' My show aims to connect with one and all' - Ratna Sinha

Ratna Sinha,(wife of the popular Producer and Director, Anubhav Sinha) the proprietor of Chota Ganpati Telecreations is currently producing Sony's new show, Babul ka Aangann Chootey Na. Here, she speaks to the Telly Buzz team as to why she chose to make the serial on the prevalent problems of women trying to strike a balance after marriage in Indian society.

Where did you get the inspiration for your serial, Baabul ka Aangann Chootey Na?

This is an issue that is pertinent in today’s society as a whole, not just the upper class or the middle class. It is more about the marriage issues that exist in our culture. But what really prompted me to make the serial were incidents that occurred with a couple of friends of mine. Once such incident is I had once been to my friend’s house. She works in a channel, holds a sound position and is financially independent. She had bought spectacles for her mother (who lives in Delhi) and gifted them to her. When her mother-in-law saw this, she commented “Oh! Don’t they get spectacles in Delhi?” Imagine, if something were to happen to her father, then my friend would not be in a position to bring her mother to live with her.

So do you think that this issue is prevalent in a metro like Mumbai, where joint families are so rare?

Believe me, it is very much prevalent everywhere, not just in places where joint families exist. Not a single woman can deny this happening to them. Another friend of mine, an actor by profession, couldn’t bring her cancer-struck mother to live with her because of the objection posed by her in-laws. Incidentally, she is married to a well-to-do actor. The old mother eventually died of cancer.

So does that mean there is an element of your personal life reflected in the serial too?

Well, I wouldn’t say it reflects an element of my personal life only. It is a reflection of every woman’s life in the Indian society, because she encounters this imbalance in life after marriage.

You were a director, so did it help when going into production?

Yes it helped me a lot. It was a learning process for me and after all, T.V is a producer’s world, so the transition had to happen at some point of time.

What made you choose a girl like Aastha Chaudhary, a fresh face, to play the lead role?

I know she’s a new girl. but everyone wants to see a fresh face, so I decided to cast her as the lead. Secondly, she has a very endearing face and has witnessed similar situations with her friends, so she was apt for the role of Aastha.

It’s heard that the promos and hoardings of the show have attracted a lot of criticism; can you comment on this?

Yeah, it is true that the promos and hoardings have received a lot of criticism. But all I can say is that the hoardings being criticised or appreciated is not the matter to be noted here, as I am happy that they are being noticed by the audience(laughs), and I think that’s what’s important. And we’ll just have to wait and watch to know what happens to the fate of the show.

What are your future plans? Any plans of directing films?

Yes I have two new movies in the pipeline. I will be directing one of them, and the other one will be my own production that I will be doing along with my husband, Anubhav. The shooting will probably begin somewhere in May or June.

Reporter and Author: Melanie

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