TV producers are making cinema-like shows for the small screen, here's why

When Mohit Raina-starrer 21 Sarfarosh Saragarhi 1897 went on air recently, it was hailed as the game changer of television. Before that, Porus was called the Baahubali of the small screen. Another show, Prithvi Vallabh — Itihaas Bhi, Rahasya Bhi, created a buzz for its massive canvas. There has also been Aarambh: Kahani Devsena Ki, which went off-air in just three months. Shani, which is currently on air, is also made on a larger-than-life scale. 

At an age when viewers are consuming more digital content, we ask producers what’s making them go so ambitious. From audiences expecting premium content to preparing to enter the big league of international shows, they share their reasons.

Telly watchers are maturing

For a long time, the viewers were glued to soap operas and reality shows, but the tide is now turning. The producer of Porus, Siddharth Kumar Tewary, says, “I don’t think Indian viewers are dumb. We just need to give them the right thing and offer it in a newer and more exciting way.” Prithvi Vallabh (inspired by Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi’s Gujarati historical fictional novel, Prithivivallabh) producer, Aniruddh Pathak, asserts, “Television is no longer the idiot box.” While Siddharth says that one can gauge whether viewers are ready for such big shows only when producers create them, Aniruddh states, “Serial creators have kept the scope of television 
narrow. We haven’t accorded it the kind of respect it deserves and that needs to change.”

They need premium content

With shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, House of Cards, and Narcos, among others, Indian viewers have easy access to international content. And Indian producers are bucking up to offer a similar experience. “We need to provide them premium content to make them believe that we can give them high-quality production and narration,” Siddharth says. The audiences are spoilt for choice and only gobsmacking content can save a show, according to Aniruddh.

Preparing for the big league

Producers are upping the ante because Indian shows will share the space with international biggies. “In three months, 21 Sarfarosh will be on Netflix, along with shows and films that are being consumed in different geographical boundaries the world over. So, we cannot be caught napping,” Abhimanyu Singh, the show’s producer reasons. This is the transitional phase when the demarcation between television and web is blurring. Aniruddh opines that by next five to 10 years, entertainment will be in the viewers’ palms. “Each episode of a Netflix show is made on a budget of $100 million. So, it’s the need of the hour to make cinematic shows in order to be taken seriously in the global market,” he says. Abhimanyu adds that making superior shows will help when more premium content is required in future. “You will need the skill sets. We are spending the money, understanding technology and using newer methods to tell a story to create stellar content later,” he says.   

Keeping it real

In the past, historical and mythological shows have looked gimmicky. Now, producers are avoiding slipshod work and want to make their shows look more plausible. “The idea is to transport viewers into the historical world and not fantastical,” Siddharth explains. For Prithvi Vallabh, Anirrudh is ensuring that effects don’t look CG-created. Every time Abhimanyu has made a historical show, like Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, the production house has gone opulent. “But with 21 Sarfarosh, we have gone realistic. We have given a raw texture to the show,” he says.     

Going the extra mile

The extempore way of making shows — writing scripts while shooting, for instance — is also becoming a thing of past. Makers are focusing on pre-production, shooting in advance, and employing equipment used in films to lend their show grandiosity. Aniruddh says, “The script for Prithvi Vallabh was complete before we started rolling and we started the shoot six months before going on air.” Similarly, Siddharth 
designed the graph of the show so that his entire team would know what the requirements going forward were.

Not losing viewers to the web yet

Even if viewers are turning to digital platforms, it will take a while for them to completely move. Abhimanyu concurs, “For a while, television and digital will be complementing each other. Of course, there will be a friction later. As of now, brands are still bullish about advertising on TV. So, channels will continue to put in megabucks.” Since the cable is still a cheaper medium, television is not going anywhere anytime soon. And, creators are making shows for the viewers. “Creation has nothing to do with whether they view it on television or digital platform. As long as we are adding viewers and not losing them, it’s all good,” Siddharth concludes.