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Coming from a non-industry background, the producer crafted a successful career in the TV industry on sheer self belief
Producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary left a mark on the TV industry with his magnum opus, Mahabharat and shows like Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, Phulwa and Navya. Coming from a non-industry back, he made it big only on the sheer dent of self-belief. In a candid interview, he shares his journey with us.
From a sales professional to a producer, how has the journey been like?
After studying advertising in Pune, I did a small stint in sales in India Today but realized that sales was not my forte. I moved onto to advertising and worked in Euro RSCG and JWT. In Euro RSCG I did a brand campaign for Sony MAX, which won me laurels at the EMVIES. However, I was dissatisfied as I wanted to create and quit my advertising job. I looked to bag an assistant director’s job but got nothing in hand. For a year, I was jobless and broke. Then, I got a call from the marketing head of Sony Max and joined there. I did the Deewana Bana De campaign for IPL wherein I got Kapil Dev and Mandira Bedi playing gulli cricket. I always wrote the campaigns. Tarun Katiyal, who headed Sony programming at that time suggested that I move to Sony content. There I had all the producers pitching me their content. Then, I developed this story of two conjoined sisters but then, in TV if you want to create a show you believe in, you have to produce it. There is no other alternative. I told NP Singh, who was then the COO that I wanted to quit. I left the job and started looking for a sponsor. Finally, I became a producer with Amber Dhara in 2007.
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What is your take on the new urban and rural rating system of BARC?
I feel this urban and rural demarcation in ratings will make programming sharper. It will help channels get the right audience. We can create specific content for urban and rural segments. You see a channel like Star Movies, it is not widely popular yet makes good revenue from a certain category. We can take more risks.
Were you upset when Manmarziyaan went off air?
The idea with Manmarziyaan was to do something different. We took a risk and I feel there’s nothing wrong with failure. As far as, the show going off air is concerned, we accept that we are in mass media where numbers matter.
It was pulled off air pretty fast…
It is perfectly fine as the scenario is a hugely competitive one. There are instances when lowly-performing shows have picked up after few months. I guess everyone did not see a long term potential in Manmarziyaan. We have to realize that people need instant gratification nowadays. The patience levels are down. There is too much clutter in the entertainment world. It’s tough but great. I was extremely disheartened by the development. It was not made like a regular show. I tuned the actors differently, we put in a lot of effort. People loved Monica Sehgal, the lead actress.
Do you feel it would have done better on a different platform?
Whether it is Mahabharat or Razia Sultan or Suryaputra Karna, we don’t like to stay in a comfort zone. If we got the same numbers for Manmarziyaan on Channel V we would have run for five years. It was unviable for Star Plus, which caters to a wider base. The content was right but the platform was an unsuitable one.
Are you more into the creative or financial side?
I don’t look into the business aspect. My brother looks into the money part totally. We are not line producers. Whatever show I do it consumes me totally. I am glad that people trust me to deliver the best whether it is on the script or technical side. I write the initial scripts of all my shows and later delegate parts of it. As a creative, I cannot look into all the aspects.
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What was the impact of Mahabharat on your life?
Mahabharat has changed me as person. It is an epic text. It made me believe that as long as you enjoy what you do life is good. I don’t see myself as a mytho-maker. Swastik does shows like Begusarai as well. I was glad that Uday Shankar of Star Plus had the faith in me. He said that he liked the way I wrote my characters and visualized my shows. He trusted me to do it. I knew I could not do Mahabharat like a regular soap. It is a 5000-year-old text and we had to make it in a way that we spoke to the current audience. So, it had to be something truly grand in all aspects. The idea that our team had was that post our Mahabharat, no one should think of making it in the next 20 years. I don’t see myself as a mytho-maker but that show changed me as a person.
What is your take on finites series? Do you feel they are here to stay?
Again, I feel it depends on the audience profile. Mahabharat with its stories and subplots could have run for 10 years but we wanted it to have a shelf life. We see soaps getting dragged for years without any proper story. Our audience never ceases to surprise me they can watch content for years. Moreover, a channel won’t shut down a show that gets them the numbers. There is more finite content on TV in the pipeline but people need to get hooked to season 1 of a show first. Our TV industry is 25 years old and changes are rapidly happening.
What is your take on the supernatural flavour that’s ruling TV nowadays?
Well, they are working as hell. TV as a medium caters to the lowest common denominator. The concept of naag and naagin exists in our belief system. We watched it earlier; we are viewing it now as well. It is a different thing whether that content excites me or not. I would say, it’s a gala time for producers of such shows. Talking about these shows promoting superstition, I did say we are here to entertain. People are not fools. This kind of drama is the flavour of the season.
There is a lot of online feedback nowadays for shows. Does that help producers?
I m not on Twitter, only on Facebook that I track keep of sparingly. I do get messages that this is not right and so on but we need to remember that we are talking to a mass audience with TV. So, the content might not be liked by all. Of course, we do imbibe interesting feedback if we get any. If people hate any character, it actually means that they love him. Getting a reaction is interesting.
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Does a TV actor’s popularity matter when it comes to TRPs?
On TV, people watch characters. Of course, if they like your face they will watch you more but character is the king on this medium. The audience has to come in daily to watch the show again and again. So, the character, content, chemistry and series has to shine in totality. Without this, even Big B won’t shine on TV. It is not like films. It is a tough industry.
Tracks change so fast on TV. As a writer, do you feel it is unfair?
Primarily, TV is all about teamwork. It is not about going solo. A single person can’t be on the top of his game for 30 days in a month. So, we have three to five writers on a show with one in-charge of it. I write my shows and I am accountable for it. I believe that too many chefs can’t make a great dish. A working pattern has to be set. Great content comes with accountability.
What TV shows do you watch?
I love Big Boss, I watched this season in parts. I watch a lot of American content. My latest favourite is Narcos. I am a huge fan of Breaking Bad. I feel it is one of the best series ever. American TV industry is 75 years old and it has evolved greatly. We are running there.
Who are your favourite actors in the industry?
I feel Saurabh Raj Jain literally lived his role of Krishna in Mahabharat. Sakshi Tanwar has commendable consistency as she adds value to a character. Divyanka Tripathi and Sriti Jha are good actors as well. Ratan Rajput is commendable as she takes a character to some other level. Amongst the boys, I like Shaheer Sheikh, Ravi Dubey and Praneet Bhatt.
What are your upcoming projects?
Mahabharat was dream that got over come up. We will announce another project in a month’s time. We need to have fun while creating a project. I like to work with people who have the passion and are desperate to shine. I am not here to make money.