A ‘Small’ switch

Representational pic

By Priyanka Bhadani

Even before he struck gold on the silver screen with successful and critically acclaimed films like Lagaan, Swades and Jodha Akbar, film-maker Ashutosh Gowariker had explored the small screen as an actor on shows like Circus and Bharat Ek Khoj. He has now become synonymous with big budget outings for the big screen and his fans expect him to churn out something that will light up 70 mm; to cut a long story short, expectations are sky rocketing from the versatile director.
But when the film-maker-producer was oscillating between two ideas — a film on the issue of the girl child and another one about adventure sports, instead of opting between the two, he chose to combine them and target a bigger audience on the small screen. As he announced his show Everest on Star Plus last month, Gowariker acknowledged the potential that the medium holds and its wide reach. In fact, he didn’t even deny that majority of the television audience largely comprises women who munch on the regular saas-bahu fare that is usually presented to them. “The fact that those shows are doing well indicates that there’s certainly something that keeps the audience hooked, but I can’t make those shows,” he said and explained why he made Everest. He is fine even if a small section of viewers watch and appreciate the show as he thinks that “there’s a new emerging section that wants new content.”
In the last couple of weeks, other film-makers apart from him also launched their television production ventures. While Vipul Amrutlal Shah came up with Pukaar that he is also co-directing with Deven Bhojani, an action-based drama, Sooraj Barjatya followed his trademark style and launched a family drama titled Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali that will be helmed by his son Devansh Barjatya. Earlier this year, the small screen witnessed megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s acting debut on the small screen with the psychological thriller Yudh which was creatively helmed by film-makers Anurag Kashyap and Shoojit Sircar. Last year if there was the much talked about adaptation of 24 which was directed by Abhinay Deo and produced by Anil Kapoor, we also had the magnanimous Saraswatichandra which was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s brainchild and marked his foray onto the small screen.
While the film-maker who was producing the show, opted out of it over alleged creative differences with the channel, he didn’t rule out the growth of television as a medium.”I think today TV has a bigger reach than films. The audience for TV is almost double or triple in comparison to films,” Bhansali said during the launch of the show, which he thought could be best explored on the small screen because of its vast storyline.
In the months to come, other film-makers will also be seen with their television projects. Anurag Basu in an earlier interview to Screen mentioned his upcoming fiction show on one of the Zee Network channels. Though he didn’t reveal many details, he said it’s going to be an experiment with a differentiated programming. The channel Zindagi is also bringing six film-makers who will direct telefilms for it. These may include Nikhil Advani, Sudhir Mishra, Anurag Kashyap and Zoya Akhtar. Film-maker Anusha Rizvi of Peepli Live fame is also writing an investigative thriller for television.
Barjatya didn’t mind his son starting off with television because he believes that the medium’s reach is one of the biggest factors that works in its favour. “I am not sure about others because everyone will have their own opinion, but we at Rajhshri feel that it is a medium to reach more families. You also get a bigger canvas to tell your story. The characters can be etched out more elaborately and you have more time to tell the story,” says Barjatya who thinks that the medium may change, but the creative process relatively remains the same and as creative people, film-makers don’t mind working for another medium.
As broadcasters, says Manisha Sharma, Executive Vice President, Programming, Colors that telecast 24 last year and is in the process of making the second season, we are hungry for fresh and differentiated content. “It is heartening to see film-makers recognizing the reach and potential of television as a medium and the tremendous impact it can have on viewers,” she says as she adds that for film-makers it is a platform to reach out to a newer audience base that ranges from viewers in urban and rural areas. “Television also gives them great exposure as the content put across is not just limited to a few hours (as in films) but for an entire season in a sustained manner,” she points out.
Agrees Ajit Thakur, business head, Life OK. According to Thakur, the most important reason behind film-makers opting for TV productions is its reach. “No other medium provides a reach like the television. In a week, a show like Saavdhan India or Diya Aur Baati Hum are seen by more people than those who saw Dhoom 3,” says Thakur who after the two big launches (Pukaar and Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali) is looking forward to few more shows with film-makers in the next couple of months. “83 million is the reach of Diya Aur Baati Hum in a week. Everyone associated with the creative business craves to reach out to such a big audience,” he remarks as he talks about the trend of film-makers trying their hand at television.
Another reason is the platform that television is giving to tell varied stories, believes Thakur. “There are a multitude of stories that can be told on television, but are difficult to be explored on the silver screen because they don’t get proper backing. Here, on television, we create output day in and day out. We are open to experimenting with different content that may never see the light of the day on the big screen,” remarks Thakur who feels that television content is platform agnostic which makes it more desirable to film-makers.
The television fraternity also thinks it’s capable of doing well even without film-makers. As Sharma remarks, “The television industry is not dependent on stars, but on the contrary it helps in creating stars.” Barjatya doesn’t rule it out either. While he says that both TV and films have good business prospects, TV has better returns. “When it comes to films, you either lose money or make money. In television, there is more hard work because every single episode has to be dealt with carefully, but the medium comes with better returns,” says the film-maker whose production house has dabbled in both films and television over the years. He unhesitantly admits the harsh reality of films, that is, they primarily work best if they feature a big star. “Today, films work either with big stars or if the marketing strategies are well-planned; that too if your film has released. Ninety per cent chances are that your film won’t release,” remarks Barjatya. Having said that, he doesn’t believe that success comes easy on the small screen either. While he thinks it is easier to recover money due to multiple sources of revenue, “For a television show to be successful, even as a producer, you have to be intrinsically involved with the process, otherwise your effort will fall flat and so will your money.”

priyanka.bhadani@expressindia.com

En Route TV

After making their mark on the big screen, some of the film-makers are exploring new ideas on television

Ashutosh Gowarikar

The actor-turned film-maker embraced the small screen recently with his show Everest on Star Plus for which he even roped in A.R. Rahman.

Abhinay Deo

The film-maker received quite a few rave reviews for directing the political thriller 24, an adaptation of the American series of the same title.

Anurag Basu

The director thinks television is a medium worth being explored and is thus investing in it. He is in the process of creating a show for Zee Network.

Shoojit Sircar & Anurag Kashyap

The two creatively helmed what was one of the most anticpated television shows of 2014, Yudh, starring Amitabh Bachchan. It fell flat on the ratings chart, but not without making way for differentiated content on TV.

Anusha Rizvi

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The Peepli Live director is currently working on an investigative drama.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali

The film-maker bet on the magnanimous Saraswatichandra. Despite opting out later, he didn’t deny television’s reach as a medium.

Sooraj Bartjatya

The film-maker has always been invloved with TV productions. Now, he has let his son, Devansh helm Life OK’s Mere Rang Mein Rangne Waali.

Vikram Bhatt

The film-maker who directed several episodes for Sahara One’s Haunted Nights commented that television is a better medium than cinema.

Vipul Amrutlal Shah

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Though he started out with TV, Vipul Amrutlal Shah got busy with films only to mark a return with the ambitious Pukaar – Call For The Hero on Life OK.