absence but suddenly, the channel demanded a few changes. As a result, portions from the bank had to be scrapped.
“This, in turn, required re-shooting to be done exactly when I was gone. It was a Catch-22 situation for me.”
Saxena is expecting to leave for the US soon. He would be
back on 14 October. The actor got engaged to Ishmita, a girl from Delhi recently. “The marriage is slated for February/March,” he informed. -
“Out of lack of choice, television is a ‘close ups’ oriented medium” : Qaeed Kuwajerwala
A mischievous twinkle greets you when you suggest that he would have made a good looking actor. Pat comes the response that probably he should have been as that would have made his life easier. With his new show on Star Plus, Saara Akaash earning rave reviews, Qaeed Kuwajerwala is ready and raring to go.
For one belonging to the new school of thought, life hasn't been easy. After a back surgery, doctors had warned him off the production jobs forever. But the spunky man couldn't let go off his dreams easily. Despite a decade of struggle, the guy did not give up and soon enough had a couple of serials behind him like Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka and Yeh Nazdikiyaan (Sony), Balaji productions Kabhi Souten Kabhi Saheli (DD), Kohi Apna Sa (Zee) and Kasautii Zindagii Kay (Star Plus). Then came Taurus Video's Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr, again on Star Plus.In a freewheeling interview with indiantelevison.com's Trupti Ghag, he spoke about his life, direction and more.
How and why did a commerce student think about turning to direction?
I landed in the commerce stream by sheer default. At that point of time, all I wanted to do was to complete my basic education. Coming from a business family, graduating from the commerce stream was a viable and working option. But I wasn't really academically inclined.I was an active participant in theatre during college days, usually as a director. I guess that is when the thought of making a career as a director germinated. Plus I am an avid film buff and a great fan of Amitabh Bachchan movies.
Later, after completing my graduation, I enrolled with the Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC) for a film making course.Then I joined ad film maker Pooh Sayani's production Shunyata Films as a third assistant. It was with this stint that I got hands on training with the camera. I was confident enough of handling it all on my own, but guess it wasn't destined at that point of time.
Why, what happened?
I lost my father. Since I was the eldest son, the family responsibilities shifted to me. It was then that I took over the family business as a wholesaler for general medicine. Least to say, I loathed the job, plus it wasn't rewarding enough. We could just about manage to sustain. I did that for almost four years and then I decided that I could do it no more. In 1992, I joined Ram Madhvani's Equinox as an assistant director followed by a stint with Enterprise Advertising. Later, I joined a friend's company Videomagic. It was a small company making ad films. I tried my hand at directing ad films and corporate videos. But it was difficult to get good work in advertising. During that time, I got an offer as an associate producer of Swabhimaan being made by Plus Channel. Though I wasn't handling direction, I was pretty much the chief on the sets.With that started my period of struggle, I struggled in the industry for almost five years trying to get a break as a director without any success. Then I literally ran off to Dubai to join a production house in December 2000. I was involved in making ad films and corporate videos. But things really didn't work there either, so I hopped on to a plane seven months later with too many questions and doubts, back to India.
You sound so pained when you say that…
Can you blame me! I thought I was jinxed. Every production I joined closed soon after and work wasn't easy to come by. I had been out of the loop for far too long and I knew that work wouldn't come that easily to me. Fortunately an opportunity came my way to direct few sporadic episodes of Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka and Yeh Nazdikiyaan on Sony.With your training in film making, there should have been some work coming in, if not a lot. What happened?
Well, it wasn't as if jobs weren't coming my way. But I did not want to do a job; I wanted to create something on my own…put forth my vision. I guess, I wasn't good at taking orders either as I am with giving. (laughs)Was it that you were way too ambitious?
I don't think I was too ambitious. I didn't bag the deals because I wasn't at the right place at the right time. My initial profile was brilliant; I had worked with one of the biggest productions then,Swabhimaan.After working with the ad fraternity, why is that you turned towards television?
After initial tryst with ad-film making, there was a time when the work wasn't coming my way. Fortunately enough, I got an offer from television. Since, as a medium it had lot of potential I decided to try my luck.You started your career during the DD age. What is the difference that you find in the system then and now?
Television was a modest medium then, unlike now. But the modus operandi hasn't changed much. But with the onset of satellite television, there is definitely a rise in competition. Deadlines have become more and more stringent. The production values have definitely risen.During the DD times, there was limited choice that the viewers had, and the onus of bagging the advertisement was on the production house, unlike now when the channel is an active participant. The competition is stiff, neck-to-neck and what sells is the entire package, channels like Star Plus have realised that and therefore are definitely more involved in the production.
"During the DD times there was limited choice that the viewers had, and the onus of bagging the advertisement was on the production house, unlike now when the channel is an active participant" But isn't that meddlesome?
No, Channels have an image to maintain. Liabilities are higher. Earlier, when Mahabharat was airing, you hardly had people stepping out of the house. In recent times, you can't demand that kind of focused viewership. There is a viewership pie that a channel has to cash in on. At the end of the day they are running a business and there are many people that they are responsible for.When you joined the industry, you must have been amongst the younger lot. Did you ever find the environment hostile?
Of course not, the times were lean and the work was definitely less but there was work for people who were willing to go that extra mile. But more often than not, it was the question of your luck… you either get it or don't.It is often heard that even though the programmes were scant, there was definitely more quality output. What do you have to say about that?
I doubt it. There was obviously a lack of choice and there was quite less variety. Viewing time was restricted to a few hours in the evening and on Sundays, but look at the scenario now. The viewing band is from 11 am in the morning to 6 pm in the evening, then from 8 pm to way past midnight.But there is a major grouse that the television shows mainly deal with the 'saas-bahu' genre. There are two good shows and rest are all rehashes of the same?
I completely disagree with that statement. For every Kyunki… there is a Krisshna Arjun, for everyKahaani… there is Shhhh…koi hai and for every Kasautii… there is Kucch kar dikhana hai.All said and done, the main target audience is the housewife and family drama is a genre that they can relate too. Look at us; we could lap up The Bold and the Beautiful, which is essentially a family drama, but brand Hindi television family dramas as retrogressive.
But that was years ago, why are we following trends set abroad? Where is the creativity?
There are stories and there are people who make it. Tomorrow if I were to make a Titanic, my treatment would be different. I have different sensibilities and my vision is different. Look at the three big soaps, Kyunki…, Kahaani, and Kasautii…, apart from the superficial similarities that they are all portray big families, Kyunki… is one woman's story, Kahaani … is about a family feud andKasautii…is essentially a love story. I think despite the limitations, we are doing a damn good job.What limitations?
Mainly the budget, the technical facility. It might be easier to make a Matrix abroad because they have the technical finesse. It is difficult to do that for Indian cinema simply because we lack the budgets, but in television the situation is even worse. It might be difficult to call for an extra dolly or crane, which are nothing but the bare necessities.Be it out of lack of choice, but television is a close up oriented medium.
"With the killing competition, there is a great risk of the concept leaking out" 
Getting back to your work. According to the latest TAM ratings, the 'Saara Akaash' debut episode was rated 7.3 in the C&S 4+ category on the TRP scale. It was the no 15 programme in the first week. Were you expecting this kind of popularity?
At the risk of sounding pompous, I was expecting at least eight. Looking at the popularity of the channel and the publicity campaigns that the channel held, I hoped that we would have fetched at least nine. Had it been six months ago, I wouldn't have expected that kind popularity.Wasn't the original concept of 'Saara Akaash' changed?
I wouldn't call it changed. Yes it was definitely tweaked a little basically because both the channel and the producers thought that it was getting too technical. But like I said, the audience for the prime time band is a housewife, so rather than making something that would have to be shelved sooner we thought of going in for a facelift. My mother, wife or bhabhi do not care about the details about the emergency landings, they need to know how much of a trauma it caused. The human interest, so to speak.For this project, all the four lead actors are Balaji actors. Isn't there some kind of contract they sign for exclusivity? How did you manage to sign them?
It is a myth. There is no such contract at Balaji. I signed them because I thought they were right for the part. In fact, I think most of them were already working with other production houses. Instead of branding people as Balaji actors, I think we should look at the fact that Balaji is offering them a plethora of avenues to explore their talents. Why Balaji, UTV, Miditech… in fact, television has opened up so many opportunities for youngsters.Speaking about the various production houses, weren't you the director for Taurus films' 'Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr'. Why did you opt out of it?
There is nothing really into it. Since a lot is riding on the show, the channel needed my undivided attention on one project.Of late, besides actors being replaced another phenomenon is rampant that of the directors being replaced. Doesn't this affect the production?
Don't think so. May be if the person appointed is incompetent, but otherwise I think it might offer the show a certain freshness. Look at Kasautii Zindagii Kay; I directed the story for the good 150 + episodes. Till that time we had already introduced the three main characters of the story Prerna, Anurag and Komolika. After the character was established all that my successor had to do was ensure its smooth run.Speaking of 'Kasautii…', isn't Prerna an unlikely heroine?
Why Prerna? Just because she is an unwed mother. I don't think she has done anything wrong. The child is a symbol of her love; although it is not common, it does happen in recent times. Why should it not be portrayed on the screen? Personally, I think Anurag is an out and out fictional character; you do not have as white a guy as Anurag. I was in fact more worried about it. The challenge I faced was to convert a complete fairy tale character like Anurag into a believable one. I managed to successfully pull it off.One of the major grudges in recent times is that shows resort to twists and turns too many a times for comfort. Why do you think that the show makers resort to such trickery?
I don't think it is unjustified. They have to make sure that their show is watched and not just sporadically. In recent times with the kind of stiff competition¸ you have to make sure that people tune into your show. It's a simple business strategy. We are definitely promoting the art, but at the end of the day everybody has to take a look at the business aspect. Nobody is doing a charity business and let's be very clear about that.What about a working proposition like a 'saas-bahu' saga, spawning ten others of its ilk? Does nobody care about plagiarism any more?
Hell no! We are experimental as we should be. The main grouse is I think directed towards Star Plus. But let me tell you something, I think the channel offers too many options; it covers most of the genres of programming. I said before, we have been as experimental as our budgets permit. Do you thing it will be impossible for us to make a film like Titanic or Matrix or say the recentPhone Booth? Of course not, but I did say I would be able to do a better job.Just because we cannot relate to the concept, it doesn't give us the right to shoot it down. Plus there could be ten shows based on the same concept but they aren't same. If you look at it what was so different about Titanic, but let's not write it off as a masala movie. Only James Cameron could have pulled it off, just because it was based on an actual concept doesn't make it easy. The movie was written off before its launch as an ill- fated movie but it rattled the box office with its unique treatment.
I know it's no excuse, but if you are comparing television in India and America, you have to realize that abroad they have seasons. It gives the makers time to strategise, come up with newer story ideas and think it through.
But why can't we write and execute shows well in advance?
I think this is mainly because of the competition. With the killing competition, there is a great risk of the concept leaking out and you might have another production house making a show based on an identical concept. If you have already canned 20 episodes, you can't do anything but air it.Television has become far too serious, why don't we have more comedies?
We have to understand that television is business. Until and unless there is a demand for the project you cannot go ahead. But there are few programmes like Sab TV's Office Office, which is going well.There is a need for intelligent comedies but it is a very difficult proposition.
"If they expect me to make a Devdas then them better come up with 50 crores" What do you look in a project before signing it?
I don't really know, but my main prerogative is that it should excite me. I look out for projects which are different from what I have done before. If you look at my profile, I started off withKabhi Souten Kabhi Saheli, a story about two friends and their dilemma when they realise that they are married to the say man, then came Kohi Apna Sa, which was a story of three best freinds married to three first cousins. Later I took up Kasautii Zindagii Kay, which is a love story, followed by a campus caper Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr.What according to you are the essential requisites of an actor?
They should be able to remember their lines. Nothing irks me more than actor who cannot memorize his lines. I think most important for an actor is dialogue delivery.What is it that you cannot compromise on as a director?
I am a very demanding director. Personally I think actors are a spoilt lot, so I do not believe in giving them any concessions. Plus I cannot cave into producers' demands, if they expect me to make a Devdas then they better come up with 50 crores (Rs 500 million).What is your modus operandi as a director?
In our field, when you spend 15-20 hours per day on the sets I think it is important that we relate with the actors on a personal level. I make sure that my actors are so comfortable that they can talk to me about anything.As far as explaining the shot goes, I ask them to visualise that scene and then go ahead with the shot.
So you essentially mean you ask them to be a method actor?
Frankly, I think either you are an actor or not. Acting is not an acquired taste, you need to have an aptitude for it. As far as method acting goes, I find it extremely irritating when actors insist on getting drunk to portray scenes where they have a drunkard's role. What will you do when you have to shoot a scene where you are shown shot, get a bullet in you arm? Get real, this isn't acting.There was a famous instance when Dustin Hoffman, in his early days, had to portray a fatigued man, as soon as the shot was about to get ready he went for a 10 mile jog. Back huffing puffing, he gave the shot. The director patted him on his back and said 'good job, but next time, act'.
Why haven't you worked with your brother, the well known actor Hussain? Is it by choice?
No. It is destiny. I think he was offered Saara Akaash but things didn't work out. But I think it is great to have a sibling in the business, there is so much that we can learn from each other.In this industry, family support is extremely crucial. Hadn't it been for my wife and my family's support, I wouldn't have been here.
What next after 'Saara Akaash'?
Currently I am just concentrating on Saara Akaash, but I would like to direct films. Not because of its reach, frankly becasuse I think television has a better reach but because the canvas is larger. -
“With ‘Saara Akaash’ we want to prove that we are capable of delivering mega scale fiction too”: Nikhil Alva Television software producer
Nikhil and Niret Alva are a long way from just being known as celebrity offspring. Nikhil started off in the early 1990s composing music for ad jingles in Delhi, while Niret was a known print and TV journalist. Initially identified as former cabinet minister Margaret Alva’s sons, the brothers soon grew out of the shadow when they found their calling in creating television software that was a pioneer in its genre.
This was around 1992-93, when the duo, aided by a couple of friends, got together for making a series of 18 short films on the girl child for UNICEF. The series, expected to take up a couple of months, wound up consuming over a year.
Then came Living on the Edge for Doordarshan, meant to be a 13-part series, but which acquired a life of its own and ran on for a mammoth 250 episodes and went on to bag several awards, including the Green Oscar, and got picked up by Star Plus for retelecast in 1997. By then, the company had left music behind and moved full time into software production.
In 1992, Miditech also produced India’s first film based game show for DD Metro Take 2. By 1994, the company began to be identified as a travel, infotainment and research based production house. BBC entrusted it with its auto show Wheels in 1997-98, a show that will enter its 10th season this September.
The projects the company does for international production houses, programmes that air in over 25 countries, contribute over 50 per cent of the firm’s revenues today. Miditech today has its own 100-strong team in Delhi, complete with cameramen, editors and researchers and its post production facility – a three-storey building with a basement devoted to edit suites.
In an interview to the media after a long while, CEO Nikhil Alva chatted with indiantelevision.com’s Aparna Joshi about Miditech’s achievements, his take on the current television scene and his hopes for the company, apart of course, from Miditech’s latest offering on Star Plus, Saara Akaash.
‘Saara Akaash’ marks Miditech’s shift to fiction in a major way. Why did you have to move away from your core competency?
After Kaun Banega Crorepati, there has been a perceptible shift towards pure entertainment on television in India. Our association with Star goes back a long way, since 1997, when Living on the Edge was telecast along with our travel show The Great Escape. But now, there are few opportunities for infotainment programming. In fact, in the last three years, the market for these has definitely shrunk, although at one point, it was expected to grow. Doordarshan, for whom we made a lot of shows, didn’t commission any programmes for this period, and the BBC, which planned to increase the quantum of locally produced software, didn’t go ahead with the plans.It was then we decided that we had to explore fresh genres, to increase our presence in Mumbai, which had become the hub of satellite television. This we did by making Kabhi Biwi Kabhi Jasoosfor Sony, which ran for an estimated 20 – 26 episodes but didn’t really click.
But now there is a lot riding on Saara Akaash. We are already established as capable of delivering mega scale non fiction, with Saara Akaash we want to prove that we are capable of delivering mega scale fiction too.
‘Saara Akaash’ was envisaged to launch sometime late last year. What took the series this long?
The series was initially envisaged as a half hour show and we had even canned eight episodes. But when Star saw it, they felt it had the potential to be scaled up to become an hour long weekly. So it was back to the drawing board for us – it meant redoing several things, changing the cast to suit the changed look and feel. It did create a certain amount of depression within the team – there were 70 people here working on it, and there were several practical difficulties in the actual shooting – getting the access to the air force base for shooting, dealing with the restrictions and changed schedules brought about by border tensions. All this did delay the series, but it helped us to perfect the look of Saara Akaash.Does this mean that if ‘Saara Akaash’ clicks, Miditech will shift in a major way towards fiction?
We are here to stay in this genre because that’s where the future of Indian television is. As forSaara Akaash, I believe it has the potential of being a winner. Regarding more fiction in the pipeline, we are in talks with a couple of channels, but nothing that we would like to announce before Saara Akaash takes off.“Zee was definitely bold enough to launch a show like RAAAH, but it could not match it with equally strong packaging”
‘RAAAH’ was another big ticket show from the Miditech workshop last year. Why didn’t it work?
RAAAH was a brilliant concept and it was executed just as brilliantly. Besides, it was an indigenously developed concept, not a borrowed foreign format. It had great potential, but unfortunately for us, it turned out to be show number 25 on Zee TV, the channel that had already launched 24 new shows in a row without any of them really making a mark. As a result, there wasn’t much enthusiasm in the channel when they promoted that show – it had no marketing push, no real publicity and no hype created around it.The time slot we had – Sunday noon, was probably the worst that genre could have expected. While we had excellent sponsors for the show – we were giving away apartments, cruises and motorbikes for the winners on each episode, the show could not attract the right audience.
If the show had been put on prime time, say 9 pm on Fridays, it would have been a trendsetter in its genre with all other channels vying for a similar show. Zee was definitely bold enough to launch a show like RAAAH, but it could not match it with equally strong packaging.
If you get the opportunity, would you consider making another ‘RAAAH’ for some other channel?
Yes, of course. We are already talking to two channels about a similar show and something should be finalised by the end of this year.As for reality shows, we are making a mega reality show Roadies for MTV that’s kicking off on 15 August.
You also have another reality show on MTV – ‘Bum Mein Dum’, which has been rated as the second most popular show across all music channels. How do you see this trend of different genres doing well on music channels?
That’s the route most music channels will take in this country. For example, in the US, MTV plays very little music, as there are several other channels supplying that. The idea is to cater to the youth TG in every way possible, which is what we have done with Bum Mein Dum, which has been done with the channel profile in mind.Reality shows in fact can work very well as they are seasonal, short runs that help to break through the clutter of regular shows. Reality, in fact, I think is a weapon in your arsenal that you can use to break through the clutter at regular intervals.
Which is easier to produce – a reality show or fiction?
Reality is not controlled, because you are at the mercy of the elements and changing circumstances all the time. As against that, fiction has a bound script and happens in controlled circumstances. But both are challenges in their own right…I would not say either is easier or more difficult…Does the impending implementation of conditional access in the country worry you in any way?
It’s still early days to comment on how it will all eventually work out. But if the truth that niche channels will thrive in a post CAS era holds out, then we will be ready to capitalise on the advantage with our decade long experience in providing niche content.Yes, production budgets may suffer in the process, but then it is all part of the game.
“Content such as we provide, even though it may not fetch mass ratings, can still draw a large enough audience to be commercially viable” Where do you see the trend on television going – last year was supposed to belong to the reality genre but that did not happen.
We are still in the soap era. Though of course there has been one change – last year, dailies were the in thing, while now it is the weekly soap that has pride of place. Of course, another hot space is the news channel genre and we are also getting into the news content sphere. We are in talks to supply news features to Sahara Samay Rashtriya, Star News as well as the revamped DD News that’s scheduled to be on air soon.Are you still doing shows for Doordarshan?
Doordarshan continues to be an important platform for us. After all, we started with Living on the Edge on DD. We have a new weekly show, Science of India, coming up soon, which will deal with the various branches of Indian science through the ages. We are also toying with the idea of making health and travel slots for DD Bharati.Is it easy to secure talent of the kind you need to produce slick, well researched documentaries and factual programming?
Mumbai has that advantage. Here, there is a huge pool of technical and creative talent. While it is relatively easy to get good editors, cameramen and technical people, it is the writers and researchers who are hard to come by. At times, for international projects, we have had to even bring in writers from abroad!Any expansion plans for the company?
By the year end, we plan to set up a base in Singapore, because that’s the place which is becoming the documentary hub for Asia. In fact, the Singapore government aids in funding of documentaries too – one of our own documentaries for the National Geographic has been co-funded by the Singapore government. We are now pitching ourselves as an Asian production house rather than focus only on Indian themes, which will anyway run out after a point.How are you funded ? Is there an IPO on the cards?
We have ploughed back funds into expansions thus far. Besides, ICICI has a 25 per cent stake in Miditech. Yes, as we expand, we will definitely look at fresh avenues for funding, whether it is an IPO or some other source.How about starting a channel of your own some time in the future?
Though it is a temptation, our core competence is content. Broadcasting is a totally different ball game. If, in the future, we do think of a channel of our own, it would be in partnership with an existing and established broadcaster, not alone. Of course, there is space for good factual programming, although we should not forget that television primarily is an entertainment medium, which people switch on to get entertained, not necessarily educated. But content such as we provide, even though it may not fetch mass ratings, can still draw a large enough audience to be commercially viable.Where do you then see Miditech a decade from now?
I see it as an international production house working with international producers across the globe.