ITV

Tag: Vickey Lalwani

  • “If you restrict the story to the main characters, the viewer enjoys it more” : Ravindra Gautam

    “If you restrict the story to the main characters, the viewer enjoys it more” : Ravindra Gautam

     Smart, young and handsome. One look at Ravindra Gautam and you wonder why he didn't want to have a tryst with acting. But then, you can't force somebody to start believing contrary to his convictions. Ravi, as he is fondly called, always believed that he could make his mark as a director.

    Did we say 'make his mark'? Sorry, we take our words back. He hasn't just made his mark, he has now become a force to reckon with- as a director. Balaji's Kasautii Zindagi Kay currently directed by him was number one for quite some time recently, then Aruna Irani rolled up her sleeves and snatched away the top slot with her  Des Mein Nikala Hoga Chand for some time. But Ravi wrested it back!

    Vickey Lalwani caught up with him on the crest of his wave, at a break in the hectic shooting schedule of  KZK in 'Indiclay' at Goregaon. Excerpts from an interview:

    How did the direction bug bite you?
    Since childhood (which was spent in Lucknow), I was a filmi buff, in the sense that, I used to see almost every film. Then, I joined a theatre group. I worked there for nearly seven years and learnt almost every nuance involved in the making of a project- screenplay, script-writing, direction, editing, etc. I developed plans of coming to Mumbai. But somewhere along the way, I got a nice job as a Probationary Officer in a nationalised bank.

    And your filmi aspirations went for a toss?
    No way! Films were my first love and first love never dies. Since my theatre days, I had developed an itch to direct a film, and even my parents supported me in my decision. Also, I had already met my better half!

    Wow!
    (blushes) I met her during my theatre days (I was just 22 then) and we even got married in Lucknow, before we finally departed for Mumbai.

    And you left the bank job?
    Obviously. Even my wife had started supporting me in the pursuit of my dream. Frankly, I had made it clear to her before marriage that I would leave the job and we would go to the city of my dreams, very soon after marriage.

    Then?
    I joined a six-month course in Animation Graphics in Lucknow. Meanwhile, my wife started working. Someone had to form the supportive system (smiles).

    Fast forward. What happened in Mumbai?
    I joined Crest Communications. After a year, they made me the editor. I worked there for nearly six years. Then joined MTV as an editor for a very brief period. Then I joined Sibar Media (a Hyderabad based company) which gave me the flexibility of being the Creative Head of their studio. From there, I got my first assignment as a director. I directed a few episodes for Khaufffor Sab TV. The EP of Khauff Vandana (who is currently the EP of KZK) messaged me that Balaji was looking out for someone to take over the directorial reins in KZK. I did a few test shoots for them. They liked it. Within a month, I was in the hot seat of KZK .

    Hot seat?
    Yeah. Kaid had directed about 200 episodes of the serial. Balaji wanted this serial to raise its TRP ratings. Earlier, it was slotted as fourth or fifth, if I am not wrong. So, my task was cut out for me. Mind you, it was a stiff challenge.

    How did you meet the stiff challenge?
    I saw the earlier episodes to take a firm grip on the plot. And I realised that the pace of the serial was quite slow. I started making it pacy. I am not saying that is moving at break-neck speed even now, but if you see how we take the shots compared to the old episodes, you'll realise what I mean. Without changing the gist, the camera angles and the length of the scene can be altered to keep the viewer's interest alive. Importantly, I started curtailing all the unwanted characters and dialogues. If you restrict the story to the main characters, the viewer always enjoys it more than otherwise.

    Then, I realised that I needed to better the performances of the artistes as well. I had a long meeting with them where we gelled extremely well. From there on, I have never had a day of going home and worrying that any of my artistes was not too good. We tell each other whatever we have in our mind, and neither of us takes it to heart. We improvise on our flaws and highlight our virtues. The results are there for all to see. I have a terrific equation with my artistes. Importantly, I am open to suggestions.

    "Without changing the gist, the camera angles and the length of the scene can be altered to keep the viewer's interest alive"

    Do you give your artistes the flexibility to perform as they want to?
    That's what I was coming to (smiles). I tell them that they should perform in a tone and posture they feel the best. I observe that. More often than not, they are bang on. They are professionals, have an image and reputation to protect and have lived the character now for more than 320 episodes. Why wouldn't they give it their best? Sometimes, of course, as a director I cannot see eye to eye with their portrayal. I tell them and they immediately understand. It's a pleasure to work with especially Cezzane Khan, Shweta Tiwari, Ronit Roy and Dipak Kazir. Put together, they form the biggest volcano of talent on Indian television.

    Do you get rattled when some of your actors come late?
    No. Because I know that they have a genuine reason. Many artistes from my serial are working on some other Balaji project. Surely, I can't be screaming in that case.

    How does it feel to enjoy the top slot in the TRP game for so long?
    Great. But we haven't had a party as yet. There is so much work still to do. You can't relax in this business. Remember, Des Mein Niklla ... had become number one for a week or so!

    Oh, yeah! Did Ekta Kapoor send you a fiery message?
    (laughs). No. But she told the Creative Head of the show, Nivedita Basu, that we quickly need to get our act together again.

    But how did you recover in a week's time?
    I removed all the unwanted scenes in that week. I kept only that stuff, which keeps you guessing as to 'what next?' Predictability was thrown out from the nearest window. Importantly, I hastened to show that Bajaj was still alive. Else that was slated to be shown a little later. The public got a jolt, we went back to the top (smiles).

    So you change tracks, here and there, to suit the TRPs?
    That's the name of the game.

    Do you have an end in mind? Or is this serial just going on?
    In television, the dictum is – 'if so far so good, then please don't tamper and don't think too much ahead'. You have to know the economics of the trade. Honestly speaking, I don't know what is the end. We are going on as per the mood of the viewers. But Ekta must be having something in mind, I am sure.

    Doesn't the inordinate length often find characters being changed midway?
    It does. But what to do? That way, just recently, we replaced the Geeta character (shrugs his shoulders). There is no time to sit, debate, brood, etc.

    A word about Balaji before we wind up?
    Great production house. Full freedom given to directors. Cost is never the factor. Lucky me! (smiles).

    Has the first love of films evaporated?
    May I repeat that first love never dies? One day, I will direct a film.

  • “It’s useless to compete with very young girls who are playing protagonist roles in most serials today”

    “It’s useless to compete with very young girls who are playing protagonist roles in most serials today”

    It's a pleasant surprise when one sees her for the first time, shorn of the burden of age that dogs her on screen. If Kamalika Guha Thakurta aka Gayatri Chachi of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi does not look even half the age she portrays in the serial, blame it on the make-up man who convincingly portrays her as a mother to a 40- year-old son. This dusky Bengali beauty, whose acting skills need no introduction to a Kyunki…. regular, would easily qualify as an answer to a search for a protagonist in a 25-year old age group.

    Read on for a tete-a-tete with Vickey Lalwani at the Sankaram Studios, Goregaon.
     

    How did you get your first break on television?
    A long story, actually. I lived in Kolkata. I used to indulge in a lot of dancing. I also grabbed some opportunities to do theatre. For some time, I worked as a copywriter in an advertising agency 'Clarion' (now Bates India). There I met the man of my dreams – Rajnish Lall. He was working in the accounts department. We fell in love. Some time later, I was in Mumbai for some other work. I was not married then. Someone casually introduced me to Raja Bundela and Satish Kaushik. The duo was looking for a fresh face to play the central role of Divya in Mujhe Chand Chahiye (Zee). It was a fabulous role. We used to shoot in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, as the script demanded…
     

    Go on…
    Towards the end of the show, Rajnish and I became husband and wife. Since Rajnish was from Mumbai, we settled here.
     

    Why was 'Mujhe Chand Chahiye' wrapped up in a hurry?
    Yes, it was. Initially, it did well. But after a period of time, it was not able to sustain high TRPs.
     

    How did you get into the Balaji camp?
    I had joined Satyadev Dubey's workshop which used to be held at Prithvi on Mondays. I was working on my Hindi. Ektaa Kapoor had sent some of her EPs to pick up some artistes recommended by Dubey himself. That's it! I was picked for a show called Kashti. While I was doing Kashti, along came the offer to do Kyunki…
     

    Did you jump at the 'Kyunki…' offer or did you ponder awhile?
    I don't remember whether I jumped, but I won't ever forget my first reaction when I arrived on the sets.
     

    What was so special about that?
    Looking at me, Savita and Ketki said in Gujarati 'Yeh chokri hamari devrani banegi?' (Will this chit of a girl play our sister in law?). And then, when I learnt that I had to play Shakti Anand's mom and JD's wife, I beckoned to the EP and told her that this was not my cup of tea. However, most artistes from the Kyunki… cast came forward and explained that I should not let this opportunity slip away. I don't know why, but something made me believe them. I began to get a gut feeling that this serial was going to be a big thing one day.
     
    "It can't be just the sarees and the jewellery that makes 'Kyunki…' tick"
     
     

    Don't you regret that you got slotted into the 'devrani' bracket?
    This serial has put me in a certain age group which is older than what I actually am. That, in turn, does straitjacket me into the 'devrani' bracket. But it's mindless to crib about these things because very young girls are playing the protagonist roles in most serials today. It would be useless to compete with them. The scenario has changed. Why shouldn't I make use of whatever opportunities I get, subject of course, to the fact that the work is good and respectful.
     

    Still, does this serial offer enough scope to your acting abilities?
    It's a fairly good deal. If you recall, earlier it was all focused on Savita, Ketaki and I. Now, those days are coming back. If you have seen the past few episodes, Savita and I have been having tiffs.
     

    And the third fight-master Ketaki Dave is coming back?
    (smiles). Yes, she is coming back on 3 July – the third anniversary of the show.
     

    What did you all feel when she dropped out?
    We all told her not to go. It was a petty misunderstanding. We thought it could have been sorted out then and there. But I guess, it snowballed into an ego clash.
     
    What did you feel when Amarr Upadhyay walked out?
    We tried our best to convince him that he should not leave. We told him, 'If Amitabh Bachchan could do television, why can't you?'. But he stuck to his decision.
     

    But I have heard that he is coming back?
    Even I have heard this. I don't see why he would. Ronit Roy is doing a great job as Mihir Virani, I wonder where and how Amarr would fit in. It would be unfair to the audience. But then, Ektaa knows best.
     

    You are also doing 'Kya Haadsa Kya Haqeeqat' now?
    Yes. But this Balaji serial has me as a 28-year old girl (smiles). In this current series, I play a tarot-card reader sort of character. Urvashi plays the negative part. I use my knowledge and powers to nullify her. As an artiste, I am enjoying myself. It's very different from normal socials.
     

    Going back to 'Kyunki…..'. Do you think it's easy to live in such a big family in today's times as the serial propagates?
    Well, my father has six brothers and presently they all live in the same house, rather, the same building. They all have separate kitchens and separate businesses. They connect as and when they want to. Therefore, I have seen the pros and cons of living together and separately, both. Given a choice in today's times, everyone would prefer a nuclear family. But I think people do connect to this serial in some way. It can't be just the sarees and the jewellery that makes it tick. Anyway, let's not forget that, after all, it's fiction.
     
    "I must say that each one of us is very happy with the look we have presently"
     

    Were you comfortable when they took the 20-year leap and changed your look?
    Honestly, I and practically everyone were extremely apprehensive about the change in our get-ups that was inevitably going to happen. The show and the image given to us by it, meant a lot to everyone. We were unsure if the audience would accept us in our new 'avtaar'. There were lots of meetings between the actors, producers and channel guys. We explained to them that we didn't want to be projected as caricatures. None of us was so old to have wrinkles or black circles under our eyes.

    Television takes lots of close-ups and very soon it would have shown that the wrinkles and the black bags are artificial. On stage, these things are okay. You are at a distance and you can divert the public. On TV, nothing can go unnoticed. Eventually, we took the middle road, and I must say that each one of us is very happy with the look we have presently.
     
    Was the 20-year leap taken because the TRPs were falling?
    Television is all TRP business. It must have been a joint decision by the channel and the producer. Besides, bringing in more characters, I mean the Generation Next, must have been done to have more tracks to work on.
     

    Is bringing in Ketaki Dave also a TRP driven move?
    I don't think anything is wrong with the present TRPs. They are pretty high. The day or maybe the week that Ketaki enters would find a rise in TRPs, but beyond that, the story has to maintain the viewer's interest to sustain the good position which the serial is presently in.
     

    What is difficult on television?
    The time to prepare for a scene is too little. It all boils down to 'episode ready karna hai'. You need to get it right almost instantly. Unlike in films, there is no time for improvisation, there is no time for breaks. But like every coin, even this one has two sides. To get everything right almost instantly, we need to be tremendously focused. We develop high levels of concentration. Every day, we grow as an actor.
     

    What is the role you yearn to play?
    I have done good roles in Kamal, Manzilen and Babuji, though I had to wind them all up due to my pregnancy. I have a nine-month old daughter. We have named her 'Khushi'. I would love to have a tryst with comedy.

    Have you thought of joining films?
    I get calls, but I am not going to sign until I get a role of substance.

    Your co-stars whom you gel most with?
    Sudha Shivpuri (Ba), Apara Mehta (Savita), Smriti Malhotra (Tulsi).

    Television is taxing. How do you manage with your baby?
    My mom has come down to stay with us. And I make at least 20 calls every day to check if everything is fine (smiles).
  • “There is no ‘masala’ in ‘Kyunki…’ without me”:Jaya Bhattacharya

    “There is no ‘masala’ in ‘Kyunki…’ without me”:Jaya Bhattacharya

    “Hey! Am I happening on television?” she asks, when I call her up to seek an appointment for an interview. I keep mum. Obviously, she is. Heena on Sony TV has seen a welcome change with her introduction in the role of Nadira Mir- the volatile and arrogant lawyer who takes up cases only for men (for inexplicable reasons) and hasn’t lost a single case in her life so far.

    Payal of Kyunki… on Star Plus needs no introduction. And of course, she has left a marked impression in her serials right from Zameen Aasman, Kahani Hi Jeevan Hai, Kammal, Kaise Kahoon, Koshish- Ek Aasha, Smriti and Virasat, to name a few. She chuckles, “Okay, I was just kidding. Tomorrow, I am not shooting. Come along home in the evening.” Mumbai.

    An hour later than the appointed time, I am ringing the doorbell of Payal, sorry, Jaya Bhattacharya’s flat at Malad. She rushes out of her bedroom with groggy eyes. “Why don’t you make yourself comfy until I just freshen up?” she suggests. Five minutes later, she is lighting up a cigarette and settling across me. “Shoot,” she giggles. And then suddenly turning serious, she says, “Call me Jaya, not Payal.”

    Excerpts from an interview with Vickey Lalwani.
     

    How did the acting bug bite you?
    Let’s start from here. I am the only child of my parents. So, naturally, I was overprotected. I was doing my tenth in a hostel in Allahabad. I had come down to Lucknow, my home town, for a few days. I was about to go back to Allahabad, when someone I knew from a music college called to ask whether I was interested in dancing to a Holi song in a telefilm. I had done my training in classical dancing and singing. I don’t know how, but my father agreed. He himself took me to the director, who made me do a couple of steps. I didn’t take it seriously and did whatever came to mind on impulse. Next day, my dad woke me up at 5 am. and said, “Get ready. We have to reach for the shoot. You have to act. It’s happening today.” And I screamed at him, “Did you say ‘act’? I was supposed to only ‘dance’!”
     

    Sorry to interrupt you. You said “I didn’t know how, but my father agreed.” Could you elaborate a bit on that?
    My father was strictly against the filmi stuff. He was all into classical dance and music. He used to say ‘filmi songs are stupid.’ Even today, he is the same. He does not recognize Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan! (laughs).
     

    Back to where you were…
    Fine. Then, I got a play Ek Hati Manu. The play was based on the life of Rani Laxmibai. I was given the title role. I rehearsed for the play for three months. It was a great learning experience. Then came my first telly serial- Neem Ka Ped for Lucknow Doordarshan. The programme then went on Doordarshan too. The beginning was nothing sensational. First, I was given a scene in which I had no dialogues. Then, I had a scene in which I had just two dialogues. It progressed very slowly. However, they began to like my performance and my character began to evolve. But my twelfth standard exams began looming large and I had to drop out midway.

    Then I met Arun Bali and S M Zaheer who asked me to audition for Devi Chaudhrani based on a novel by Sarat Chandra. I didn’t even know what exactly an audition was. A few comical moments occurred during the audition. However, I was selected. Zaheer introduced me to Manohar Shyam Joshi who in turn introduced me to Ramesh Sippy who was making Zameen Aasman at that time. Midway somewhere, I had done a series of episodic stories titled Ashta Bhuji for Lucknow Doordarshan. This one made me a known face in Uttar Pradesh. The ball had started rolling. I was getting a few assignments, for which I had to shuttle a lot between Lucknow and Mumbai.
     

    And then?
    I began to know many people. Then, I came down to Mumbai for eight days for a pilot to be shot by Bhappie Sonie. My dad was unwell, so I came alone. Eight days became 15 days, and 15 days have gone on to become eight years!

    And believe me, I hadn’t got even my portfolio done. All my assignments were coming through when someone had seen my performance somewhere. I was not pushing my glamorous pictures for people to have a look.
     

    So things started happening, huh? But what if they hadn’t?
    Simple. I would have packed my bags and gone back to Lucknow. I don’t hail from a very well-to-do family who can support my struggle and stay in an expensive city like Mumbai.
     

    Fast forward. How did ‘Kyunki…’ happen?
    I have been with Balaji Telefilms for quite some time now. It all started when they called me for Itihaas. The character was good but the remuneration offered was peanuts. I refused. I tried meeting them midway, but the deal did not materialize. After a couple of years, they called me again. I was offered Bandhan in which I played a mute girl. Then came another Balaji serial Koshish- Ek Aasha. That was a brilliant role. I had a gamut of emotions to portray- my husband was not loving me, I was childless, then I conceived and delivered, then my baby died. And then came Kyunki…
     
    “Maybe I have to work extra when a brilliant scene comes up, which rarely happens these days since the scenes are pretty short as many new characters have sprung up“
     

    What attracted you to the character of Payal?
    Frankly, I was shocked that they wanted to cast me in a negative character. I was known in school and college for my soft face. At times, I used to force a friend or two to accompany me when I wanted to drive home a point to any new person. I don’t know whether I really have a soft face, but my friends had rammed it into me that I do. I sat down and thought. I said to myself, “What’s the harm in trying it out? ‘Nahin click hoga, to nahin click hoga. Do char galiyan padegi. Use jyada to kuch nahin ho sakta.’” I signed on the dotted line.
     

    You said the remuneration offered by Balaji for ‘Itihaas’ was peanuts. How is it now in ‘Kyunki…’?
    It’s okay.
     

    Many names in ‘Kyunki’ have become household names. Does the remuneration increase if and when the character becomes popular?
    First things first. Touch wood, my character of Payal is really popular. Whenever I am missing for a period of time, the TRPs drop. They have to call me back. The cast and the crew call me the ‘P’ of TRP ratings. There is no ‘masala’ in the serial without me. As for the rise in remuneration in ‘Kyunki…’ is concerned, it has nothing to do with the popularity of the character. We all get a raise after every one year. However nominal or good, ‘theek hai’. We don’t complain and mess around. As you said, this serial has continuously benefited many of us so far. And there is no reason why the benefits would stop coming (smiles).
     
    Who worked on your look?
    I did most of the things. I suggested that I’ll wear the brown lenses. I feel these give a catty look, which is so intrinsic to the character. And before you ask who suggested me to roll my eyes in circles, let me tell you that it just happened. When I did it for the first time unknowingly, the director was highly impressed. So I just kept doing it. ‘Ab to ek aadat si ho gayi hai’.

    Again I myself worked on my hair and clothes. Like recently, I have cut my hair. Some time ago, I had a ‘jooda’. My character is such that I can play around, unlike Smriti Malhotra (aka Tulsi) who has to wear the saree in a particular way, the bindi, the ‘mangalsutra’… There is no rigidity of anything in my portrayal.
     

    Are you comfy with the whitener in your hair?
    It’s okay. It’s a part of my job. I have used it before when I played Ronit Roy’s mother in Kammal.
     

    Are you a spontaneous actor?
    There ‘is’ a method as and when you are new in a project. You take one step at a time, you ask 10 people how am I looking, you suggest a change in dialogues, you do not want to be disturbed when you are memorizing your lines, you even end up imitating someone. Once you get used to it, there is spontaneity. You begin to live that character. You literally flow. You don’t need to prepare at all. At least that’s how I feel. Like, having been for nearly three years in Kyunki…, now I don’t have to retire to a corner and say ‘Hush’ to my costars when I am learning my lines.

    ‘Learning’ is a wrong word, I am ‘reading’ them. Believe me, I even know what Payal is most likely to say next in most of the shots. The only exception is the time when the track is taking an unexpected, dramatic turn. Or, maybe I have to work extra when a brilliant scene comes up, which rarely happens these days since the scenes are pretty short as many new characters have sprung up. Above all, so many directors have changed that we sometimes tell the director, “Tum chup raho. Hum karlenge. Tum sirf ‘action’ and ‘cut’ bolna (laughs).”

    But when it comes to weekly serials, or say, a new set-up, the role of the director cannot be undermined.
     
     

    If you see on the monitor that you haven’t delivered as per your expectations, do you ask for another take?
    I don’t watch the monitor. I am very critical of my work. If I see, I will cry ‘Maine Aisa Kyon Kiya?’ I don’t even see myself on television. I know what I have done. I am very much aware of even some scenes wherein I have not done a proper job- by giving a wrong expression or skipping a word. If you are working 48-72 hours at a stretch, your mind is bound to stop functioning at times.
     
    “If a female suddenly disappears from the serial, her refusal to be part of the casting couch could be one reason“
     

    What? 72 hours at a stretch?
    Yeah. Like, I was shooting for Devdas for 10 nights for a song. During the daytime, I was doing Kyunki…, Koshish-Ek Aasha, Kaise Kahoon and Smriti. Imagine! On the fifth day when I came back from the Devdas to the Koshish- Ek Aasha’s set, I immediately fell asleep. Anurag Basu (director) caught my shoulders and took me to the spot where the scene was meant to be shot. I had to say a dialogue standing beside a bed. The moment Anurag left me, I fell on the bed. Again he made me stand. He screamed the dialogue into my ears and asked me to open my eyes and narrate it. He went out of the camera at the last minute. The shot was captured, thankfully. I had done it! Hip! Hip! Hurray! (laughs).
     
    Have you enjoyed working in films?
    I am an actor. I would not mind any medium. The role and the money should excite me. It would be difficult to say whether I have enjoyed in films, because until now, I haven’t got sufficient footage. In Lajja, I had only two scenes. The second one lit up the screen, but the first one left no impression. In Devdas, I had four scenes. But there was nothing magnanimous about the character. I have another film Kise Se Na Kehna (starring Sanjay Kapoor) coming up. I am keen to do strong, weighty roles. Let’s see. As of now, I am loving my stint in television.
     

    What would you say about your journey thus far?
    I have met many good people and a few notorious ones as well. But the notorious ones have not been able to affect me, as I have not let it happen. Let me count. Hmmm… well, there have been just two notorious ones. One was, or is, a big time photographer who wanted to shoot my portfolio at a concession! And then there is this director who is very famous for his ‘extracurricular’ activities (laughs). Any Jane, Fane, Shane will do for him! He offered me a serial. My boyfriend Rahim and I knew about his Jane-Fane-Shane fetish. Rahim told me to do the serial. He said, “Go ahead. Just because we have these kind of people, you should not give away the opportunity. Handle him when it happens.” And it happened, midway through the serial. I walked out. My character ended (laughs, laughs and laughs). All said and done, there are very few wolves in the TV industry.
     

    So you mean to say that if a female suddenly disappears from the serial, her refusal to be part of the casting couch could be one reason?
    Yes.
     
    You have always been the bold and frank type…
    (Interrupts) Maybe because I am not a film actress. Well, I have always been like that. I am living-in with my boyfriend for nearly eight years. I cannot tolerate lies and injustice. I don’t want to marry and have kids. I would rather adopt some. There is enough population in this nation. So many kids are yearning to get love, care and education. Why shouldn’t I rather help a few of those?
     
    What are your future plans?
    I want to earn lots of money as I want to become a producer- be it films or TV serials. I also want to work for the benefit of stray animals and street children.
  • “Life changed after I joined Nimbus” : Akash Khurana Nimbus MD and CEO (Part I)

    “Life changed after I joined Nimbus” : Akash Khurana Nimbus MD and CEO (Part I)

    From actor to scriptwriter and teacher to CEO of a multifaceted production house, Akash Khurana stands out as a rare example of talent and passion married to fervent honesty to his craft. Perhaps one of the few in the industry who have successfully blended academics and creative art to reach a stage where he now shoulders awesome corporate responsibilities as the head of Nimbus, Khurana retains a simplicity that is disarming.

    In a freewheeling talk with Vickey Lalwani, Khurana holds forth on a variety of issues, including his own work and what could pep up the creative side of Indian television.

    How did you become an actor?
    My first tryst with cinema was Kalyug. Ever since my college days, I was a lot into extra-curricular activities like stage shows. Then I did quite a bit of theatre. I was performing with Prithvi, where the casting of Kalyug was happening. That’s it!

    How did this actor take to writing?
    I was acting in a movie called Swayam with Waheeda Rehman in 1988. This was a small budget movie that had to be wrapped up in an intense 18-day schedule. However, the script had some lacunae and we had to re-work it while shooting. I re-worked the script along with Mahesh Bhatt and both of us shared the writing credits. That’s how my writing career started. I later wrote –Aashiqui and Baazigar, besides writing a lot of TV software.

    What are the essential pre-requisites for becoming a good writer?
    a) Idea b)Craft c)Knowledge d)Instinct. Do you know that I haven’t written a script for quite sometime now? (smiles). After I joined Nimbus, life has changed. It’s pretty erratic and that is because I am into so many activities – writing, teaching and then I have a whole lot of responsibilities to shoulder too.

    Do you experience a writer’s block sometimes?
    Happens. Often, the story reaches a point where there is more than one option which I can adopt to take it ahead.
    “The end helps you to change story tracks, which has become the in thing today. Tracks should be changed in accordance with the end. Else you are simply making a mess of it“

    So how do you wriggle your way ahead then?
    The question is interesting but difficult. There is no one method. In fact, the permutations and combinations of solutions within the process are infinite. Every scene, dialogue, script, part of the process has different variants. To an extent, I can’t answer this question.

    But do you always have the end in mind?
    There again, there are processes and processes. I might have an end in mind, I might not have. Sometimes, I might even discuss it with someone, if I am stuck mid-way.

    With whom?
    Not with anybody! It does not work like that. I need to discuss my project and its difficulties (if any) with people of calibre and sensitivity. The person should have a vision. He/she should be able to relate to a writer’s mind.

    What have you enjoyed more- writing for cinema or television?
    Again a difficult question! Cinema has always been my first love, but I equally enjoyed exploring the field of television. Actually, the technique involved in both is very different. So, it would be unfair to compare the two.

    What is the difference in technique?
    The grammar, structure, characters- everything is so different. Basically, the structure. I mean, the size of the screen, the format. If you are writing a film for television, then there is no difference. But if you are writing a series for television, the structure changes. But please don’t start thinking that I am propagating that TV characters cannot be larger than life. Similarly, cinema characters need not always be larger than life.

    What helps to keep the programme ticking? Pace/Suspense/…?
    There are no answers. You can’t quantify it as 100 grams of this and 250 grams of that. The whole thing should be tight enough.

    Do you approve of change in tracks and no bound script?
    To an extent, yes. There has to be flexibility. If something is not working, you have to manoeuvre it.

    Are you saying that there are no bound scripts on television?
    It depends on calibre and confidence. If you have a great script, these things should not happen. There is an inherent lacuna. According to me, a script should be written, rewritten, tested, approved- and then- shot. Every maker knows the minimum episodes he has been allotted. Keeping that in mind, the story block (beginning-middle-end) should be readied. Unless and until it is ready, shooting must not start.

    Especially, the beginning and the end is of vital importance. Say, if you want to go to Churchgate from Juhu, you know the starting point, you know your destination. Else how can you term it as journey? The end in particular helps you to change the tracks, which has become the in thing today. The tracks should be changed in accordance with the end. Else you are simply making a mess of it.

    Are we having a dearth of script-writers on television?
    Inevitable. Everything that had to be done, has been done. Hereafter, the essence of the product will remain the same. Only the marketing and packaging will change.

    There is a lot of social stuff, a fair dose of spook, now even action, but what’s happening to comedy? Has it dried up?
    Yes, it has dried up. Comedy is perhaps the most difficult genre to write. Writing soaps is relatively easy.

    Did you ever face channel interference in script writing?
    Be it Doordarshan, Zee or Channel 9 for which I wrote, I never had channel interference. Today, times have changed. In this respect, I would say that in those times, TV serial makers were far more respected.

    Is this channel interference due to competition?
    No, it’s due to utter mediocrity. And this utter mediocrity begins from the script-writing stage. There is bad raw material, and good packaging won’t help! It’s pathetic, actually!

    Go on…
    These guys keep saying that the content is king. That’s just stating the obvious. But what are they doing about it? On the other side, why don’t they consider that the audience is the king too? You need to give what the public wants.

    Solution?
    No solution in sight! I don’t think that people are even looking for a solution! Not more than a handful take to writing, these days. And I wonder how much these guys read.

    Why so?
    Simple. The low rate of literacy. See a Malayali film and a Hindi film and you’ll understand exactly what I mean. After all, Kerala has the highest rate of literacy, to the tune of 99 per cent.

    Do you still read?
    Of course. I still read more than perhaps the younger generation writers put together. For a writer, there is no substitute to reading. It’s easy to say that one was talented and also present at the right place at the right time, because there was only one channel around.

    Are writers paid well in India?
    Well, I know this is a general complaint. But I think they need to pull up their socks and reach a status before demanding a high price. I put in 20 years of intense study before I headed an organisation. Shortcuts are not the answer to succeed in the sphere of writing. There may be a topper who is working as an engineer for the government, but on the other hand, there may be an average first class engineer who is heading a section in a corporate office. If you have the potential, it will show.

    Let’s take a look at the programmes abroad. How is it that they have so much variety? Is ‘literacy’ the answer again?
    Yes. The culture there is conducive to reading and writing. We are besieged with an intrinsic problem.

    But aren’t we copying some of the shows from abroad?
    Firstly, I don’t understand why people here feel that stolen content will always be better. I am not at all convinced about that. Anyway, does stolen stuff lead to any success? (smiles). I have written a one-page article on ‘Adaptation’ in an anthology on Hindi films, published by Brittanica. Read that and you’ll know what I am hinting at. Anyway, what do you like on television?

    Nothing much…
    I like Office Office. It’s a good social and political comment. Let’s end this by giving a praiseworthy note where it is due.
  • “I have been offered three films which required me to play another Bajaj”

    “I have been offered three films which required me to play another Bajaj”

    Ronit Roy is riding the crest of the wave right now.

    An assortment of jobs later, this Ahmedabadi boy had just settled into Bollywood when his debut film completed a silver-jubilee run in almost every city except Mumbai.

    Disappointment loomed large but he overcame the odds to start his own security agency for providing safety options to some of the top stars. Great idea! And after all, he had to keep the kitchen fires burning!

    Today though, he is the talk of the town for quite something else – as Rishabh Bajaj in Kasauti Zindagii Kay and Mihir Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi!! The way people have responded to his portrayal of Bajaj and Mihir is unprecedented. People see him on the streets and stop in amazement. Married women kiss his hand and their husbands don’t seem to feel jealous. He goes for a friend’s party and is accosted by all kinds of people. Apparently, they think he has done a terrific job in both serials. (And he has. Even though he is morally in the red, his gamut of emotions especially in Kyunki… make you sympathise with his character.)

    Shooting at Indiclay in Goregaon, he takes time off in his make-up room to talk to Vickey Lalwani.

     

    Let’s begin with a cliched question. Did you always want to be an actor?
    (smiles) Yes. My childhood was spent in Ahmedabad. Friends in school used to tease me, ‘Go to Mumbai if you want to be a hero. What are you hanging here for?’ I came down to Mumbai when I was just a teenager. I worked with Subhash Ghai for a year. I knew him, and in fact, was living in his house. Initially, he dissuaded me from joining the film world, saying that this field is very, very ‘speculative’.

    By ‘speculative’, he meant that there is no guarantee. You may be riding the crest one moment, you fall into a trough the next. I agree with him. Bharat Bhushan, who was the best actor of yesteryears according to me, died without anybody near his bedside. I know of a famous former actor who has been seen begging on the streets, these days. Raj Kiran was reduced to driving a taxi.

    Anyway, I worked as a management trainee at the Sea Rock Hotel in Mumbai. A year later, my dad expired. Something snapped and I quit my job. I went back to Ghai and joined him as an assistant director. During that stint, I realised that I’d need at least 10 years before I become a force to reckon with in direction. I could not wait. I joined Sanjeev Sharma and Mansoor Khan’s company ‘Pilot Communications’ to learn cinema, which was a faster process than learning direction.

    Later, I branched out to become a freelance editor. I edited lots of stuff for Ghai and went on to set up his video division too. I was involved with the setting up of Drishti India Limited. I directed 25 episodes of the revamped Chitrahaar on Doordarshan and even some commercials. I even modelled in some ads.
     

    How did your debut film ‘Jaan Tere Naam’ happen?
    While I was an editor, I was just pressing buttons. Due to a lack of mobility, I had put on lots of weight. The makers auditioned me, but I got bounced. They went on to cast someone else. When they took that guy’s re-audition, they found that he had a problem with dialogue delivery. I was recalled and asked to reduce my weight.
     

    That flick did fairly well. What happened after that?
    After my debut film was a hit, I did 12-13 other films, but due to various reasons they did not work. Some films were wrong, some people were wrong. There was nobody to advise me. I could not control the situation.

    I decided to start anew. I started my own security agency called ‘Ace Security and Protection’. On the acting front, I decided to exercise patience and restraint and waited for the right opportunities to come by.

    Looking back at those 12-13 film projects which I did, I analyse that I was doing a very boring job. I rarely had the chance to be myself and experiment coolly, unlike what I do on television these days. Television gives you more creative freedom than films.
     

    Tell us about ‘Ace Security and Protection’…
    Lagaan was my first big break, so to speak. It was the acid test of my potential. There was a scene that needed 10,000 people running behind Aamir Khan. I had to arrange the 200 trucks bringing in those villagers, who were all understandably very excited to meet Aamir. Now, those people were supposed to stop at a particular point, but they didn’t.

    I almost panicked but we managed to bring the situation under control. We whisked Aamir away to a safe location on the sets and then had him speak to the 10,000 villagers, all bursting to catch a glimpse of him. Besides, making sure that they all left the location satisfied and did not create any ruckus was also important.

    Thereafter, we handled major films like Dil Chahta Hai, Yaadein, Na Tum Jano Na Hum, Saathiya and Armaan.

    I have a wonderful equation with Aamir Khan, courtesy Lagaan. He is extremely cooperative. It is interesting to provide security for stars and productions, who understand the imperative value and need for security. Hrithik, too, is extremely cooperative. He is always ready to listen and act according to the needs of the security personnel and the situations that arise. Likewise with any other star I have been chosen to cover and protect.

    All my boys are trained in martial arts and other security techniques. Besides, they have been trained to deal with the stars and situations.
     

    And then came the role of Rishabh Bajaj?
    After three years of business, Balaji Telefilms called me first for Kammal, then they wanted me to take up Rishabh Bajaj’s role in Kasautii…. Then came Mihir Virani in Kyunki…. And the rest, as they say, is history (smiles).
     
    “There were some people who even told me that I won’t be able to make Mihir as famous as Bajaj. Today, Mihir has raced ahead of Bajaj“
     

    How does it feel to be a TV artiste?
    Grrrrreat. Today, a TV artiste is far more popular than a film one. Believe me, I have barely slept in one week, in the days when both these Balaji serials needed me to shoot, come what may. And I have no complaint about the physical exertion. If you are on a high, as I am after playing the two characters of Bajaj and Mihir, you won’t feel the exertion.

    If your mental make-up is great, your physical stress can never take the better of you. And before you ask me whether my family life gets disturbed due to odd hours of work, let me say ‘Yes, but that’s the name of the game. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. If you get something like this, you “have to” play it. You can’t be riding such a popularity wave and dictating your work terms of limited hours of input (smiles).
     

    The character of Mihir had already been played by two actors (Amarr Upadhyay and Inder Kumar) previously. What made you accept the role?
    After playing the character of Bajaj, I wanted to do something which would be bigger than Bajaj. Balaji and the directors of the serial had turned Mihir’s character into an icon. When I was offered this role, I was given only four hours to decide. There were too many expectations, but I took it up. There were some people who even told me that I won’t be able to make Mihir as famous as Bajaj. Today, Mihir has raced ahead of Bajaj. I have always performed better in pressured situations. Tell me, didn’t I live up to my tendency even this time? (smiles).
     

    Whom do you lean on while working?
    I depend on the director and my co-stars. Even if the script is terrific, a bad director can easily screw it up. Also, you build a certain degree of competition which infuses enthusiasm when the co-stars are competent. Their positive energy rubs off on me. In Kyunki…, this happens when I am with anybody, be it Smriti Mahotra/Apara Mehta/ Aman Varma or anyone else, as I believe that each person in this serial has something special about him/her.

    Frankly, I don’t consider myself a very good actor (smiles). What I mean is, I have to work very hard to get it right sometimes.
     
    What style of acting do you follow?
    I have my own style. I study the character sketch of the person I am playing. Even if we are not given the full script, at least I know what is going to happen in the next few days. I put myself in the character’s shoes, and thankfully, now maybe this is God’s gift, I begin to experience the feelings he must be undergoing during that period. This helps a lot.

    As for where I join from (like when I joined Kyunki… midway), I go into the history of the character. I went into all the finer details of Mihir’s early episodes.
     
    How different is a daily from a weekly?
    Both are totally different ball games. Firstly, a daily is a more hurried job than a weekly.

    Secondly, a daily is more of a writer and actor’s medium than a director’s medium. Please don’t read between the lines. I am not saying that every Tom, Dick and Harry can direct a daily. This is because a daily is a medium of basically compact shots wherein every artiste begins to talk, walk and eat his role. If you do the same thing again and again, you obviously become perfect. So what counts is how the writer turns and twists the plot and introduces new tracks so as to keep the viewers’ interest alive.

    On the other hand, an artiste does not get into the skin of the character in a weekly as much as he does in a daily. Therein, a director has to get into the act to ensure that he/she sustains an artiste’s style and emotions. Nobody wants a goof-up of sorts wherein the artiste appears different and ill-at-ease every successive week. Do you know that I did not use a drop of glycerine in the recent ‘mandir’ scene wherein I broke down expressing my helplessness to Shakti Anand?
     
    “Hysteria (created by the turn in the story)would not be a satisfying experience for me. I am enjoying the fact that my performance is doing the talking“
     

    Has the Mihir you portray now reached the popularity level enjoyed by Amarr Upadhyay?
    I don’t want to reach Amarr’s stage. That was a hysteria created by the turn in the story. If you remember, even Bajaj’s death sometime ago did create some hysteria, which of course did not match the one that happened when Mihir died. It even happened (the death of the hero)in Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand recently. When Mihir died, the hero on Indian television had been killed for the first time. That hysteria would not be a satisfying experience for me. I am enjoying the fact that my performance is doing the talking.
     

    Are there any similarities between Bajaj and Ronit?
    There are a few similarities. Bajaj must be very well brought up, just like me. But there are a whole lot of differences too. Unlike me, Bajaj is very ruthless when it comes to business decisions. I have never snatched other people’s work or played dirty politics. I have immense faith in destiny. Whatever I deserve, I will get. Nobody can take that away. Generally, Bajaj dons three-piece suits, while I can be seen in a casual jeans and T-shirt.
     
    “To an actor, it should not matter whether he is playing an older person or a younger one“
     

    How closely do you identify with the “new” Mihir, I mean, the Mihir who had a one-night stand with Mandira?
    (laughs). I think the earlier Mihir was entirely white. There is no person on earth who does not have shades of grey. So, I am enjoying this track where he committed one mistake in his life. Even Lord Ram faltered when asked his wife Sita to undergo ‘agnipariksha’ (ordeal by fire)! We are mere human beings!! Don’t human beings cheat on their wives?

    Besides, I am 37 and I am playing someone who is about 45. So there’s not much of a gap. Actually, I have a 12-year old daughter. It’s easy to put myself into Mihir’s shoes and think of Sumeet Sachdev, Hiten Tejwani, Ritu Chaudhary, or any other youngster, as my own child. In fact, often, even after the shooting is over, you’ll see me calling them ‘beta’ !
     

    But doesn’t the fact that both your characters require you to play more than your age, worry you?
    Give me one good reason as to why it should cause a worry. I think that your entire perspective about a character changes when you think that you are a star. I want to be an actor, and in fact, I am an actor. To an actor, it should not matter whether he is playing an older person or a younger one. If you are 37, how can the hero too in the story be 37? A story is fiction. It can turn even the other way round if and when it goes into a flashback.

    For example, I recently went Australia to shoot for Kyunki… where I had to play Mihir as he was 20 years ago. Here my character became very much younger than what I have been portraying currently. So, any day, any time, you might be playing someone much younger. In fact, this unpredictability is exciting. The key is to adapt to the character along with the changes introduced in it. That is the essence of acting.
     
    How do you handle the fan following?
    It is flattering. I feel satisfied to have reached this stage in my life. I take all this appreciation as my reward and it inspires me to do better work. But I am not going to get carried away. I have seen the rough-n-tough side of life, when my films failed to click at the turnstiles.

    Now that your television career is really looking up, are you getting any film offers?
    Yes, I am getting film offers. In fact, I have accepted a couple of them. But please, I don’t want to talk about it now. It’s early days. Surely, I am not doing all of those.

    Why only films, I have even refused at least six serials! In most cases, the makers were not good. TV programme-production is a funny business. Often the maker is not financially sound, but yet wants to kick off. Consequently, the production values are not maintained and the artistes suffer. For no fault of theirs, they look insipid and jaded when they come on screen.

    Having done great characters like Bajaj and Mihir, I have to be careful. I don’t want to play a sidekick. The role must be weighty and exciting.

    Most importantly, I don’t want to be repetitive. Since December 2002, I have been offered three films which required me to play another Bajaj. I refused. I don’t want to play the prodigal son again either. There is so much more that I can do.
  • “We don’t bitch and backbite about each other. In many other serials artistes just do that”

    “We don’t bitch and backbite about each other. In many other serials artistes just do that”

    At 65, she is blazing guns in arguably the most popular serial in the history of Indian television. There is hardly a day when she does not appear in your drawing room at 10.30 pm. I have a few works lined up, but still reach a trifle late for my tryst with the lady. Blame it on the dug up roads and traffic jams in aamchi Mumbai.

    “Come in. Don’t start off a long apology on why you are not on time. Who doesn’t get late here? I understand,” she says with a beaming smile. An artistic wall-portrait of her late husband smiles in the background.

    Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome senior citizen Sudha Shivpuri, wife of the late Om Shivpuri and mother of actor Ritu Shivpuri.

    Excerpts from an interview with Vickey Lalwani:
     

    How did you get into acting?
    I was in the eighth standard. My father had passed away and my mother had to run the house. One day, she fell very ill. And I thought I had to do my bit to bring in some money. Surely, the kitchen fires could not be extinguished! I first started with plays.

    Then I switched over to Jaipur Radio, which had just begun in those days (1955). Later, I joined the National School of Drama (NSD). By that time, I had met Om. In fact, we had worked together on radio and in plays. Even at NSD, we were together- in the same batch! We fell in love. We married, but not before we had waited for nine years (1968). After that, we started a theatre group Dishantar, which did so well that tickets were sold in black for almost every show.

    We shifted to Mumbai in 1974. Om was getting offers in lots of films. He was doing three shifts a day! At that time, our first child Ritu was two years old. Somehow, even I started doing films- Swami, Insaaf Ka Tarazu, Hamari Bahu Alka, Saawan Ko Aane Do, Sun Meri Laila, Burning Train, Vidhaata….. I was also offered a few serials at that time. Like I did Aa Bail Mujhe Maar and a few episodes of Rajni, in which I played Priya Tendulkar’s mother-in-law.
     

    Then?
    Suddenly, I thought I should focus on one stream. I used to reach the film sets at 9.30 am, the hero and the heroine used to strut in at 12.30 pm. Everybody used to get excited and call for a lunch break! One scene after the lunch break, and it’s tea time! Maybe a scene after that and maybe not, it’s pack-up time! I decided that focussing on television would be more sensible.

    My husband was doing well enough for all of us. I began to think: Why should I neglect my child and cool my heels on film sets? Besides, I was never the ambitious type. I started going slow on films and got pregnant with my second baby.

    After the second child (son), I was almost entirely devoted to the family. Suddenly Om passed away, my daughter was 18 and my son was 13. This was in 1990.

    To keep something going, I started an acting class. I even tried my hand at opening a general store. Neither of these worked. I shut them down and decided to go back to acting.
     

    How did the second innings begin?
    Through a coordinator. I landed roles in a few episodes of Missing and Rishtey. Those days were not easy. You know how it is when you want to work but don’t have anything. But in my heart of hearts, I knew that this was a lull before the storm. Something had to happen. And it did! One fine day, I got a call from Balaji Telefilms.
     

    And you met Ekta Kapoor?
    (smiles) Right. She asked me if I was game to playing a mother-in-law in Bandhan. I had no qualms. Five months later, she approached me for Kyunki…… My joy knew no bounds when I learnt that I was going to play the head of a big family.
     

    Big family alright, but does such unity exist in today’s times?
    Even if it doesn’t, we have succeeded in making people realise values and relationships. Many nuclear families which were earlier joint are going joint again, families have written to me that they have imbibed a lot of moral values from this serial.
     
    “Thanks to my beautifully sketched character in ‘Kyunki…’, nobody now offers me any insignificant stuff”
     

    At 65, how do you maintain the stamina needed for the rigorous demands of a daily and do other serials as well?
    Yes, I have done other serials alongside Kyunki….- Sheeshe Ka Ghar, Waqt Ka Dariya, Daman, Santoshi Ma, Yeh Ghar. I can’t lean on Kyunki…. forever. God forbid, but it has to end one day. After that, what? If I refuse work now, the same people will not give me work when Kyunki… is over.

    As for my stamina, I think we all have the stamina for everything, provided we have the inclination. The inclination, however, stems if and only if you are enjoying your work. As of today, I am passionately in love with my work. I have not refused any work of late. Refuse karne ki gunjayish hi nahi thi. Thanks to my beautifully sketched character in Kyunki…., nobody now offers me any insignificant stuff.
     

    Still, how do you adjust with dates? A daily requires you to be on the sets for at least 20 days.
    Yes. So, I allot the remaining dates to other serials. Of course, my first priority is Kyunki…..
     

    Why do you consider your character to be beautifully sketched?
    See, I am the nucleus of the serial. Everybody respects me. Despite not being shown as highly educated, I sit with the youngsters with a far more open mind than their parents. I am aware of the latest fashions and trends in society. It’s just fantastic. Believe me, when the serial took that 20-year jump, I was sure that I would still be alive. I didn’t even ask them whether I fit into the scheme of things. Even after my husband in the serial (Sudhir Dalvi) passed away, I was not worried that my character might die. I was so confident.
     
    “We received umpteen messages asking for Ba’s revival“
     
    That reminds me, you were shown to be on the verge of death a few weeks ago. Aren’t such episodes a drag, or rather, a torture to the viewers?
    (smiles). I don’t think so. You need something every now and then to keep the suspense alive. You may have understood that I was not going to die, but many others had got too engrossed in that track. We received umpteen messages asking for ‘Ba’s revival’.

    Anyway, that reminds me. I was really very sick when those scenes were being shot. But still, I did not miss the shooting. I well know how much Ekta will stand to lose if the shooting goes haywire for even one day. Those scenes where I was supposed to be ill, the studio had been booked for a full day. You must feel the cost your boss is incurring. That’s an essential criterion of being professional.
     

    Is the young lot equally professional? I am not pinpointing ‘Kyunki…..’ but asking you in general.
    I understand. Well, the young lot has a long way to go. They are not so devoted as we were in our young days. I don’t know why. Maybe, it’s got to do with their ‘mantra’ of life being quick and fast money. In our times, we spent two hours every day on practice. Today, how many youngsters would even join theatre? One thing irritates me no end. The young crop keeps giggling as and when emotional scenes are enacted. Little do they realise that these are the scenes a)where you grow as an actor, and b)which are responsible for making the serial click.

    Apart from the emotional scenes, what has made ‘Kyunki….’ click?
    There are three more reasons – a) Every character has connected with the audience in a personal way. Like, many bahus feel that they should be like Tulsi , many grannies feel that they ought to be like me. I have had cases where women in their 90s have come and fallen at my feet asking for blessings. b)We are a united force- be it the Viranis or Mandira or Payal. We don’t bitch and backbite about each other. In many other serials, artistes do just that. c) We listen to each other and try our best to understand the point from the other person’s perspective.

    Like when the serial fast forwarded 20 years, there were at least three or four characters who wanted to quit; they said they would not adopt the elderly look as they would get stamped with the look. I convinced them. I explained to them that they were playing a character. Didn’t the all-time greats Sharmila Tagore and Sanjeev Kumar play elderly characters in Mausam?

    Talking about the 20-year jump, what role did you play in your new look then?
    See, my clothes are always going to remain the same and I am not going to wear lenses. I only needed to change my body language. I told the director and he asked me to suggest how to go about it. I started going to various temples and parks. I sat and observed the elderly lot. After a few days, I changed my walk. A deliberate limp was introduced. That did the trick. The day I started limping in Kyunki…., I was flooded with mails that I had done the right thing.

    “The worst part is that there is no comedy serial going on that can raise a laugh“

    With the younger crop playing elderly roles in television these days, doesn’t the scope for aged people like you decrease?
    Definitely. But what can I do? I will continue on my steam and hope for the best. At the end of the day, there isn’t much to worry though. All the youngsters are not convincing when they play more than their age. So don’t worry – if you are my fan, I shall remain here for you.

    Which has been the most difficult scene you have performed?
    I don’t find anything difficult. Perhaps the fact that I have been a theatre artiste comes to my aid. But yes, now that you ask, I remember. There was a scene where I had to sit and talk to Babuji’s photograph telling him that I was feeling lonely. While doing the scene, I thought I was talking to Om. Not a single drop of glycerine was used.

    Do Balaji Telefilms pay well?
    I have no problems. Some ugly, hyperactive and imaginative minds keep maligning the name of this production house for no rhyme or reason. Of course, Smriti Malhotra is paid the most- but as I told you, none of us have an ego. Like tonight, she leaves for Australia. So, her scenes are being done today. We don’t even bother about who gets the most scenes.

    Are you satisfied with the quality of content offered to viewers?
    Not at all. There is a dearth of good scriptwriters. All scriptwriters have become either copy-cats or clones of each other! The worst part is that there is no comedy serial going on that can raise a laugh. Even if a good comedy is written, what is the use? The casting will be done by the channel and the director will sit in his seat just minutes before the first shot. Now tell me, how can the channel cast people in a comedy serial? Timing is the most important aspect in comedy and who can choose the cast better than the director? He knows who fits the bill and who doesn’t. Alas! No wonder, all our comedies on television these days are a farce.

    Are we going to see you in films now?
    There is one – Pinjar (Manoj Bajpai, Urmila Matondkar). They called me when Dina Pathak passed away. I refused to step into Dina’s shoes as she was my senior. The role was changed to suit my presence. And there are two more films which I am not supposed to talk about now.
  • “It would be foolish if I switched to some other track and allowed my competitors to perform a dance of victory on an empty field” : Ekta Kapoor Balaji Telefilms’ creative director

    “It would be foolish if I switched to some other track and allowed my competitors to perform a dance of victory on an empty field” : Ekta Kapoor Balaji Telefilms’ creative director

    Late into her teens, she was only known as Jeetendra’s daughter. Today, she has her own identity – as Ekta Kapoor, the creative head of Balaji Telefilms. She started off when she was just 17. Since then, she has worked, eaten and slept only television – thinking of concepts, casting, styling, selecting technicians, shooting and scheduling, marketing and acquiring the new skills required to succeed.

    This 27-year old entrepreneur is a Jeetendra-Shobha product biologically and a Bombay Scottish School one academically. Later, she joined Mithibai College, but lazed around aimlessly. She did not believe in hard work and excellence in academics, unlike her brother Tusshar who wept even when he secured 96 per cent marks! Trying her luck, she hung around the shoots of Kailash Surendranath, the ad and feature filmmaker – but to no avail. Seeing his daughter’s predicament, papa Jeetendra came to his daughter’s rescue. Men are more attached to their daughters than sons, and Jeetendra is no exception.

    Jeetendra advised TV-serial production and offered her money for the same. Realising the worth of her father’s contribution and concern, she got down to business. She made six pilots and three episodes for each pilot, running up a bill of nearly Rs 5 million. All of them were rejected. His daughter being the most prized possession in his world, the doting father asked her not to lose heart and offered her more money to try again. And then… Hum Paanch happened.

    Success changed her completely. She began craving for more, open to improvement and determined to make it to the top. Today, Balaji is no more a private limited enterprise but a public limited company. And no prizes for guessing how much sweat, toil and labour the largest and youngest single producer of television software in the history of India’s entertainment industry has put in! You can definitely put a few bucks on her dream of making Balaji the biggest content provider in India!

    Not so long ago, she was chosen to head the Confederation of Indian Industries’ (CII) entertainment committee. She is a Society achiever and The Best Entrepreneur of the Year 2001, apart from being the proud recepient of quite a few Indian Telly Awards in the last two years.

    My gut feeling tells me that she has her real life role all sewn up. Despite being in the thick controversies off and on, she has never been at a loss of words – at least with me.

    The calm and collected spirit has always been evident in her since I first set eyes on this neat little brown-haired girl. One word from her secretary to her that Vickey Lalwani is waiting to meet her and she comes almost running out to welcome me in. Dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jeans, she does not change my impression of her. I am, to say the least, glad. No prizes for guessing why! This time too, she is not going to be at a loss of words! Excerpts from our chatathon-

    Where have you been? Long time no interviews, no quotes from your side in any section of the media?
    Oh, just around (smiles). You know how it is when you decide to make a movie. My third production (untitled as yet) directed by Santaram Varma is just completed. It stars Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Anita (Natasha) and Rati Agnihotri.

    Why no Tusshar in it?
    You couldn’t avoid that one, could you (grins)? If I take him in every movie, people will say that he is there because it is his home production. If I don’t take him in every movie, people start floating shitty stories against us. It is amusing. To tell you the truth, my last film Kucch To Hai was a thriller. This one also has some similar elements of thrill. Is there any sense in giving him a similar role again? Tusshar is an ocean of talent. His best is yet to come. Shortly, I am going to announce one or two awesome projects with him. That would silence the wagging tongues, I hope.

    Why are most of your serials in keeping with “the country’s cultural values”?
    Most of the rich people do not need values, most of the poor do not have time for them. Hence, middle class values are what my serials are about. These middle-class values are incidentally in keeping with the cultural ethos of the country. As far as I am concerned, economically I belong to the high class, but morally to the middle class. If I know you correctly, you may be prompted to ask me why I made Kyunki… trotting out quotable quotes faster than popcorn from a popcorn machine. At that time, there were a lot of extramarital serials coming on air.

    I wanted to make a serial about a family that lived together. I wanted to make a serial around what I do not have. There are four of us in the house – we saw our cousins only on holidays. I missed us all living together. I created realism by creating real life characters, I created idealism by creating a family. And of course, I kept my flag of middle-class values flying.

    What about the soaps such as Kabhi Souten Kabhie Saheli (Star Plus), Kutumb (Sony), Kuch Jhuki Palkein (Sony) and Kohi Apna Sa (Zee) which went off the air some time back?
    Big deal! If I keep a serial on for long, you will say that I am dragging it. If I terminate it after an appropriate length, you will ask why. How can any serial go on endlessly for that matter? If I know you correctly again, you may be prompted to ask why Kyunki is going on and on and on… Tell me, why should I withdraw a hot cake from the market? Kyunki continues to be amongst the first three slots in the TRP ratings almost every week. Its characters have become like family members to everybody. Recently, Ba was almost dead, and the whole Virani parivar prayed and brought her back to life.

    Before you say that was a drag, do you know how many letters we got asking us to keep her alive? I was flooded with calls, emails, SMSs. People didn’t want Ba to die. And when she came back to life, I was again flooded with calls, emails, SMSs – this time people were thanking me that I had let her live. Kyunki… in fact is one serial which has never given me any worry.
    “Why do people say that we are not trying anything different? Hasn’t Kaahin Kissi Roz had its fair share of suspense? Wasn’t myHum Paanch hilarious from the first word to the last?”
    Ekta with the Balaji team at the Indian Telly Awards 2002

    There is a school of thought that your serials tend to focus on transgressing women…
    (interrupts) It is not necessary that those who care for their family are the backward type of women. There are some mischief-mongers who want to run down my serials – for reasons best known to them. People are jealous that I have detected the pulse of the Indian audience. I realised that one subject which holds eternal interest for us Indians is the family – every Indian family is bound by traditions, festivals, etc, and every family tends to celebrate occasions with relatives, every family has certain characters who are good and bad, or rather, have particular habits.

    Then, I weaved all this realisation together. That’s it! And I don’t understand why people say that we are not trying anything different. Hasn’t Kaahin Kissi Roz had its fair share of suspense? Wasn’t my Hum Paanch hilarious from the first word to the last?

    Before I forget, do you know that Hum Paanch is coming back with Raakhee Tandon as the producer?
    (raises her eyebrows). Well, I have heard something like this. But that’s unethical.

    Why not a bit of promiscuity and violence at least sometimes?
    My serials are seen by families sitting together at the dinner table. When I say families, it obviously includes all the children. I surely don’t want to propagate wrong messages to the youth.
    “Kyunki… in fact is one serial which has never given me any worry..”
    Ekta with Star’s Tarun Katial, and Kyunki‘s Smriti Malhotra Irani and Kahaani‘s Kiran Karmarkar at the Indian Telly Awards 2002

    Then how come you showed violence against a woman in the form of a heinous rape in one of your ongoing serials Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii some time back?
    Good you asked me this. Rape is the worst crime. It leaves a woman completely in shambles. Today, even infants are not safe in our country. In this perspective, I wanted to show rape and give a clarion call to all parents that they ought to make their daughters aware of this crime as soon as possible.

    According to me, a six-year-old girl child should be told about the possible dangers to her. That would make her wise and careful. Importantly, I have not shown any wrong camera angles or crude dialogues. The underlying meaning in that depicted rape is that rape is more rampant on the domestic front, and we must be cautious.

    Shobha Kapoor has declared that Balaji plans to release a series of mega serials in the coming quarter. Could you tell us about these?
    I have three shows coming up. One for Sahara, two for Star Plus. One is Kahin To Hoga. Earlier it was titled as Kashish. It is being directed by Anil V Kumar. Another one is Koi Aa Raha Hai Waqt Badal Ne (earlier titled Kalki). KARHWBN has been delayed a bit, because it has lots of special effects of Superman etc. Both these are for Star Plus. The Sahara serial is untitled as yet.
    “The revamped ‘Kutumb’ on Sony TV flopped simply because people were not aware that the serial had been revamped. On the other hand, the revamped ‘Kyunki….’ worked simply because Star Plus had done massive propaganda in this matter”

    Did Bansilal Jumaani give you the ‘K’ factor?
    No. Sunita Menon did. She told me that ‘K’ will always bring success into your life, do not desert it. Still, I consult Jumaani. His role is restricted to see whether the title assigned is numerologically lucky or not.

    You seem to have a blind faith in astrologers, tarot card readers, numerologists.
    There is no question of blind faith. After consulting them, I just feel psychologically satisfied. There have been a few cases where the calculations have not worked.

    Coming to the ongoing tussle with the National Commission for Women which alleged that an episode of ‘Kyunki…’ used gender-testing of a foetus in favour of testing as a punishment and asked it to air at least 20 times before the serial. Balaji has said that you’ll will air it three times. What’s the status on that?
    I am not sure how many times we will air it. You will have to ask the production team. But I think a mountain has been made out of a molehill. In the episode before Prachee Shah goes to her gynaecologist, Smriti Malhotra had given birth to a daughter. We had shown the Virani parivar celebrating to the hilt. Nobody complimented me on that.

    At the Prachee incident stage, the serial was undergoing a 20-year leap. I wanted to project the arrival of Prachee’s son to inculcate a faith in Ba who was feeling despondent due to Babuji’s demise, that her husband was on his return journey. You know how Hindu families believe in rebirth in the same family. Besides, Prachee and her husband were not shown to be inquiring about the child’s sex. The doc just happened to say it.

    Then, is this a punishment meted out to you?
    (smiles) You tell me!
    “I would love to make some more horror. I love horror….But I think that I’ll stay focused on soaps. Soaps will always have a h-u-g-e audience in India; they will never become a has-been.. “
    Ekta with the trophies garnered by her soaps at the Indian Telly Awards 2002

    How come recently ‘Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand’ shot up to No.1 in TRP ratings?.
    That was only for one week, that is the week before the last one. Again last week, my Kasautii Zindagi Kay is at the top and Kyunki is at No.2. That week, Sony went off and Star was on. Sony has a stronger base in Mumbai than anywhere else. So even Kkusum which eats into a fair share of TRPs went off. Then even Star went off; the cable problem gained momentum, nearly 50 per cent Mumbai was not getting the cable services. In cities, the prime time is 10-11 while in interiors the prime time is 8.15-9.15. Mumbai contributes to a large chunk of my TRPs. Thus, a small switch resulted in the TRPs. But you know our people. Without going into the details, they started shooting ‘Are Ektaa’s serials losing grease?’

    Has Mandira been re-introduced in Kyunki… because Tulsi’s popularity is failing?
    Are you kidding? If Tulsi (Smriti Malhotra) does not appear in one episode, I start getting tons of enquiries. Ditto for Ba (Sudha Shivpuri). Recently, Ganga (Shilpa Saklani) and Karan (Hiten Tejwani) are catching up. Anyway, a new character is coming up in Kyunki very soon; Mandira is going to have a shocking twist in her life! Aren’t you going to ask me my favourite character in the serial? It’s Karan.

    What’s the next big idea? I mean, aren’t you keen to exploit new genres? First it was KBCthat shook television, then came Kyunki…. Wouldn’t you like to be a visionary and love to continue riding on the crest of the wave?
    Thanks for your concern. I would love to make some more horror. I love horror. I quite like my serialKya Haadsa Kya Haqeeqat. But I think that I‘ll stay focused on soaps. Soaps will always have a h-u-g-e audience in India; they will never become a has-been. Soaps are like ‘dal chawal’, the rest of the genres form the tidbits on your plate. Face it. Indian television mainly caters to women. The television is on when the man leaves in the morning for his office, and often, remains so even after he is snoring in the night!

    Women like to see ‘saas-bahu’, ‘bhai-bhabhi’, ‘ma-beti’, ‘nanand-devrani’ relationships, the gossip, the misunderstandings, the jealousy, and above all, the unity in times of adversity. KBC was a stray case. Even before KBC it was soaps all the way. Weren’t Hum Log and Buniyaad soaps? Please don’t get misguided by the look of those programmes. Keeping with times, only the look has changed, a few new permutations and combinations have come in but the gist remains the same. It will be foolish if I switch over to some other track and allow my competitors to perform a dance of victory on an empty field!
    How about trying some comedy? .
    I don’t like comedy nowadays
    You have grown up. Right? .
    Maybe (laughs). No, I have become old (laughs again).
    Kaahin Kissi Roz seemed to be nearing an end… when it resurrected magically? How?
    (Smiles triumphantly). Bingo! But you’ll have to give that credit to two of the guys from my creative team – Prashant and Minaal.

    Soaps by UTV, Cinevistaas, BAG Films among others have increased their presence on Star Plus. Has Star Plus reduced its dependence on Balaji Telefilms?
    If other companies have filtered in, it does not imply that Balaji Telefilms, which has always been the chunk, goes out. Star Plus have always been supportive of my stuff. They even helped me a lot in promoting my film Kucch To Hai. No amount of thanks will be sufficient.

    Why did your revamped Kutumb flop?
    The revamped Kutumb on Sony TV flopped simply because people were not aware that the serial had been revamped. On the other hand, the revamped Kyunki worked simply because Star Plus had done massive propaganda in this matter. The Star Plus-Balaji combo spells magic. Even otherwise, Star Plus has better promotional campaigns. They have a very creative team. They make it a point to see that the show works. Once in a way they may have failed, but look at their success rate! That’s also one of the reasons why some of my serials haven’t done well on other channels. People are glued to Star Plus from 8:30 to 11 pm. How do I make them take a remote in their hands and switch over?
    “Blame ‘Kahaani Terri Merri’ on me. For once, I chose the wrong story”

    Is the bombing of Kahanii Terri Merri still reverberating?
    Blame it on me. For once, I chose the wrong story. It was slightly off-beat. Nobody wanted to see so much of a drunk man in a depressed state of mind.

    With the CAS deadline barely two months away, there is a lot of apprehension in the industry about the ad spend heading for a sharp decline, thus forcing the broadcasters to slash the high fees paid to producers/production houses. Your views on this?
    I don’t think this will happen. The subscriber will pay for the channel if he trusts the channel to give him quality stuff. If the channel wants quality stuff (and therefore his decent quota of advertisers), he cannot make the production house suffer. So there is no fear of the quality going down either. Also, no situation will arise where the production house will hassle on rates with the artistes.

    I can at vouch for at least my production house. Money with Star Plus is just a six-minute discussion for Balaji Telefilms. Even otherwise, Star Plus has lots of advertisers moving into their fold everyday and a lot of financial back-up from abroad.

    In fact, other channels will be more hard-pressed to pay than Star Plus. These other channels have just one or two great programmes going. So they will have to bow down to the demands of those production houses. In turn, the other production houses on those channels will demand uniformity.

    Are you in favour of CAS?
    It’s drastic a step alright, but a lot of possibilities open up. If a production house is not paid well by a pay channel (just in case), he goes to Sahara or Doordarshan. Simultaneously, the audience of the non-pay channels will certainly increase by some amount. That works for the benefit of the channel and the production house both. If rightly implemented, CAS is a step in the right direction. By right implementation I mean it should be first tried and tested in one city, then gradually move on to more cities, and so on. Secondly nobody is going to spend Rs 3,000-6,000 to buy the box upfront, a scheme must be implemented wherein no subscriber pays more than Rs 150 a month.

    Do you make sure with your writers that the scripts have not been plagiarised? .
    It’s happening everywhere and you can’t do anything about it. At times, you may not have plagiarised, but since it exists in some book, someone springs up and you find yourself in a soup. I think that the Karishma… people got caught because they admitted to it.

    An actress told me that she gets a lot of recognition left, right and centre due to her appearance in just one serial, but the TRPs of her programme are very low? Can TRPs be manipulated?
    That actress has a very defeatist attitude. She should not get bowled over by a few praises. Even a TRP of 1 means five to six lakh (5-600,000) people. She is not aware of how many people can actually see a programme at a given instant. If TRPs could be manipulated, every producer would have been on a song off and on.

    Don’t you get upset by criticism, grueling questions?.
    In my early days, I used to. But then one day, my dad explained to me that you got to pay a price for being famous (smiles).
  • “The casting couch does not exist in the TV industry”

    “The casting couch does not exist in the TV industry”

    After a eight month hiatus from television, Rupali Ganguly (daughter of veteran filmmaker Anil Ganguly) stormed into our drawing-rooms by replacing Shilpa Kadam in Star Plus’ weekly hospital series turned soap, Sanjivani.

    Television is not the be-all and end-all for her. Films were never a burning ambition in her. Yet, she is a gifted actress of the new block. “I was getting straitjacketed into the goody-goody girl types. My problem is that I don’t want to the same kind of roles. Like films, you do get typecast on television too. My role in Sukanya (B4U) and even the double role in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (Sony) were too white. I could not identify much with those.

    Who has so much of white? My role as Simran in Sanjivani has too much of grey, sorry, black. Who has so much of black?” she begins.

    In a heart-to-heart chat with Vickey Lalwani, she traces her journey, defines her ‘modus operandi’ and also reveals some dark secrets of Bollywood she stumbled upon along the way. Excerpts –
     

    You came as a pleasant surprise in ‘Sanjivani’…
    (interrupts) Thanks for saying ‘pleasant’, but it’s not ‘surprising’. Replacements in serials midway are a common feature (smiles).
     

    Being the daughter of a film-director, you must have been used to the glamour of Bollywood. Why are you settling for TV serials?
    Actually, I tried my luck in movies. But I flopped, circumstantially. It took me some time to accept, though. If I wanted to make it, I could have.
     

    What do you mean by ‘circumstantially’?
    I’ll tell you later.
     

    Tell me about your first appearance in films.
    I started in movies in my dad’s film (a Bengali venture). I was studying in the ninth standard then. The film was a super-duper hit. But somehow my dad never wanted me to join films. Anyway, he gave me a bait. He said that if I could secure 90 per cent in the tenth standard, I could go ahead in films. I secured 89 per cent. He did not relent. Instead, he set a fresh target for my twelfth standard. No prizes for guessing that he was indirectly pushing my film aspirations under the carpet.
     

    But why?
    Simple. Bollywood is a bad world.
     
    “It is difficult to register when you come in as a replacement. But do you know that after I got in, the TRPs of ‘Sanjivani’ have shot up? “
     

    Did he tell you that, openly?
    Never. My dad has been a parent and not a friend. There has always been a slight distance between us. I have to be very careful in front of him- no foul language, no non-vegetarian jokes.
     

    What happened after you joined college?
    Well, after the twelfth standard, my brother sent my pictures for the Femina Miss India contest. My family has a very middle-class mentality, yet I was selected for the preliminary rounds. In fact, I went till the last 20! I talk very smartly. That impressed the judges, I guess.
     

    What do you mean by hinting that the middle-class mentality could have gone against you?
    I mean- my make-up was very ordinary (my mom applied the lipstick and my mausi did the ‘kaajal’) and my costumes were very much covered. I come from a family where girls do not wear low-cut blouses or tie sarees below the navel. Even today, my dad insists that I wear only a saree, above the navel of course, on family functions.
     

    A little more about your dad… before we go further?
    He is really, really strict. Not so long ago, I would not be allowed with friends beyond 8 p.m. So I never got addicted to the party culture. Even nowadays, I party just once in a blue moon. The time-restriction has been extended to midnight though. As for his film-making, he does not intend making any more Hindi films at least. Gone are the days when stars respected the film-makers.

    Today, every film-maker has to literally run after the stars. And before he catches up with the star/starlet, he has to break through the cordon of the star/starlet’s ‘chamchas’. This haughty attitude of today’s artistes, which smacks of bad professionalism, is one of the main reasons why the film industry is in the doldrums. Anyway, why should my dad waste so much of time and energy? He has won enough acclaim in life. He is a contented man.
     
    Then what happened? I mean, after the Femina Miss India contest?
    I got a film called Do Aankhen Barah Haath. Govinda and Bappi Lahiri were involved with that project. Both of them are close to my dad. So he agreed. I also did Angara which was a home-production. Madhoo had a problem adjusting to Mithun Chakraborty’s dates, so I stepped into her shoes.
     
    “God help me when I am doing a difficult scene with Vikram Gokhale. A difficult scene becomes doubly difficult, then!“
     
    And then?
    Then, I received several offers– but things didn’t work out. I was told that… (shrugs her shoulders and laughs).
     
    Told what?
    I was made to realise that the casting couch exists. I had an option to take it and become a star, or go into obscurity.
     
    What did you do?
    I cried. I dared not tell my dad, but yes, I did tell my mom. She told me ‘it depends on how ambitious you are, but considering the way we brought you up, you shouldn’t be doing it.’ I backed out and threw the acting bug out of my system. For your information, that film had a big filmmaker and two new heroines. I was supposed to do one of those roles. The film flopped but both those girls got lots of mileage. That was what I meant when I said that I flopped ‘circumstantially’.
     

    And then?
    I started pursuing my studies. I joined Hotel Management. I completed the three-year course. All of a sudden, I was offered TV serials. I guess that was the result of my theatre work, which I used to do alongside my studies. My initial reaction was that TV serials are a down-market kind of thing, but I took it up. I realised that television was actually getting bigger than films. I started enjoying all my work- Yehi To Pyar Hai, Sukanya and Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin. My dad was okay to serials for two reasons, I guess. One, I had grown up and was able to look after myself. Two, the casting couch does not exist in the TV industry.
     

    Are you sure that casting couch does not exist in the TV industry?
    I am not signing on this. At least, I have not been a party to any. In the TV industry, it counts that you are the daughter of somebody who is known, but when it comes to the film industry, nobody gives it a damn.
     
    Anyway, how did ‘Sanjivani’ happen?
    I got many offers on TV, but most of them were very similar roles which required me to use buckets of glycerine only. My adrenalin had stopped flowing. Come to think of it, I was never doing it for money. My father’s financial support has been there all along. The Sanjivani offer started the adrenalin to flow again. I loved the negative aspect in Dr. Simran’s portrayal.
     
    Weren’t you sceptical that the audience might not accept you in Shilpa Kadam’s place?
    I was very sceptical, underline the word ‘very’. It is difficult to register when you come in as a replacement. But do you know that after I got in, the TRPs of Sanjivani have shot up?
     

     

    “I am a ‘ghatan’ at heart. Thank God that the negative character of Simran is not supposed to anything blasphemous!”

     
     
    Do you get into the skin of the character?
    Yes. I am a combo of spontaneity and method. When the scenes are light and fun-loving, I just am myself. I don’t have to exert at all. I am a happy-go-lucky and friendly type in real life. I easily identify with the goody-goody stuff. When it comes to scenes, which demand that I vent anger or start crying, I adopt the method route. I retire with the lines into one corner of a room and start putting myself in the character’s place. That takes some time, but I get it.
     
    How do you do the difficult scenes?
    Some scenes are ‘really’ difficult. Those who say that acting is an easy job are liars. I always do a rehearsal before the difficult scenes. What may be difficult for me, may not be difficult for my co-star. So he/she may not require a rehearsal, but then, most senior artistes do help their juniors. Things are relatively easy if I am doing a difficult scene with Gurdeep Kohli because she is a close friend of my age. I can easily ask her for a rehearsal before we actually enact it out. And even if we goof up the rehearsal, we smile and do it again.

    But God help me when I am doing a difficult scene with Vikram Gokhale. A difficult scene becomes doubly difficult, then! He has such a towering and domineering personality. Still I don’t compromise on going into a difficult scene without a rehearsal. I have to literally request Vikram Gokhale for a rehearsal but I do it.
     
    You said that acting is not an easy job. Then why are so many people jumping into it?
    It’s just 15 seconds of fame for them! Do you think that they all last? Leave aside a growth in your career, even if you want to maintain your present status, you need to be focussed. We have so many guys and girls getting into television who are not bothered about the low output they deliver; the moment their shot is over, they are glued to their mobile.
     

    Would you like to do the saas-bahu type serials?
    Am I not doing a saas-bahu serial already in Sanjivani? Of late, my ‘saas’ is against me since I am expressing my disapproval of my husband’s love for the other woman in no uncertain terms (smiles).
     
    Would you like to do something sensational, say, a negative role that goes against our Indian culture?
    I can’t do it. I am a ‘ghatan’ at heart (laughs). Thank God that the negative character of Simran is not supposed to anything blasphemous!
     
    You told me that you love’d’ the character of Dr.Simran when you signed? Does that mean that you don’t like it anymore?
    (laughs). You caught me on the wrong foot, man! Well, of late, it’s getting to me. That mad, jealous behaviour! I have become a hysterical vamp (laughs). Especially after the Holi scene where she says that her husband Rahul should spray colour only on her but Rahul gets intoxicated with ‘bhaang’ and sprays it all on the other woman, Juhi. I couldn’t digest the fact that Simran does not say anything to Rahul but goes and spits fire on Juhi.
     
    Do you think women get a fair deal on television?
    Fair deal? Women are getting a far bigger chunk than men. In films, the hero is the be-all and end-all of a film. Except Aishwarya Rai, no Bollywood heroine is as popular as Tulsi/Parvati/Ramola/Pallavi. I know of many people who say ‘Goodnight’ to Tulsi before retiring for the four nights of the week when Kyunki… is telecast. How many Bollywood girls can boast of that? There is nothing left for a heroine in Bollywood. All that she has to is don under-sized outfits, smooch the hero and perform pelvic-n-pectoral gyrations.
     
    Role models on television?
    Only Shekhar Suman. After his debacle in films and the death of his son, he rose like a Phoenix from the Ashes. How many people can do that?
     
    Does the fact that serials are shot at a hectic pace leave you with minimum scope for creative satisfaction?
    Yes, serials offer little to no chance for retakes. There are tough deadlines too be met. The production house is answerable to the channels. But I guess, creative satisfaction is minimal in films too. You cool your heels for hours before your shot is called, and by then, you are completed disconnected!
     
    Are you drained at the end of the day?
    Not always. That’s simply because I haven’t taken up any other serial. I have been offered many negative roles like Simran of Sanjivani, but I refuse to be typecast. But please don’t mistake me for being one of those who prefers creative satisfaction at the cost of commercial prospects.
     
    That means you are doing something else too?
    (smiles) I am also making commercials for New York Life. Actually, Ashwin Varma (Corporate Vice President of New York Life), my dad and I are partners in this venture. Every year, Varma comes down to India to make the commercials. I have also acted in one of those. I am mainly involved with the concept, dress-designing and production part. New York Life is a foreign based company which has various markets. Our company caters to the Indian market. These commercials promote Indian culture.
  • “It would be great if one director saw every project to its logical conclusion”

    “It would be great if one director saw every project to its logical conclusion”

    She has completed 370 episodes of Balaji’s late-night thriller Kaahin Kissii Roz, yet she considers herself a learner. She is breathtakingly beautiful and vivacious by every yardstick, yet she gives herself only 6/10 when asked to assess herself.

    Her character ‘Shaina’ has become a household name, but when told that, she just shrugs her shoulders. Clearly, an extremely modest girl whose head is firmly on her shoulders.

    Settling down, she looks up and starts, “Let’s take it from the beginning. Strange are the ways of life. You do your M.Sc, you end up as a journalist. You do your M Com, you end up running an electronics shop. Something like that happened with me.”

    Excerpts from an interview with Vickey Lalwani.

     

    What’s a Hotel Management and Mass Communication student doing in TV serials?
    How did you know about my educational background? (smiles). I was coming to that, but I haven’t yet told you about it. You have done your homework, I must say.
     

    Thanks. But that isn’t what I asked….
    (laughs) Well, I am a science graduate from Kolkata. I came down to Mumbai to do my hotel management. Soon I realised that I wasn’t cut out for it and left it midway. Then I joined a course in mass communication, but didn’t complete that either! (laughs) At this point of time, I started getting many modelling offers. Despite my best efforts, I could not resist the temptation.
     

    Did your parents consent easily to the fact that you were entering the big, bad world of glamour?
    Not really. My mom didn’t like it a lot. There was quite a bit of objection, in fact. Actually, she remains worried about me all the time even now when I am quite settled. I keep getting calls from her, every now and then. Her anxiety stems from the fact that I am a very, very fickle-minded person.

    Like when I was in modeling, she used to feel I would leave modelling too, midway– like I did to my studies. Then, when I got into TV, she again thought that I won’t stick on. She feels I am still a kid. But I have grown into a responsible adult. I know how important it is for a woman to be financially independent in life. I am taking my acting career more than seriously.
     
    “Today, talent in Bollywood has taken a backseat. Wearing minimum, talking brazen and PR has become the name of the game”
     

    What was your mom’s objection, precisely?
    I come from an educated family where people are settled in either a job or family business. Almost all my relatives knew hardly anything about this world. Entering the glam world was taboo for them.
     

    Then how did you land up in Mumbai?
    Actually, I came to Mumbai to do Hotel Management. I came with my best friend’s sister who was a freelancer in Kolkata. She had secured a job as a copywriter in an ad agency. I started living with her on a twin-sharing basis. At that point of time, life surely wasn’t a bed of roses. The cost of living kills, doesn’t it?
     
    And now?
    (laughs) Better… it surely doesn’t kill. Today, I have bought my apartment in the suburbs.
     

    Is Mumbai better than Kolkata?
    I have developed quite a few friends who are very supportive. So, things are good. Mumbai is quite a safe city for a woman to be in. I like the fact that Mumbaikars don’t look down upon women who stay alone. In most other cities, you won’t get accommodation if you are a female from the glamour world who wants to stay alone.
     

    Have you raised your voice ever in defence of a girl who is being sexually harassed?
    Yes. I remember doing it against a guy in a shop. He was acting fresh with a 20-something. But do you know what I got in return? The girl’s family asked me to lower my voice, they said ‘it’s okay, let him go’! Sometimes I wonder why most of us are so cold. Surprisingly, we take the first opportunity to blame the law without realising that there are four fingers pointing at you!
     

    Tell us about the modelling assignments you have done.
    Pears, Rin, Ariel, Close-Up, Double Diamond, Asian Paints, Sonam Quartz, Britannia, Maggie, Bombay Dyeing.
     

    Gearing up for films? Your looks and figure seem to fit the bill…
    I have received some offers. But none of those have been interesting enough for me to sign on the dotted line. I don’t want do roles wherein I am required for two or three scenes. I am not ready to be projected as a mere showpiece. People will surely start saying ‘she played such a noteworthy character of Shaina, what is she doing in the backdrop?’ Today, talent in Bollywood has taken a backseat. Wearing minimum, talking brazen and PR has become the name of the game. I cannot expose my cleavage and midriff.

    Besides, I am petrified of too much action. Like there was this scene I did recently in KKR, where my ‘pallu’ catches fire. The director did not want to use a dummy. I do not know how many times my heart skipped a beat.

    Importantly, I would be uncomfortable doing overtly romantic scenes. Like, I don’t think I could do Sangeeta Ghosh’s lovey-dovey scenes of Des Mein Nikala Hoga Chand. It peeves me that there are no more serials like Udaan on air. In fact, such serials in today’s times would be very timely. I cannot fathom why TV serial makers are either obsessed with showing females only as homemaker or homebreakers.
     

    Do you agree that TV-types are not digested as heroines, easily?
    Look at Gracy Singh. Her first film Lagaan almost won an Oscar for India! Agreed that Aamir Khan stole the show in Lagaan, but could Gracy’s neat performance be discounted? Offers didn’t fall into her lap as expected, but hasn’t she had quite a few plum projects of late- like Honey Irani’s Armaan for one?
     
    “I am not a senior actor that I can do things my way. I have to toe the line“
     

    How do you keep yourself in the limelight? Do you party?
    That’s my only drawback. Yes, today, you need to be seen around in the right places at the right time. Maybe I’ll have to change on that front. So far, I go for only some channel party or Ekta Kapoor’s birthday celebrations. You will never find me hanging out at Athena, Velocity, Fire N Ice. I am not a party animal. I would rather chat up with friends on phone, or curl up with a book.

    What books do you read?
    I love reading, but tell me, does our profession give me the time to even flip through a book? TV work can be so taxing at times, that you are virtually asleep, rather half-dead, during your return journey. A friend of mine has suggested a great book How to improve your Acting Performance. From next month, we’ll shoot only for 15 days for KKR, unlike the 26 days we have been devoting now. I plan to take up this book then.

    I get a hunch that the serial is winding up.
    Please don’t read between the lines. We have been given a year’s extension. Hopefully, we should be going on…. (smiles).

    To retrace a bit…. How did you become a tele ‘bahu’ of Balaji Telefilms?
    I was doing a few TV commercials. Then I got Milan directed by Lekh Tandon. Ekta saw me in Milan and called me for Karam. And then came Kaahin Kissii Roz, the ball had started rolling.

    Before agreeing to do ‘KKR’, you had told Ekta that you don’t want to be portrayed as a bahu. Right?
    Absolutely. I didn’t want to come across as a ‘bechari’. If you are nice, you can still be a confident go-getter without being timid and helpless. Ekta narrated the script to me and I loved it. The suspense portions, in particular, excite me no end. I just love suspense- be it in serials/ dramas/ films/ books.

    Having done a central role, will you play a second or a third bahu in a joint family?
    Let’s face it. I do not have an author-backed role in KKR. But yet, the role has lots of substance. I am almost in every frame of the serial. If the second or the third bahu has that much weight, I am game. But let me remind you that I don’t want to play a ‘bechari’ whom the public sympathises with. I wouldn’t mind a negative character either.

    I wouldn’t mind playing a girl who blindly apes the West- dons Western outfits, smokes at the drop of a hat. I am even game to playing the spoilt wife of a rich businessman. But remember, Western outfits does not mean those which will create a flutter. As I told you, I will not expose.

    Would you explain your ‘modus operandi’?
    I am a spontaneous actor. I read my lines but I don’t memorise them. I get the gist of the matter, mark the main points, and then say it in my own words. When it comes to emotional scenes, I often don’t use glycerine nowadays. Initially, I used to use it more. I have been playing Shaina for over 370 episodes now. Naturally, I have got into the skin of the character.

    How important is the director to you?
    Now don’t get me wrong. When I say that I have completely got into the skin of the character, that does not imply that I don’t need a director. I am purely a director’s actor. Without a director, I would be lost. I understand a director very quickly. Every director can extract the maximum out of me. Naturally, my best is a long way off. Goes without saying that my next will be better than Shaina.

    What do you do if and when you find a particular scene very difficult?
    I sit with the director. I request him to explain. Then I take my lines and retire into a corner. I ask for a rehearsal. I wish we could take our lines home. In TV serials, particularly in daily soaps, lines are written at the spur of the moment. That does make the task of the artiste sometimes very difficult.

    You said you are a director’s actor. How do you cope if and when the director changes midway?
    These things are difficult in the initially stages. Now, Shaina is deeply embedded in me. So, a change of director does not affect much. In fact, the director has to do more homework and adjustments than the artistes. He has to go way back into the full history of the serial. But yes, it would be great if one director saw every project to its logical conclusion.

    Do you get peeved when the channel demands a look that you are not comfortable with?
    What’s the point? Can I afford to? I am not a senior actor that I can do things my way. I have to toe the line. I recall the difference of opinions in the early days of KKR when Ramola Sikand (Sudha Chandran) did not agree with the manner in which the channel wanted her to look. She stood by her conviction. She was adamant that she wanted those ‘bindis’ and jewellery. Look where she is today! Her ‘bindis’ and jewellery are a craze, sorry, a rage even in London. She has become a trendsetter! But for me to put down my foot, I still need a few years.

    Have you put down your foot on something else at least in ‘KKR’?
    Oh yeah! I take care not to say lines which I can’t digest. If you are not convinced of what you are saying, it invariably reflects on your face. Consequently, the output suffers. Like there was this scene I did recently where I was asked to pray, ‘Bachcha takleef mein ma ke paas jaata hai, meri maa mere paas nahin hain, main kahan jaun?’. The word ‘ma’ referred to my mother-in-law. I politely drove home my point as, “Sir, agreed that you want to emphasise that Ramola Sikand has turned over a new leaf, but how can I equate the woman who has committed 12 murders as my mother? How can I equate the woman who tried to kill me and my husband (Yash Tonk) as my mother?”. The lines were deleted.

    Can I peep into your work kitty?
    Kaahin Kissii Roz consumes about 2O-25 days of a month. I did about 20 episodes of Kutumb in the recent past, but that’s over now. I was supposed to do a serial for Vishesh Films co-starring Kiron Kher, but the channel which was supposed to carry it had some problem. Of late, I have met some people. Soon, I might sign something exciting.

    Is this fickle-minded beauty giving herself a stipulated period on the tube before she settles down to make her life complete?
    I believe in the age-old saying ‘A woman’s life is complete only after she becomes a good daughter, wife and mother’. But why will I quit after marriage? Didn’t I stress on a woman’s financial independence in the beginning? Please underline this: A woman who is not financially independent is incomplete; she commits a blunder if she does not pursue her goals- but surely not at the cost of her character and self-respect, mind you. I will always continue to act on television. I am here to stay. I love the TV world. It gives me an immense high.

    Amongst your costars whom do you look up to?
    Sudha Chandran, who else! Who can rise like a Phoenix from the ashes from the terrible position she found herself at the age of 16 when we have stars in our eyes? Initially, I used to keep my distance from her, but today, she is like my elder sister. We share the same make-up room, we have the maximum scenes together. All this has brought us real close. That however does not imply that we intrude into each other’s private life.

    Private life! Is there a man in your life?
    Hmm… no.

    You took a long time to say that?
    Really? (laughs)
  • “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!