Ekta Kapoor is the only producer who has creative freedom - Siddharth P Malhotra

Renowned producer and founder of Alchemy productions, Siddharth P Malhotra tells us all in a candid chat.

Published: Friday,Dec 15, 2017 13:00 PM GMT-07:00

Sanchita Jhunjhunwala

Known to be at the apex of the entertainment industry, producer Siddharth P Malhotra's journey has been one to look forward to and draw some inspiration from. Founded by him and wife, Sapna Malhotra, their production house Alchemy Productions was formed to make content and software for various platforms.

Siddharth P Malhotra is the son of Cinevistaas' head honcho, Prem Krishen and has the experience of having worked for over 18 years in the same company. His profile of creating shows and selling them to networks.. to setting them up and assuring their success and long run, has been a process and Siddharth, to his credit, has many landmark shows which have all been his brainchild.

In a vis-a-vis conversation with Siddharth himself, we know it all-

Tell us about your journey from Cinevistaas to Alchemy Productions.

I did 2 shows before, but my first big show was back in 2002 called Sanjeevani with Cinevistaas, where I was pretty young and getting my way through. After Sanjeevani, I did quite a number of shows which included Jersey Number 10, the first among youth shows on SAB TV; the first comedy show on the same channel called Lo Ho Gayi Pooja Iss Ghar Ki, followed by Jaane Kya Baat Hui on Colors, Saakshi on Sony and Dill Mill Gayye on Star One which introduced Karan Singh Grover followed by Siddharth Shukla's introduction on the same channel with Jaane Pehchaane Se Yeh Ajnabi. Then we also introduced Ravi Dubey and Kritika Kamra in Yahan Ke Hum Sikander. So we've introduced quite a number of people and fortunately the shows have done well too. Then there is Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai that starred Krystle Dsouza, Karan Tacker, Kushal Tandon and Nia Sharma and Ek Haseena Thi which starred Vatsal Sheth and Sanjeeda Shaikh in lead roles.

And then finally, when Beyhadh was happening, and I was just done with creating the germ of an idea, I decided to take blessings from my uncle and move off. That's how Alchemy happened.

Then when I thought of a pretty weird idea at that point of time of a happy snake, my wife wondered if I had lost the plot. I had actually narrated the plot to Zee TV first and they were laughing. But it was only later when I realized that they were laughing at me and not with me because even they thought I had lost the plot.

So my wife said that this happy snake concept does not work at all and even dismissed the idea of it being a fresh show. But I was like 'nahi yaar isme hai concept.' And then I went to Anuj Kapoor and with Alchemy Films, we started with zero bank balance. Both Sapna and I had literally zero capital income. It was a tough time because I was used to a certain kind of life and then I was put into a life where there was nothing. The only thing I could count upon was my conviction. And luckily someone bought my conviction which is Anuj Kapoor. He heard the idea and he said 'I believe in you, just go ahead.' And it was thanks to Sab TV that Alchemy Films happened and they approved of Icchapyari Naagin and the show went on air. It was a 6 months show, but it ran for 9 months. After the 6 months, we were like - sir kahaani nahi hai, bandh kardo. But they insisted on continuing this for 3 more months.

Post Icchapyari Naagin, came Woh Apna Sa, which is on Zee TV. Before that, I found a lot of support in the form of Gaurav Banerjee for Kya Tu Meri Laage on Star Plus. That however, did not work well, but they had their faith in me and I did another pilot, which transported into Love Ka Hai Intezaar, which came after Woh Apna Sa. It took its own time to come, and now the fourth show we've launched is Haasil, which has been a pet project of mine. Now, we are working on a web series, a theater play, on films and some more television shows. We want to be in the entertainment line; that's pretty much the encapsulated journey for me.

What kind of a response have you been getting as far as Haasil is concerned?

Actually, you'd be the right person to tell me how has it been working. Because I have been like a bundle of nerves as far as this show is concerned. I've put in a lot of efforts and it's not only me, but my actors and technicians as well. The response that I've got from the initial episodes of the show has been tremendous; what they are telling me is that there is no show on television that looks like the way Haasil does. We've always wanted to watch shows on Netflix and Amazon because they look larger than life and Indian shows don't look like that. Our endeavor with Hassil has been the idea of 'let's try and do an Indian show that looks that way in the given television budget. Their budgets are millions of dollars, whereas ours is Rs.10-12 lakhs.'

It was the first time that we wrote the entire show together at one go. Haasil has been written for over 130 episodes. The channel approved of 60 episodes before the show went on floors and we had shot 35 episodes before we were even airing the first episode. What I think has worked till now and I hope that the ratings keep going up is that the channel has believed in us and given us the freedom and conviction to go ahead and create what the maker wants to create. Otherwise what happens is that the channel gives you a feedback and the interference is always there, you cannot even pass the casting without their approval. With Haasil, we worked as a team and I am hoping that, that in a way, transforms into numbers because if that also happens the it will be a sone pe suhaga moment for us.

Woh Apna Sa recently underwent a huge change by introducing a leap and Ridhi Dogra Vashitsth being replaced. The numbers have gone up ever since. What do you have to say about that?

Honestly, I felt that Woh Apna Sa is over and I was very worried. Ridhi Dogra, definitely, is the soul of the show. This was the first time I saw people coming out for a negative character and at the same time, Ridhi is a friend of mine. She had a very valid point so I never tried to argue with that because if everyone is turning 25, she is going to be 50 and she doesn't want to age. We also suggested Ridhi to play the daughter, and also play the elder mother thereby having a double role. But she said if the channel again changes the story, I am not sure about it.

Then we got Manasi Salvi and she is someone I am a huge fan of, from her earlier work. We had been talking about working together, so I only suggested her to take over. She is known for strong positive characters, like a mother, so we thought that lets present Manasi in a way that we've not seen before, because her fashion sense is impeccable and as an actor, she is very good thus continuing to bring new colours to Nisha. She will not be Ridhi, we knew that, because Ridhi and Manasi's body language are very different. But, Nisha is going to be 45 - 48, and with age, her body language would have changed a lot. I was very happy that Woh Apna Sa is a slot leader today, and it has crossed all the shows across channels in the 10pm slot.

Love Ka Hai Intezaar was supposed to be Alchemy's first show. When it did go on air, there was a lot of delay and then it was given an afternoon slot.

It wasn't supposed to be a Star Dopahar show, when it was given to us. It was supposed to be a prime time show and then they suddenly informed us about the show airing in the afternoon. There were a lot of things here and there about the show, because I did not have any creative say in it. From day one, I was supposed to be the producer. They have a show sanchalak concept, so I had to execute his vision and work in synergy with it. Love Ka Hai Intezaar was Shashank's vision and I had to deliver his vision in terms of production which I think Alchemy did to the best of its abilities.

With Love Ka Hai Intezaaar, things haven't quite been in your favour. First, the show came as a Star Dopahar show and then gradually went off air. How unfair do you think was it for you as a producer?

See I've been in the television line for quite some time now. Disappointments, failures, and success are all part of the game. Of course, nobody would like for the show to shut down, but at the same time if something is written in your destiny, it is going to happen and there is nothing you can do about it. Because at the end, you have to work with the network, and there are only a few of them. I think Star Plus is one of the most just channels in the industry and if they've done something, I think they have a reason and the reasons are best known to just them, whether we agree or we do not.

But, at the same time they know how to compensate a producer. So what they'll do is, they'll give me another show and hopefully the learning we have learnt from Love Ka Hai Intezaar will not be repeated on that show, because if those mistakes are repeated, they'll not give me another show after that. I think the team is full of sensible men, and whatever decisions they are taking, they know best about it and my equation with them is rock solid. I have faith in them that they will eventually give me something which I believe in and they believe in.

There have been news about you being in talks for a show on Star Plus. How is that working out?

Yes, I have pitched something to the channel, but it is in a very initial stages right now and its too early to talk about it. The show is in the pitching stage, not even in the approval stage. So once the show is pitched, the editor takes it to the content head and once its taken to the head, we are to prepare a pilot. After the pilot is made, the pilot goes for research, then that research findings comeback and that is when we come to know if the show is happening or not. So right now there is a long journey ahead, of at least 4-5 months.

Talking about shows and upcoming projects, what is that one genre you love, and one that you'd like to experiment with?

You know if you see my career graph, Jersey Number 10 was a sports drama, Sanjeevani, Dill Mill Gayye and Ayushman were medical shows, and they all had love stories primarily. Ek Haseena Thi and Haasil right now have been thrillers, so I think I pick up a story that interests me and has the dynamics of great human relationships. If you pick up my shows, you will never find saas-bahu drama or kitchen politics. I have done it only once with Vivaah and I have failed. So I realized that it is not my genre and that Ekta Kapoor or Rashmi Sharma can do best in that department. What I can do, they can't and vice versa.

So for me, genre is like an interesting new face because I get bored very fast. So I need to be excited about every episode and I need to be proud of what I am putting on air with my name on it. I get very upset if I see a bad scene or a bad episode. So when you watch the episode, even if the ratings weren't good, I want people to call me and tell me that the episode was good. You telling me its a bad show with bad content, is basically screwing my name and that is something I don't want.

So I think human emotions and love stories, are primarily my strongest points. Even Haasil for that matter is a love story with thrills.

Anything that you are looking forward to exploring?

That would be sci-fi (science fiction). I'd love to do it. I'd also love to do horror but that will also have emotions to it. Even my action for that matter, I can't do a slap because I come from the Karan Johar and Sooraj Barjatya school and they are my gurus and mentors. But I definitely want to do an action show and challenge myself into doing something I never thought I could do.

Digital media is the new thing, and that is going to be the near future. What is your take on that?

In my case, I've been lucky enough that people have always expected me to come with one thing - good content, which I am good at delivering and only I can do in my way. They need stories which have only 8 - 10 episodes, they do not have to be never ending. The kind of stories that I have always had, I could never stretch them because in the Television industry there's no such thing as a limited series. Maybe a limited series for TV would mean something like a show with 130 episodes.

The kind of stories I am telling digitally, are the stories I am best at - Romcoms. These are stories which I've wanted to showcase but they were limited to only an 'X' number of episodes.

Do you think the digital space gives you more freedom in comparison to TV and films?

See the way India is currently functioning in terms of digital, it is like a channel. So freedom will only come to you when you own your space. So then it is not freedom, it is exactly like you're working for the channel where you are working together, you have an idea, and they pay you; they have the rights, you don't own the rights.

A friend of mine put it across as - it is like a short love affair and then you move on, so that's about it. It doesn't stay forever, you work on the 10 episodes, you fall in love with your product, and then you are like okay ab khatam, time to move on.

Every channel these days has a digital counterpart and that to many levels, does affect the TRPs of the show. Your comment on it.

I think it's going to get worse. With internet now made affordable for the common users, I don't see my driver watching Television, I find him watching a film on his phone. I watch things on my iPad while I am travelling because it allows me to save things offline. So this is not going to stop. So you need to make concrete content for TV and compel people to not choose Netflix or Amazon or an OTT platform. The only solution to this (everything going digital), is you cannot short change your audience anymore, you ought to give them best product.

But, there are online videos that fetch 'x' number of views per episode, but in no way materialize into numbers. How good/bad do you think that is?

I think there are permutations and combinations that need to be used, and it is totally the channel's decision to do so. If there are million number of views on a particular show, the channel might as well decide to bring a show for the online platform itself and do something else on the channel. Today, the facility is there, it's not like Sony LIV is not producing original content. In fact, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon - Ek Jashn aired only on Hotstar and it is delivering there.

Talking about the casting, you have helmed shows like Dill Mill Gayye among others and you have given us iconic on-screen pairs. So, what exactly is the treatment or process you go through to cast your actors?

So, the casting process is all about 'believing in your' gut for me. If we talk about Sanjeevani, there was Mohnish Behl who I saw as Dr. Shashank when I had written the show and it was accepted worldwide. At that time, the channel disagreed to cast Mohnish as his image was that of playing negative characters and I was planning to make him Dr. Shashank. At that point, I told the channel to 'throw the show off air in 6 episodes, it doesn't matter'. I wanted Mohnish Behl and it worked wonders.

A similar thing happened when I cast Karan Singh Grover as Dr. Armaan Malik in Dill Mill Gayye. He was doing a negative role in Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi at that time and nobody wanted him. But I put my foot and insisted on casting Karan as Dr. Armaan because for me, he had got the look, the cuteness and the vulnerability that Armaan's character demanded and it worked. Be it Ravi Dubey, Arjun Bijlani, Mihir Mishra, Kritika Kamra or anyone that we have launched, it has always been the gut feeling. I think I have seen my father and my uncle and have grown up watching their shows like Junoon and Katha Sagar. They have made such great shows which are landmarks even today. They are so passionate about their work, they followed their heart and not other things. That's how it has been all the way and even today when I write a character, like when I wrote Haasil, I don't think anybody wanted Zayed Khan. I had to convince everybody that he is 'THE' guy and there cannot be anybody but him to play Ranvir Raichand. Since the moment I started writing the character, I was clear on how I want to cast Zayed as Ranvir Raichand and no one else.

Well that is my next question. As Zayed made his TV debut with your show, how was it working with him? Was it difficult to get him on board for the show?

You know, my equation with Zayed actually is a little strange. I first met him at a party and we both were totally high. He, for the longest time used to call me Karan Malhotra. Half the industry calls me Karan Malhotra and others send me birthday wishes when it's the other Sidharth Malhotra's (actor) birthday (laughs). So, at that point of time, when Zayed called me Karan, I was actually working on a courtroom drama and we just spoke naturally. I like opening up about stories when I meet him and we keep talking. It was 2:30 -3 am and while we were talking and he told me, "Ya man, I get this space." This was around 4-5 years ago and I liked him. There was something very childlike about him which was very nice. Everytime, I met him at a party, we were always drunk and we would never meet in a sane condition per se. He would call me Karan, I would say No, it's Sid and then we would talk about working together.

When we wrote Haasil, where Sameer is the writer who has also written Ek Hasina Thi among others; I asked Sameer that see, I can see Zayed for this character, so let's meet him. We met him and I told him about a TV show we are planning to do and about how we wanted to cast him. He was totally open to it, but we asked him to first hear the story and then take a call. He heard it and in fact he came on board as Ranvir Raichand only. Then we met him, he took the full narration, popped 4-5 ideas and he loved it. At that time, we knew that Zayed was 'THE' guy, but we wanted to complete writing the full show first. We only had an idea and we wanted to complete the writing of the show first, which took 4-5 months. Once done, we went to Danish Khan (Sony head) and made him listen to the full thing. By this time, Zayed would ask me if the show was happening or not. I asked him to give me time and also told him that the show will happen in only the way I want or else it will not as Haasil was the one show that I was not willing to do without conviction, and Zayed was fine with it. Finally, we did the look tests and mock tests which was more for them (the channel) than me, because I was fully convinced and thus, he came on board. He is one of those actors, who if you call at a 9 am shift, will reach the sets by 8:30 am, even before the generator van has arrived, ready with his lines.

So, I feel there is a hunger in him. Good, bad or ugly, that the audience is left to decide. We have tried our best as friends, as brothers to give everything we have into the show. A few episodes down, I go on to read different things about the show and the actor, especially on India-Forums.com. Every night after the episode has aired, I religiously go to India-Forums and read what people have to say about the show and the episode, their favourite scene, I even take their opinions on the episode into consideration and also input them in the show and rectify myself if I am lacking or have gone wrong anywhere.

So, I was looking at the posts on India-Forums and people have absolutely loved Zayed on the Haasil forum. So, wherever I have gone and seen, people have only been talking good about Zayed and that for me is victory. From people telling me, 'Are you mad, Zayed Khan?' to 'Wow! Zayed Khan is amazing in the show,' I feel great to have trusted my gut and cast Zayed for Ranvir Raichand's role.

Also, I am lucky that Vatsal Sheth and Nikita Dutta are not insecure people. Infact, Vatsal was so happy when he came to know that Zayed is coming on board for the show and even said, 'Yaar, Zayed to kha jayega show ekdum. (He would nail it).' So, I am glad that I am working with people who are very secure and confident and because they trust me, it is my responsibility to deliver which I always thrive for.

With so many aspects to take care of, from casting to other process, what were the challenges you faced as a production house?

The challenge that I faced was in Cinevistaas. All I had to do was the creative part and I did not have to look after anything else. My wife is a fashion deisgner and she has designed stuff from Sanjeevani to all my shows. Raju Singh has been a part of all my shows, without him I am handicapped. Then I have my editor Dharmesh who has worked in all my shows. I am very bad at finance, and when I started Alchemy I had Rs.187 in my account, I didn't have any money. I had to hire people, I had to put up a show, I had to provide for my children, I had to make a name for myself and do my parents proud. So, the emotional journey was more challenging than the physical journey because in the latter, I had people who believed in me, everybody just came together for me and because of that it became easier.

Maybe what my father has garnered for Cinevistaas, that is goodwill. I have learnt that from him, to be just to the smallest person and may be that paid off. When you reach a point where people come to you, they won't even ask you what you are paying or how you are paying them, because it is you and they know that you will compensate them, that's what happened to me. My wife came across as a huge support to me though she was someone who knew nothing about production. I learnt the commercial aspect of production, so finally it is the learning and it is that learning that has taught us a lot over this one year. We put all that experience into Haasil and we will continue to do so with all our future shows.

Do you think with the progression seen on TV, there is an equal amount of change in the viewers as well?

You know I think people are trying to make an effort and I don't know how much things have changed; an effort is definitely there because nothing is working on any channel. I don't know if there is any show you can name that has become a TRP generator over the last 2 years. Wahi purane shows jo hum jante hai vahi channels ko chala rahe hai. The new shows haven't done a 2.5 or a 3 and become big shows. So everyone is trying to become that one show that brings a change for the channel, which is good for us because we get to tell different stories. So there is progression, but I think the progression will matter to the industry only if there is success to that progression. If there is one success to the progression and someone from our fraternity cracks it, it will help everybody.

There is more than just Kitchen politics and saas-bahu drama to daily soaps these days. Despite that, do you think there is certain amount of monotony associated with daily soaps?

Unfortunately, there is. Because you know you have to come up with a new story for the same character because the audience is used to those characters. So unless the channel comes with a policy where it states that this show will work for only 6 months, or 1 year, there will be no change. Monotony has to be there because there are only so many plots. After the basic plot is over, you begin to lending from movies and twist it some way or the other. Why does it happen? It happens because we have to give that many hours of programming, and that much time is not even spent in the conception of the show, and even if it is, it is never followed because the TRPs come in and the track needs to be changed but there is no time.

Do you think finite series is going to be the future of TV shows?

If only it works, it all depends on the success, like I said, if Haasil delivers, if Ek Deewaana Tha delivers, I don't know which other finite series are happening on other channels right now. The only channel that has finite series currently is Sony. So you have to stick to you conviction and gut, no producer wants loss of revenue, so if finite series do work, it is going to bring in a lot of change.

As a producer, what are the challenges while producing thrillers?

The thing with producing thrillers is that everything has to be tied up, every point which you write in episode 100 or 80, it has to be linked with episode 1, and that's impeccable writing. So for Haasil, we wrote 130 episodes, and right now, we know what the last episode of the show is, and how the last scene is. We know how the show is ending. That doesn't happen on television generally and this is the first time ever that someone is trying it and that is exactly why I am a bundle of nerves, because everyone should like it.

As producers, what is the creative freedom you get from the broadcasters?

I think Ekta is the only producer that has complete freedom, which no other producer enjoys. But Ekta has delivered. Her shows are number 1 across all the networks and before they expect such freedom, they need to deliver. We all need to finally deliver that number 1 show, prove that we can and then the channel will give that creative freedom to us. Sometimes if you do not have a good team on the channel front, your story might get hampered and you might not be able to tell the story the way you planned to for 6 months. It is disappointing because you can't do shit as you need to work with the channel again. So interference from the channel is a lot when there is no trust from their side on you, but if they do have the trust that this man is going to ensure that this product is going to be very very good, then the game changes.

I haven't had that issue with any of the channels that I've worked with so far. So it really depends on who you're working with.

How is it like - balancing the director and producer's caps? Which of the two are you more inclined towards?

See I have to keep producing and keep my company going as that's how I am taking care of my family and many other families. As a director, till you don't become that successful, till then you don't have a choice. My heart is always in direction, but that helps me in understanding the role of a creative producer when I see another director's work, because then I can give the solution instead of a problem to the director. So because I know, that helps me create a better product which is why my friends tell me - 'yaar yeh tera show lagta hai'. The stamp of my work on my show is because of the sensibility with which I have been groomed with as a director. I feel that my knowledge as a director has somehow transpired on screen as a producer. And I think both go hand in gloves. Direction is something I only want to do when I love the subject and I think nobody better than me can tell a story. So that I think in due course of time, life will tell me, the world will tell me.

Well, from this interview we can conclude one thing- Siddharth P Malhotra has a vision, a team and the right amount of motivation and passion that nobody else has. And we can say with much conviction that Siddharth P Malhotra might just be the change that the Television industry needs for content evolution.

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Mohnish Behl

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Comments (9)

Rashmi @goofyCat

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Hope to see Siddharth Shukla working with some good modern background Cinevistaas show again..

6 years ago

Pakeez Muqadas @Mpakeez

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Itna Bada IV actor ke Alawa Kisi aur ka Life mai Pehle baar Padha ..
That too only read it for Sid Sir..

I stopped watching TV Long back
So Have no idea about current happenings on TV

i Have watched Sanjeevni, EHMMBH, D3 and DMG ..
DMG was The show From which I got to Know Him..
And Thank You Sid Sir for Giving Karan Singh Grover as Armaan Malik..

You can't Imagine even after 10 Year every Media Portal Still Talks about The show.. Just because of Its Uniqueness

And 1 More Thing KSG character was Negative In Kasauti Zindagi Ki..
Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi was His First Show as Main Lead.

6 years ago

nikki.171 @nikki.171

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This is a brilliant interview. Interesting questions and even more insightful answers. As others have mentioned, it was as honest as it could get. Siddharth has given a look into the mechanisms of the industry and it was such an interesting read. Do not follow Haasil and have never really religiously followed any of his shows but I have seen bits... the promos of Behadd and Haasil had me quite intruiged. Watching Haasil's promos, I was drawn toward's Zayed's character too.
Best of Luck to Siddharth. Hope his conviction brings him even more success.

IF, you should definitely do more of these.

6 years ago

Shaina_b @Shaina_b

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I am watching Haasil only because it is a finite series!!!!

Unfortunately it doesn't have the fast pace it started off with anymore!!!!

I agree with him that they have to limit shows to 6 months or a year!!!!

This has to be one of the funniest and the most honest interviews yet!!!!

6 years ago

maaneet4evr @maaneet4evr

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nothing abt your show d3???? i luv ur shows DMG ,D3.EHMMBH!!

6 years ago

Lifez_Beautiful @Lifez_Beautiful

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Seriously this is one of best interviews I have ever read!! Kudos IF!!

N man one of the funniest and frankest ivs too, I mean the whole meeting with a drunk zayed calling him Karan instead of Sid evrytime?? N others too calling him karan after that? N then getting bday wishes on the other Sid's bday?

Now coming to Haasil, I really like the show... esp because of its visuals... they are classy! I love all the characters too and my most fav among them is Kabir because he is a unique character never seen before on TV... He is funny,impulsive and loving at the same time! N seriously thank u n Vatty for making him come alive! hugs

Also thanks for giving Zayed, Ranvir's character... I was never fan of his but I really love him as Ranvir, even the whole look and styling suits him awesomely!

And Niki is bold and beautiful as always!

Just one thing I would like to say as a viewer is that in TV when u say thriller,ppl start getting ideas in their head and when the suspense isn't coming soon enough ppl bcm disappointed bcz unlike a movie or a book, wch gets over fast and we get to knw the suspense more sooner than later... In TV I guess u shud drop hints to the viewers so we can guess in the right track... otherwise disappointments will affect the viewership...

Well Sid, u look like a really sensible man with a clear vision, so good luck for all ur future endeavours! editDa...

6 years ago

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