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Dill Mill Gayye or DMG as it is fondly referred to is a well known shown with the Internet audience. Recently, it has been in the news for many reasons, which include its on and off screen happenings. Since there has been a lot of discussion about the story of DMG throughout its life span, we interviewed Priya Ramanthan, DMG's writer from the very beginning. She has been kind enough to take time out and reply back to our many questions. Since the show will soon be ending, we hope Priya's responses shed some light on the show that is DMG. Enjoy!
1. Not too many people know that you've been associated with DMG from day one. How does it feel to be a part of a show that's run 700 episodes?
Hmmmm ' honestly ' DMG is not just a show to most of us who have been associated with it, since the beginning; it's like a phenomenon. One of the messages that I received yesterday from a team mate said it most appropriately; "Once a DMGian, always a DMGian." Personally for me, I owe DMG a lot. It's every writer's dream to get paid for thinking out of the box, and being unconventional, pushing the limits of what's permissible on Indian Tv and what's not and finally having all those risks pay off!
I have to say, the way DMG shaped up, what it became and what it means to so many, was not planned as such! The beauty of DMG - which I still believe was defined in the first 150 odd episodes - was that everyone who was a part of it, from the writers, to the (currently hated) creatives, the actors, directors, channel guys and editors, had this junoon to do something hatkey! Madness is a wonderful thing and a great creativity inducing drug!
To set the record state, I was not writing DMG for a long time in between, especially when Sukirti was replaced by Jennifer, and during the launch of Season 2.
2. DMG was very novel in concept and treatment when it first started. What prompted you to go for a youthful love story over a family drama?
Like I said earlier, the phenomenal response that DMG received was not really planned. Since we had no learning curve, we experimented a lot. We were constantly questioned for our unique (read unconventional, and won't last long) methods. We started off with a one liner of making a love story about star crossed lovers, who love each other but will never get together. Since the one liner was frighteningly flimsy, we decided to tackle all the clichs of love stories and tell them with a twist in the tale, for shock effect. We needed to keep the hospital Sanjeevani as the primary backdrop, doing a regular, kitchen politics or dinner table conversation show, was not an option! We discussed and debated endless possibilities. Finally everyone was magically, equivocally of the opinion, that 'hospital show hai, par love story hai. So we won't show too much pain and beemari, nor can anyone die, nor can our hero heroine Millofy.' You will be surprised at how imaginative a person becomes under such defined restrictions! Failure was not an option to the team. The result was a show that redefined love stories on Indian tv.
I have to add here that the overall narrative and storytelling was constantly reinvented because we had a stellar ensemble cast. Karan ' Shilpa had takkar walla chemistry with default innocence that set the tone of the Armaan-Ridhima relationship. In addition, all the so-called secondary cast, including Mohnish Behl, Shilpa Tulaskar, Pankit, Sunaina, Drashti, Mayank, Ayaz and Sonia, were so solid in their supporting roles that we were actually able to develop tracks and narratives for each of these characters. The combination of a thehraav waalla love story, against the backdrop of constant pandemonium with a host of other relatable characters, made the narrative truly unique and watch-worthy.
3. KaSh fans are upset that Shilpa as well as the Armaan Shilpa budding love story has been completely ignored in this current track. Your comments on this?
I have sat in hour-long meetings where we endlessly discussed ways and means to keep the Shilpa-Armaan track alive. We even separated Armaan-Riddhima in the physical space to let his romance with Shilpa bloom but then... Honestly I don't want to say more in this matter, because there are certain facts that I am not at the discretion to reveal that finally forced us to do this.
4. In the current track, many fans are going against Armaan as they believe he is being portrayed in a negative light. Many feel his character has been ruined and they can't relate to him anymore. Your thoughts about this?
I believe that today Armaan has made himself such that he is allowed to do anything in the name of love. But to answer your question, let's recap: Armaan was not a conventional hero from day one. He was anti-establishment, he did what he pleased, he used all the twisted methods possible to get what he wanted, he did not deter from using sarcasm and manipulation to get his love to proclaim love for him, he hid truths, told lies, stalked the heroine and walked out on her when he was unable to handle losing her. If you compare Armaan's actions in the current track, he is still very much in character. What has seemingly changed is, earlier he did all this in a cute manner, but now it seems psychotic.
Women hate to admit it, but they usually fall for the bad boys, believing that they have it in them, to 'change' the monster into a man. What they forget is a guy who can bash a man up for looking at her, can also bash her up if she looks at another man! Passion and psychosis are two sides of the same coin. There was always a latent beast in Armaan.
People like Armaan are self-destructive. They won't use their head to act appropriately. They use their heart impulsively and hope for the best! Whoa, I just cracked the mystery of the mirror image twins, hence in that sense Armaan=DMG, and DMG=Armaan!
5. Does it get cumbersome as a writer when you have many different sets of fans demanding for their favourite couple to be together? Do you think that limits your creative freedom?
Like I said earlier, in a utopic scenario, I'd tell a story I like and the world would watch it uncomplainingly. But it's natural for people to have favourites. When we got fan responses demanding that we include more Rahul Muskan or Atul Anjali it was easy to comply, as those tracks did not contradict the original love story. If anything it helped set-up a larger canvas for the story telling, and reduced the pressure on the main protagonists! But currently it's like, one lot wants Sid-Riddhima, the other lot wants Armaan-Riddhima and a third faction wants Armaan-Shilpa! So this complicates things. But then it's a love story complete with complications that we are also enjoying with DMG right? So in the end, we will have to take some tough decisions and stick by it. Haven't you heard, 'yeh ishq nahin aasaan?'
6. An episode or a sequence that you personally loved writing for?
Oh my ' honestly there are so many. When I began writing DMG, it was truly a writer's, dream come true. We could think of the most complex, emotionally nuanced sequences, and the directors and actors would pull them off! Some scenes that I do remember are: Riddhima's breakdown confession, prompted by Armaan's anger, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you ' I love you!" LOL. That phase of storytelling was truly super fun to do! Ok then there was the scene in the next episode itself I think. It's the scene where Armaan is teasing Riddhima and chasing after her, and insisting that she kiss him. Finally when he has cornered her, she teasingly accuses him of wanting only 'such' things but the joke back fires! Armaan's resultant anger and his pushing Riddhima away because he doesn't want the woman he loves to think of him as lusty, was a very interesting idea to play out! These were so long ago ' of the recent episodes, I've just written an episode that is yet to be aired in which Riddhima will voice out who she loves after the whole infidelity drama! It's an unconventional take and I enjoyed adding another plume to DMG's bouquet of 'firsts'.
7. You guys also started the trend of 'close physical moments' on television. How do you feel about this?
Well, it's a joke amongst the teammates of DMG that for 1 year the story of DMG was that 'Armaan loves Riddhima', and the rest was all moments! Like I told you, we were like a bunch of kids left with a credit card in a toy shop. The bosses had left us alone to do as we deemed fit. Since the show was getting its eyeballs and recognition, the game plan was not tempered with. We'd basically get together, and toy with the idea, ke aaj kya karein? Everyone would make suggestions and we'd more often than not, pick the most bizarre idea and work overtime to make it seem plausible. With a passionate eccentricity, the creative team would quote from books, cinema, personal experiences, friend's experiences, etc! One would be surprised, how many of those 'moments' are actually real occurrences in my own life and that of my teammates.
8. What kind of a rapport do you share with the actors? Do you guys interact very often?
Well in the initial stages of DMG, most of our creative story meetings used to happen on sets! That was a stage when DMG was new to everyone, and the sudden success made everyone want to put their best foot forward. So we operated as one big, happy family; writers, creative directors, channel personnel, actors, production guys ' all of us. Gradually however with work pressures increasing and almost everyone being involved in other shows, the frequency of my visits to the set reduced. Then I quit the show for a long time so there was no occasion to visit the sets, or interact with actors. I won't say I am friends with any of the actors per say, but of the original cast, I am very fond of Karan and Ayaz. Both are true entertainers, on and off screen. Drashti and Sonia were my dancing buddies at every DMG party and Mayank, I enjoyed talking of art and books whenever we got the chance. I rarely go to the sets now, and I don't know Karan Wahi or Jennifer Winget well enough to define a rapport as such. Though even now, whenever I do go to the shooting floor, it's very comfortable and cordial.
9. How do TRP ratings affect the future storyline of a show? How does it effect the writers?
I am tempted to plead the fifth on this one: "I refuse to answer one the constitutional right, that the answer may incriminate me!" But the fact remains that after a good run if TRPs start dwindling, then a team has to accept that something in the narrative is not appealing so some consideration must be given to an alternative track or narrative approach. In the initial phases of the show, it was a do-what-you-like platform for all of us. Then there reached a point in DMG, when the story plot stagnated and we were required to do what we thought was needed and expected! Do writers like it when that happens? Of course not! But for a long time, we actually did whatever we wanted to and still enjoyed a reasonably loyal viewership. Alas! All good things must come to an end!
Right now, we have a fair idea of how we want the show to end, including who ends up with whom. So we are just going to put these ideas it in a melting pot and stir up the elements like we used to! In the last lap, we plan to tell the story the way we want to. Let's see if that works...I truly hope it does!
10. According to you, what should be stint of a love story on television?
For the memory to be a lasting one, and for a year or a year and a half maximum for the pure love story to play out. Once pyaar ka izhar ho jaaaye, then love story ki band baj jaati hai! It then gets into the zone of shaadi, mangalsutra, bahu, ghar that is not conducive to a pure love story!
11. How important is a fans' feedback to a writer? Do you keep a tab of what they think by visiting fan forums, online portals etc that have become popular these days?
Feedback is fine as far as it remains just that: feedback. Any writer or film maker has some vision. It may go wrong sometimes or it may exceed expectations on other occasions. But broadly, for any work of art to be successful, there has to be a single point focus and a decisive vision. The adage, 'too many cooks spoil the broth' is a very wise one! Once the feedback become threats and compulsions, they are more of a nuisance and deterrent. Online portals are good places for interaction and reactions. From what I hear, it has brought many closeted writers to the fore through the trend of fan-fiction. I used to check them out before, but after a point I found that fans have favourites and give feedback from the perspective of their preferred stars. A writer cannot afford that luxury. A writer's loyalty rests firmly with the narrative, so I stopped tracking feedback to avoid getting influenced by contrasting opinions! Opinions will come, and opinions will go, but the show must go on!
12. Don't you sometimes feel that the original concept and story of the 5 interns has been lost somewhere? The current season and especially the new track seems very different from what the show started out to be.
One thing you need to understand about daily soaps is that as time goes by, many factors come to play that determine the narrative, which is not directly under the control of the creative team or producers. People grow, one gets other opportunities, the time allotted to the show becomes less, fatigue sets in and expectations start increasing with a startling rapidity. You see, DMG never treated its ensemble cast as a supporting cast, but when it's time to renew contracts, no show has the budget or the canvas for 6 lead artists right? Some tough calls had to be made and the cast was revamped. So, new interns were brought in to replace the old ones and retain the flavour. The intention was to keep the same texture of the show. But like I said DMG was never meant to be a planned endeavour. For some bizarre reason, the most thought out decisions always backfired with DMG.
13. According to you, what has been the best phase of DMG?
I can't pinpoint a phase, but I liked the phases where both Armaan and Riddhima were in love with each other, but had problems due to their own fundamental differences, not stemming out of an external stimulus. I also enjoyed stages where Armaan backed off and Riddhima went after him!
14. If you had to redo it all over again, then what would you change and why?
Redo is a strong word and I would not opt for it! Given the choice I'd change the audience reactions to the narrative. Since I know our intention was always to present a unique show, I just feel the fierce fan-following and the extreme reactions did more damage than good! Also if I could I would curb online video updates. The TG that watches DMG is so tech savvy that they watch all the episodes online, debate about it endlessly, and intellectualise it, but they don't catch the episode on air at 8:00 p.m. Alas! Since Internet hits do not contribute to TRP, our ratings plummeted and now the show is being pulled off air! Sigh! Honestly, I love DMG with its faults as it gave me friends, fans and fame. I am grateful and glad to have had this opportunity to be a part of a television phenomenon!
15. DMG is ending soon! Your sentiments at the moment'
If you've read even an iota of this interview, you should know that I am truly nostalgic and admittedly sentimental. It is like the end of an era!!!
16. Please leave us a message for the fans of DMG.
Our intention as creators is to make the last days of DMG truly memorable and celebrate the spirit that once made everyone want to fall in love! The greatest strength of DMG was the unity it enjoyed, of the teammates behind the camera and on camera, and the connection they formed with the thousands of fans worldwide! We can only hope to reunite with all our fans in this last lap of a fabulous run. Those fans who once loved us, those who still swear by us, those that often hated us, but frequently were pleasantly surprised by us. To borrow an idea from William Wordsworth, I want every fan to say, "The memories in my heart I bore, long after they were seen no more!" Unless we are all together, for one last time, one cannot truly declare: "Dill Mill Gayye!!!"
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