I am just a fledgling who is starting whereas Ekta is a stalwart: Kavita Barjatya

Kavita Barjatya tells Jyothi Venkatesh that she is just a fledgling on TV unlike Ekta who is a stalwart.

How tough was it for you to get a foothold in the business of television considering you have a film legacy at Rajshri Pictures?
Initially it was quite a tough task but we have now managed to get the grip. It was no doubt an entirely new business for us at Rajshris, because earlier we were only making films with our own courage of conviction.

What is the major lesson that you have learnt while making serials?
I have learnt that one has got to understand that one is working for the channels and consider them our bosses, who should be kept happy. The earlier one understands this mantra, the better it is if you happen to be a television producer.

How has been your experience with your bosses, like Sahara One, NDTV Imagine and Star Plus?
I have been fortunate that all the channels for which we have produced the shows have had immense trust on us and hence fortunately for us it has been a smooth sailing right from day one.

By God's grace, our show Woh Rehne Wali Mehlon Ki has now completed 725 episodes. I can say with a sense of pride that our show is the No 1 flagship show of the channel.

How is your show Main Teri Parchai Hoon faring?
Though Main Teri Parchai Hoon started with almost nil publicity, everyone who has been watching the show on NDTV Imagine is talking about it. In fact after Ramayan, I am told that ours is the most in demand show on NDTV Imagine. The show speaks for itself though we did not publicize it at all.

What is your USP as a TV show producer?
The channels for which we are making the shows give us a daily soap briefing and do not meddle with its making because they think that we can churn out emotional soaps, since it has been proved that it is our forte.

Do you mean to say that the channels do not pressurize the producers at all?
I cannot talk about the other producers who deal with the channels but I can vouchsafe that the channels for which we make our shows have never pressurized us, because they believe that the content is the king and one has got to bow down in front of the story.

Why did you then replace Arjun Punj with Kashif first and later with Aamir Ali in Woh Rehene Wali Mehlon Ki?
Arjun Punj had to be killed in the show because of the leap that the story took and replaced by Kashif. Arjun wanted to come back though he had left the serial for films.

After Kashif, we roped in Aamir Ali because the story demanded that we cast him, not because the channel pressurized us.

Isn't Woh Rehne Wali Mehlon Ki yet another rona dhona serial?
I beg to differ. It is not a rona dhona serial. It is more of good versus evil serial with a subtle message. It has been nominated by one of the TV awards as the best serial on social message.

How did you zero in on Reena Kapoor to play the main protagonist ion WRWMK?
We go as per the requirement of any character whether it is for our films or for television serials. We decided to cast Reena because we needed a good actress, who is also not over exposed on television. The best thing about television is that you get an opportunity as a producer to create an image.

How happy are you with your choice of Reena Kapoor as the main protagonist of WRWMK?
I am more than happy with Reena who is now identified as the WRWMK girl though she had earlier acted in a few films as well as serials. Just Imagine, Reena became a household name with the show though earlier for the same channel, bigger stars like Sridevi, Raveena Tandon, Hema Malini etc. could not salvage their shows.

Why is WRWMK your favorite serial?
Though all my serials are my favorites, I am particularly attached to WRWMK because after watching the show, people take the name of Pari, the character that Reena is playing in the serial in the same breath when they take the name so other ever green characters of television like Tulsi and Parvati.

Though you are churning out serials, why are you very low key unlike Ekta Kapoor?
Remember I am just a fledgling who is starting whereas Ekta is a stalwart as far as television is concerned, though I concede that unlike Ekta who is new to films, we at Rajshris have a film legacy for the last several decades.

We want to grow from strength to strength. My main priority is to maintain the image of my dadaji who used to make clean and healthy family fare.

Which was your biggest compliment in recent times?
I was on a high when Aamir Ali told me after he won the Nach Baliye crown with Sanjeeda that he was of the opinion that he had got all the votes in his favor not because of him but for the character of Saumya which he is playing in Woh Rehnewali Mehlo Ki. It was so sweet of him.

Why do you make only women-oriented serials?
My serials may be woman oriented because that is the need of the hour as far as television is concerned since we have to keep in mind our women viewers who remain glued to their television sets but at the same time the hero in our serials have substantial roles.

What according to you is the difference between films and TV shows?
On TV, the deadline hangs above your neck unlike in films where you can delay the release by planning depending upon how your film is progressing. You can shoot a scene which you have missed out in films during the patch work but there is no such luxury as far as TV is concerned.

What is your aim as a producer now?
My main aim at any point of time is to keep people happy and in the process also keep myself happy but at the same time I want to limit my work, by concentrating on quality more than quantity and devote time to my large joint family. There are fifteen members in our family. My mother Usha is the pillar of my strength.

What is your biggest achievement as a producer?
Besides the fact that I do not allow any actor to work beyond 9.30 pm on the sets of my shows, not a single episode of any show of ours has been repeated due to want of fresher episodes, unlike some of the popular shows which have had repeat shows because the producers could not deliver the newer episodes. That I think is my biggest achievement. -Jyothi Venkatesh