"With Beyhadh, I was sure we are not extending it." - Prateek Sharma

The Star team had come to our college for campus selections in 2010, but I wasn't very keen on becoming a part of the television industry as I was more inclined towards journalism. But everyone knew I write, so they pushed me for this and I got selected. After not being very sure about working with them I first said no, but then I got in touch with the HR and the Star team and that's how it all happened.

I was the first creative intern in Star, it was a very interesting programme, headed by Vivek Behl (back then). I have handled Pratigya, which was the number one show at that point of time. I had to be on the sets throughout the day. The programme involved  lot of hand holding wherein we were taught every step of the way. It was a very academic kinda grooming where I have worked on Koffee With Karan. In fact, Just Dance was the show that I had launched, with the non-fiction team at Star, then came Star Screen Awards followed by Star Parivaar Awards Macau. S that's how I worked on the non-fiction side but the team at Star thought I'd be good in fiction.

I was completely clueless about the shows that I was doing, for whom are we making the show. So there was an in depth learning that was imparted to me, a school learning in a way where they told me why they were making Pratigya, what their insight was, what the viewers wish to see. And that's how the learning started.

My first show was Maayekee...Se Bandi Dor, a UTV Production on Star, Pratigya for Walkwater and Pearl Grey, then there was Lakhon Mein Ek, a brand show for Star Plus at 10am on Sunday mornings. I was involved with Mahabhart in the beginning of it, from the channels side obviously. It was Saath Nibhana Saathiya that was the turning point for me as it gradually became my show with people originally involved with the show leaving. Then Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behena Hai happened, then came Nisha Aur Uske Cousins and  Tamanna.

The first ever show that that I had written completely, right from the concept to the characters was Jaana Na Dil Se Door. So Star gave me that opportunity and Jaana Na Dil Se Door did decently well for the time slot that it aired on. Then I became pretty sure that I wanted to explore something in writing. I was the youngest showrunner in Star back then.

After that, I decided to move out because there was a story that I was very kicked about and that was Beyhadh. When Beyhadh happened and I left Star, I was very clear that I wanted to become a producer. And then the general manager of Sony he said that if Beyhadh stands out as a show, then we at Sony will give you that opportunity and that's what happened with Ek Deewaana Tha.

Beyhadh was a path breaking show in terms of the obsessive lover it talked about. Were there any apprehensions about the show?

Not at all. I think two of the most successful shows in my career were Beyhadh and Saathiya. For the latter, I can't take the credit for creating the characters of the show (Gopi, Kokila etc.), I just took them forward. But I was very sure with certain tracks and their success even if they were bizzare - like vastraharan happening because of the mill machine etc. For Beyhadh also, I was very sure about most of the things we did, like I knew that the Mauritius track was something that would get us good numbers and eyeballs, the wedding, the whole post leap track where Kushal Tandon's character Arjun is tortured, I was 100% sure that these would fetch us numbers. Certain things come from your heart and you know it will work.

So you wrote the first draft of Ek Deewaana Tha during your Mauritius schedule for Beyhadh. How did things materialise from there on?

Actually, what happened was that our Mauritius outdoor schedule was happening very cut to cut. We used to start rolling at 6 am in the morning and shoot until late night. Now because it was an outdoor shoot, nobody would sleep and we'd end up chatting about random stuff sitting together and the one topic that used to excite everyone the most was horror. So I'd always wanted to make a love story, but a differentiated one.

Actually everything happened very instantly. So we all finished our chat session and went up to our rooms. I have a book where I write all my first concepts. I took my book out and started writing this love story with a supernatural element twist at 2 in the morning and I did not realise that by 6am, I'd ended up writing the entire draft from the scratch till the finish. Of course, it wasn't all that perfect and there were changes required here and there. When the team came together that's how the story came in place.

Why only obsessive love stories until now? Like first Beyhadh and now Ek Deewaana Tha?

It was nothing like that. Actually when Beyhadh happened, I was in the channel and did not have much exposure. Plus with my previous work, people in the fraternity started feeling that I am good with family dramas, values and human emotions. So I wanted to break out of that image. I obviously have a thriller, a horror show but I also have more rooted stories, family dramas and sweet love stories, no obsessive love, no vamps and villains. I did Beyhadh because I thought it was important for me to do something like Beyhadh because I would have been limited to one genre only.  

Why do you write your drafts in Hindi?

Hindi is our mother tongue and honestly feel that when you think about something in your mother language, you are able to conceptualise and express it in a better way. Even today, when I have to give any narration to a channel, it is in Hindi. I think I can express better, and make people understand things better in Hindi and that's the reason. In school I have always been good with Hindi debates and I have been very confident about my Hindi.

How have things changed from being a creative to a producer?

For me things have actually become difficult. I like to write and depict things that are slightly larger than life - like proposing in a hot air balloon, getting engaged underwater and even getting married in the middle of a burning mandap; I believe things that these that may not happen in real life, can be experienced on television. I have written really big sequences in Beyhadh, but when I became a producer, it was easy to say no this we can't do or no that we can't do', but because I have been on the other side of things (creative), I wanted to do things that haven't happened earlier. For instance, in February alone, we shot 7 songs for Ek Deewaana Tha.

With EDT the concept of love story undead and immortal, how apprehensive were you?

Actually I wasn't very apprehensive about it, I was very sure. Not many people know, that there was show that we had narrated to Sony before Ek Deewaana Tha and they had really liked it, but I was apprehensive about that show. And when I narrated EDT, the channel got very excited, I was personally very excited and when I narrated to my writers they were equally excited because they've not done something like this earlier. There weren't many apprehensions, but with regards to the acceptance to the concept, I did have a little fear which actually happened for real because for the longest time, we portrayed the Vyom (Vikram Singh Chauhan) character as the hero which badly backfired upon us so all his fans were against us but that is actually a good thing. People are hating us for what we are doing, but are still watching our show.

As a viewer base, we begin to justify what we find right and that's exactly what happened with Jennifer Winget. First the character, then the actor, she had contributed a lot and I am 100 percent sure that nobody could have done Maya better than Jennifer. Anything that she used to do in the show, people would justify her actions. But now, we have shown things so logically here (we planted clues that Vyom is the miscreant), which the viewers were seeing but they were not ready to accept as they were of the opinion that oh, this is a thriller. No such thing will happen (Vyom being negative).' But when that actually happened, the fans were so angry about it. Same with Namik fans, who were initially upset that he is playing the baddie, now they are happy.

How does the casting go about and what kind of efforts goes into that.

So I'd cast for Saath Nibhana Saathiya only post the leap (Tanya Sharma and Sonam Lamba etc.). The only thing with that show was that there were actors who could portray larger than life roles perfectly. And that's how Amar also became a part of the show and so did Vandanaji. For Saathiya, there was always realistic casting with relatable faces. For Beyhadh, it was always aspirational, something that is slightly larger than life and gorgeous and beautiful and something with an X factor. Even when we cast Piyush Sahdev, the idea was to cast really good looking people, people who are interesting personalities and yes very good actors. For Ek Deewaana Tha, I was very sure that my first production will have Vikram, because he'd surprised and impressed me immensely with Jaana Na Dil se Door. While a lot of people were not convinced, I was very convinced that this guy is going to be the Atharv I am looking for. With Donal Bisht, she was signed for another show that didn't happen, but I knew she had a very sweet screen presence and Namik, I'd actually bumped into him at Sony where both of had gone for a meeting. I'd wanted a good looking guy for the role of a ghost and we met and when I told him the concept, he said he'd want to do it. We shot a 5 minute promo, showed it to the channel and it was approved.

Which was the most difficult casting for you till date?

I think Atharv. It was the toughest casting because I remember that the Beyond Dreams team had such good faces and such good talent and they were good looking and decent and I was totally confused, but when I saw Vikram's profile, I was like this guy has the X- Factor.

You chose thriller for your debut as a producer.

Like I said, because I thought horror is a concept that attracts attention, instant attention and this was something which I have never done. So this was something asked to me by many people that you have done such great family dramas, why not family drama? So I was like that is something I have done but this isn't what I have done so I'll be enthusiastic and very excited about this thing till the last episode. You may go wrong, but the excitement won't.

What are the challenges when it comes to a thriller in comparison to kitchen politics and drama?

Shooting a thriller is a lot more strenuous as it involves outdoors, sequences are more complicated, you are shooting within the four walls of your sets, you will have to go do a lot of outdoors and there will be sequences which are not very production friendly and that comes with its own merits.

As a production house, and as a producer, there are a lot of challenges you have to face. What are they?

Actually, I think I have handled a lot of challenges in the first show itself. Take the fire at Cinevistaas for instance, we had to stall our shoot, and that was something that was unexpected. Also, that was the time when I realized how responsible are you for other people. So what happened is we were shooting in Manali and we were coming back on the same day when the fire happened, thankfully we weren't shooting and our set wasn't damaged. But because two sets closeby to ours were destroyed, we couldn't shoot on our set. Our Monday episode was yet to be shot and so were two scenes that had to be shot on the sets and I freaked out. But my production team was extremely supportive and asked me to compromise on the location so that our episode would be complete. Our costumes were at Cinevistaas and we could not enter the studio as it was sealed off. So all the three - Namik, Vikram and Donal brought their best of clothes and we shot all the romantic sequences that had to be shot that day itself. Then came the pressure of thinking if we will be allowed to go back to the Cinevistaas set or will we have to erect another set in that small  window and I came under a lot of stress. Also, due to our lack of experiences at the beginning, few wrong choices were made in terms of shooting, budgeting and even people we hired. But in the end, everything got rectified because we had a good intent and we have completed a 100 episodes that in itself is a big achievement for us.

Challenges wise yes, there are certain things that you'll have to deal with, from something as basic as a fight between workers on the sets or an actor falling ill, you have to be responsible. But when you are just the writer or a creative or the showrunner, that burden does not fall on you. But here, when you are at the helm of things, you have to take responsibility for it. While I've worked with really big production houses like Beyond Dreams or Cinevistaas or Rashmi Sharma Telefilms, I've never had to get into these things. But with my own production house, I am accountable and everything is my concern. But at the same time I am very happy that so many people are attached with one show and I have made so many friends during this journey. I don't want to work on 10 shows together where I don't have time for my own self and for people around me, I am content with working on 2-3 shows with the people I love. Most of the people in the Ek Deewaana Tha team have worked with me in the past. The fact that you are working with a set of people that you want to work with, keeps you happy and motivated.

What is a genre that you're looking forward to work on now that thriller is off the list.

Thrillers will definitely be there. But there are different things that we are working on. There is really interesting love story that we will soon pitch. Then there is this family drama, we are in talks for some web series also. But Comedy is something that I am really excited to do and try out as I have never attempted that before. Hopefully, if people have liked our work, we will continue doing it and if we've received a good feedback, then we'll even attempt to do shows and genres that haven't been done before on television also.  

You know, I realized this during Saath Nibhana Saathiya that irrespective of how much people disliked the show and called it bad, it (the show) had the inherent germ of being the number 1 show. It had relatability, the characters were etched out just perfectly. For us, it was very easy to introduce something new, but looking at how impatient and restless the audience has become these days, we have to keep on venturing into something new. But new' for me isn't something that lacks entertainment, but something that innovation in it.

Despite everything new that is there, do you not think there is monotony with Indian television?

I think there are certain habits that you just can not change or expect to go away overnight. There is this saying that buzorgo ki aap aadat nahi badal sakte'. Just like that, there is a set of audience that wants to watch content that is more regular and more routine, something that they personally experience in their day to day life. Like a woman who must be in her 50s, she has a set pattern, has set content that she prefers to watch. We can introduce them to new things, but you can't suddenly change the programming that is there across all the channels. The change has to be gradual and you have to maintain the balance between old content and new. Or else a certain section of the audience will be happy and the rest of them will be left with nothing to watch.

So keeping in mind how the concept of finite series is really taking over television right now, do you think that is the future of Indian TV?

I hope so. I don't think so any producer will agree to the fact that shows should be finite. BUt I think this should happen, because I would personally be more than happy to make interesting finite series. And by finite I mean not that these shows should go on for 6 months or a year, because I feel that if you have a story that is meant to be of 6 months, then it should be for 6 months only. If you have 24 fantastic high points then you can make a good one year story. If you have a story that can appeal to people for 24 months, then you should go for it. But what we do is we drag the story out, which becomes disappointing for us writers and for the audience as well.

There is some amount of dragging that does happen on every Indian Television so, do you think digital space is better that ways?

I have not worked on digital space till date. So I don't know how they are monetizing. I don't know how viewers are going to react to it, because we have seen the popularity from Tulsi to Parvati to Gopi to Akshara. I don't know who to pick up from the digital media who has like really done well. We don't have any reference as yet. So I would be a wrong person to comment on something that is happening on the digital space because I have not worked on it yet, but I think it is quite exciting to work on. We are experts at telling a story in 150-200 episodes, but on the web, you have to tell an entire story in 10 episodes which is exciting. Ultimately, for anybody who works on television, money comes secondary. What matters to them is that their show should come first and I don't know how to map that up with the digital space.

Shows often get an extension and turn into things you wouldn't have thought of..

Well yes, that happened with Jaana Na... because post the extension we did not know where it was going. It is like there is only a certain point until where you know how things should go, and then you fail to see it proceed any further. Like with Beyhadh, I was sure that we are not going to extend it, though it was working very well and it had good returns but it was an expensive show after all. May be after a certain point, there is a need for someone else to take over because there are things they can see that we can't.

But every channel these days has its own OTT platform. And there are often times, when shows do well there or on youtube, rather than on the channel. So do you not think that probably digital space has a better audience and a wider reach?

I think that the digital space has a more evolved audience, because they are more educated they are slightly more technologically advanced. If you are subscribing to hotstar or Sony Liv or Voot, then you have access to international content as well. And I feel that you can not compromise on digital content. If you have to make something it for the digital platform, it better be of good quality. There you cannot give excuses like chalta hai or chal jayega'. You have to deliver good content and this is my understanding. TV in our country has become a necessity now. If some house does not have a television set, it becomes news. But if your smartphone does not have Voot or Hotstar, nobody cares. I do feel that the grand shift of everybody moving to digital will happen in a couple of years.

None of us has the time these days to watch TV. if we like a show, we'll obviously watch it online. I myself watch my shows online if I miss out on the telecast. See, we are anyways not adding up to the consumption pattern here. But there is a lot of confusion regarding digital.

What are the shows you're currently watching?