I respect Kritika's decision to take a break: Rajan Shahi

Rajan Shahi's Kuch Toh Log Kahenge which was based on the famous series Dhoop Kinare had gained immense fan following on television. The show is all set to bid adieu to television. Reports in the media assert that  the reason behind the same is Kritika Kamra, the protagonist of the show wanting to take a break. We spoke to Rajan Shahi, the producer of the show to find out more about the same and the journey of Kuch Toh Log Kahenge according to him…

What is the reason behind Kuch Toh Log Kahenge going off-air?

Pulling Kuch Toh Log Kahenge off-air was not an immediate decision. This decision was taken quite a few weeks back. Kritika wanted to take a break. Being an actor is a tough profession as they have to shoot continuously. The technicians and the actors are the ones who are on the sets all the time  and hence it is possible that monotony sets in. 

We had a conversation with the channel about Kritika wanting to take a break. The channel was not in the favour of shutting the show down. For me, Kritika has been one of the most professional, hard working and a very nice girl to work with. She has been very co-operative and has always stood by the show even in its difficult phases. The entire team including the directors, the creative and the technicians are very fond of Kritika. I wanted to respect Kritika's decision of taking a break and thus moved it further to the channel and they also understood our point of view. Kritika has been very good to us and very honest towards her work  and so if she wanted to take a break, her decision should be respected. She is one actress, I would always love to work with. Kritika is an integral part of our company and it will be a pleasure for us to work with her again after her break.We are very proud of having her as a part of our company and it was wonderful working with her.  

Do you think a replacement for Kritika was also an option? Isn't your decision giving more importance to a star than the serial itself?

When Mr. Mohnish Behl was being replaced with Sharad Kelkar I had extreme confidence about our choice of choosing him as Dr. Ashutosh. It was a very tough decision for us but I am very happy about it today. However in the case of Dr. Nidhi, at this stage and the phase of the show, Snehaji and I are very clear that it can only be Kritika Kamra as Nidhi. She is the soul of the show.

Tell us about your journey working with the team?

When a show is in its making, it's not only the TRP of the show that matters but the process of making it too is important. In my opinion that is what I got from Kuch Toh Log Kahenge. N.P. Singh & Sneha Rajaniji supported the show beautifully. The faith, love and positivity shown from their side worked very well for our team. Kuch Toh Log Kahenge had a very good team of creatives, writers, technicians and actors. Irrespective of what the TRPs were I as a producer have enjoyed all the times. The show is culminating today but it has been a pleasant journey and learning with good memories. Kuch Toh Log Kahenge has been the first show of my career, which has given me critical appreciation. It has been a very good team backed by the faith of Sony TV and the show has done well because of the faith the channel had in it. 

Having a strong star cast and a very good concept, what could have been the reason for the drop in the TRPs?

Sometimes, we did get good TRPs and sometimes we didn't. In today's time, very few shows get recognized and become a brand name. Of course, getting good TRPs for a show, can work as a booster for it, but its not always that a show can only be judged by its TRP. We have got a very good recognition from this show and I am happy that the show got the 11 PM slot on Sony TV. Being a city centric show the 11 pm slot worked well for it.

Do you feel that the replacement of Mohnish affected the TRP of the show?

After Mohnish's replacement, the TRP went higher. Mohnish did a fabulous job. He added a lot of personality to the character and I always appreciated the brilliant job he did. Sharad brought his own element to the character. They both did a fabulous job in their very own way and was also appreciated. I feel that Sharad and Kritika made a better pair and their chemistry worked well on-screen. It got them a good fan following too. 

Will you be coming back with a Season 2 with the same star cast?

We are leaving this show on a very positive note. When we will look back at the journey of  Kuch Toh Log Kahenge,  the USP of the show will be the good texture of writing. Writer Kamlesh Pandey, our creative Ritesh Modi and the director Mandar gave the show a new direction.  Kuch Toh Log Kahenge had a very good ensemble cast and a good team of actors like Rukhsar Rehman, Vishal Malhotra, Nitesh Pandey, Alok Nath, Karan Wahi, Nandita Puri, Dakssh Ajit Singh amongst others. Having such a big ensemble cast and the freshness these actors added to their characters has been one of the USPs of the show. We are surely ending this journey with a smile. 

We will take a break and analyze on what worked well with the show and what didn't. We are human and we make mistakes. It was not a typical show and we all are learning including me. This break will be giving us time to work upon our mistakes. I am thankful to Sony TV and there are talks for a Season 2. However, it is at a premature stage currently. The USP of the show has been its actors and if the channel decides to come up with Kuch Toh Log Kahenge's 2nd edition then why wouldn't we want to create that magic again. Currently I can only say that I am unaware about what future holds for us.

Reporter and Author: Anwesha Kamal