'TV will continue to play second fiddle'

DNA: The small screen is slowly emerging as a big force. Still it's considered only as second fiddle to big screens. Do you think so?

Shantonu Aditya: Though in size Bollywood is much smaller in comparison to TV, the total business of cinema is half to TV which is doing business of up to Rs35,000 crore in comparison to  the Rs20,000 in cinema. But, cinema has bigger stars like the SRKs and the Aamirs and this trend will continue. In Hollywood too, TV plays only second fiddle to the big screens. See, in TV you watch multiple channels for just Rs300 per month; you have so much choice.

DNA: Do you think there is a creative slump in the TV medium?

Rakshanda Khan: I have not seen something drastically different on TV in the past two years. It's been quite regressive, and there was nothing challenging for the viewer.

Renuka Shahane: When we used to work with Doordarshan which was a government owned channel, it used to have certain propaganda. At the same time it used to have niche things too. Surabhi was commissioned too; though it didn't make a lot of money. All the issues were very creatively dealt with in the past. Today you just have a better set of saris and jewellery.

DNA: What's the take on the reality show scenario?

Vaibhav Vishal: If you are talking about song and dance, I am sorry that's not reality. They are anything but reality. I think reality TV hasn't come to India as yet. With Roadies, Bigg Boss and now Sarkaar Ki Duniya, reality TV is slowly getting into the mainstream.

DNA:  But most of the concepts are adapted from foreign formats…

Rakshanda: Sarkaar Ki Duniya is surprisingly similar to the Survivor. I thought it was a franchise until I saw the credits.

Mandira Bedi: Yes. None of them are homegrown.

Vaibhav: To be honest, there are only five ideas in the universe, which moves around in different ways.

Renuka: Like in reality shows, the emphasis is too much on SMS's and talent takes a backseat.

Shantonu: But, Mumbaiites are cynical. They won't be giving away so much money in SMS voting.

Vaibhav: But they did in the case of Abhijeet Sawant. I think one of the main problems is that everybody is eating into everybody's space. A show like Aap Ki Kacheri could have been on any other news channel, and Sansani could have been on any of the GECs. Or the Nach Baliye's or any other dance show could have been on a music channel. But, yes, TV will continue to play the second fiddle.

DNA: Who's the best anchor on TV now?

Rakshanda: Do you think we are actually going to tell you that? Honestly, I can't comprehend what all these buffoons (anchors) are doing on TV!

Mandira: An anchor becomes an anchor when he gets the second show. An actor does one show for the difference, novelty and variety. If people accept him, he gets another show and becomes a full-fledged anchor.

DNA:  How do you rate Sharman Joshi as an anchor?

Rakshanda: I think he is a great actor! But he isn't cut out to be an anchor. Or maybe he might become a good anchor in his second or third show.

Mandira: The question is will he get a second show?

Rakshanda: Sharman, the actor will always overshadow Sharman the anchor. Or he might prove me wrong in the future.

Mandira: Salman had a great quirky sense of humour, but he was an anchor. He was just having fun. It worked too because he was fun to watch. Look at Big B, the way he spoke, he greeted people. SRK went one step further, he hugged all the pretty girls or whatever, but he brought something new to the table.

DNA:  Roadies was something drastically different. Mommies watch it with their kids. Would a show like that be accepted by a GEC?

Vaibhav: People watch the show and not the channel. Balika Badhu would have been successful even if it would have been on another channel. But Roadies would be on MTV, because it has loads of MTV-ness in it.

DNA:  How's the experience of launching new channels?

Sharada Sunder: TV is more of a me-too medium. When saas bahu started, everybody started doing the same thing. There is a mentality like that. While launching real, a lot of unlearning had to be done.

Vaibhav: If shiny, happy people are calling each other brothers and sisters, it's not real at all. Reality is about 'real' reality, it started with Bigg Boss, and now Roadies and Splitsvilla. I would love to see people kick each other.

Mandira: A lot of people question whether it's real or staged. It's all about who pushes the envelops.

Vaibhav: If there are 40-60 guys in a closed room, you will lose it.

Rakshanda: I don't think there are number of fights the way it's shown on TV. I am sure they get instructions from the channel, like 'aaj tum kuch karo.'

Vaibhav: In reality TV 100%…

Renuka: There are some shows which are not meant to be reality shows. They have judges who are stars but don't behave like them and make stars out of ordinary people overnight only for TRPs.

DNA: But is there any line to be drawn, like government demarcations?

Vaibhav: In one of the international shows, they showed a person dying in the show. Jade Goody will be shown dying. It has just begun in India. We are reacting to abuses now, wait until it actually takes off.

Shantonu: It's about palm on the logo. How do you differentiate and keep on twisting and tweaking hoping that something clicks?

DNA: The spat between Ashutosh Gowariker and Sajid Khan at a recent award function was used as the promo…

Shantonu: That's the reason they got those ratings.

Mandira: Ironically it was edited. A lot of things that provoked Ashu were edited to make it a clean show and people thought it was a very strong reaction on Ashu's part. Very unfair!

Renuka: It became harmless bantering.

Mandira: I know how bad and offensive he can get.

DNA:  What's the idea behind the rude anchors?

Vaibhav: Raghu is there for a reason. In Roadies, people are tested not on their singing and dancing skills. They need to be caught off guard; they need to be provoked to get the right reactions. Then only will we get interesting people. That's the reason we started promoting Raghu.

Shantonu: We might sometime go back to the Barjatya days. You never know what starts working!

DNA: Does a show like The moment Of Truth work in India?

Mandira: Take out all the sexual part, and it has an edge. How marriages and relationships break up over there! My God!

Shantonu: They do it for the money I guess.

DNA: What about tackling issues like child marriage or female infanticide?

Renuka: I think that's just the glamourised version. TV as a real medium doesn't exist any more. Long ago, we had a Khandaan happening which was credible and believable. There were programmes which spoke to a different set of people. Right now, I think everything has to be glamourised for no reason. Importantly, everybody is adopting the north Indian mentality. For example, Maharashtra never had the rituals of putting a sindoor. Now even Maharashtrians or the Tulu people are having sangeet or mehendi, it's like losing out on the regional charm by making one big mass out of it.

DNA: What about comedy on TV? Now, it has become more of the stand up type.

Rakshanda: Did we ever have real comedy content?

Renuka: Yes there were shows like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi. Even Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai or Khichdi. Hats off! Productions do come up with good comedy.

DNA: How much is the cost of one TV show?

Sharada: It depends on the creative aspect, fiction or non -fiction. On an average, it's around Rs7 to 10 lakhs.

DNA: Do new channels bring a new approach?

Sharada: It's about habit forming exercises like in print media. The mindset of Indians is changing and we have made the beginning.

Mandira: Look what Colors has done with shows like Balika Badhu or Uttaran.

Rakshanda: Still I think those shows are a little regressive.

Mandira: I don't think they are regressive. Just because you are showing the other segment of the society, doesn't mean it's regressive.

DNA: Is it okay to be regressive like either the saas bahu or the girl child kind?

Mandira: It's not about regression; it's about showing a mirror to society. It may not be meant for you and me. Why did the saas bahu shows do so well? For the first couple of years, it cut across every socio-economic class; every daughter-in-law has a problem with the mother-in-law. The audience connected with it.

Sharada: Colors has tried something different but the transition has not happened yet.

Mandira: Is there a safety zone?

Sharada: We never know which one will work. Lots of channels had problems. Shows which they had banked on ended up failing and unexpected shows found amazing viewership. It's not predictable with the Indian audiences.

DNA: Are the weeklies going to make a comeback?

Renuka: I want and I hope they will. But it's also about how they treat it. I remember once I went to a channel with a concept and they told me 'let's not be so intelligent.' I was at a loss for words and didn't know how I was supposed to react then!

Rakshanda: At the end I want to say that we all love TV very much. Who knows? Tomorrow it might become difficult to get work! (Everyone laughs.)
-Compiled by Ranjib Mazumder and Arcopol Chaudhuri