Being associated with a business news channel does have its trappings. One of which includes being bombarded by calls every time Dalal Street experiences tremors. “Many come to me for market tips, but I’m really the wrong person to ask,” laughs Vandana Malik, executive director of TV 18 that tied up with business news brand CNBC six years ago.
“But when the markets were up and running, I did advise people to sell and book their profits. Obviously, no one listened!” she adds. However, she doesn’t think all is lost yet. “The stock market is a good place to be in, but only for those who have studied the market and who are not in a hurry to make money.”
It’s been 11 years now since this housewife-turned-professional decided to help her brother Raghav Bahl run his software company. And while she modestly acknowledges she is a role model to many Indian women, she avers that she’s had it easy. “Granted, I started off late, had no formal training and was an absolute novice in this field.
But then, the industry was also new and I grew along with it.”
Being responsible for several successful TV shows, Vandana says the USP of TV18 is the fact they’ve always produced quality at an affordable cost. “And, we brought in the spunk from the West and adapted it to Indian sensibilities,” she claims.
She does admit, however, that they could never crack the saas-bahu formula. “Which is why when they came in, we quickly shifted focus to more business oriented programmes,” she laughs.
On a more serious note, she blasts such soaps for the degradation they show. “In the garb of sarees, sindoor and mangal sutra, these women are shown marrying five times to different members of the same family. It’s ‘Bold and the Beautiful’ all over again!”
Confessing she’s not business savvy, Vandana says she loves fashion and entertainment and would like to make a movie someday. “With so much morbidity around, I’d definitely want to make happy films,” she reveals.
g_sheree@dnaindia.net
