The channel has delivered what they promised and now its my turn: Nivedita Basu

Popularly known for her role as the creative head of Balaji Telefilms, Nivedita Basu has come a long way where she is now all set to join the league of producers with her very first venture 'Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai' which is set to go on-air from tonight on &TV.

The lady, who is known for her multi tasking skills, also owns 'Kolkata Babu Moshayes' team for the Colors' reality show BCL Season 2. While her upcoming show is fetching a wonderful response for the unique concept and the big names roped in for the show. We spoke to her to know more about the same.

How does it feel to debut as a producer?

I am super excited because there has been a lot of buzz and &TV has promoted the show really well. I have a big star cast and a superb team. I am sure that the show will be a huge success.

From where did the idea of the concept come from?

Vikas (Vikas Gupta) and I have been discussing about this idea for a while, but the show could not be made like an Infinite series. &TV was open to doing a finite series, so I thought of doing it. I am also connected to music and it is an absolute pleasure doing my first show on music.

Today we see that most of the musical dramas are based on contemporary music but 'Meri Awaaz...' will be taking us to the Hindustani Classical era. Why did you choose to do so?

It's not basically Hindustani Classical music; it will be building on today's music also as the story progresses. The story is about two sisters, their growth and how rivalry erupts between them. That's the basic idea of the concept. I used to overlook Balaji Music for over 15 years, so it's a bonus for me that I have created something which is based on music. It will be quite a journey to see the journey of the two sisters.

Tell us a bit about the casting of big names for your show?

When the channel agreed on making a finite series show of 26 weeks, we had to take actors for particular commitment. First, we shortlisted and started shooting with Jannat (Jannat Zubair Rahmani) to play the younger version, then we wanted a good match for her, someone with a cute smile and an innocent face. My first choice, at that moment was Amrita Rao. I would have only gone for a second option, had she refused to do the role. Well, she showed interest and was on board. So we didn't really had to look for a second option. Aditi (Aditi Vasudev) is a brilliant actor and we wanted someone who can be compatible with her as that character and she is a great actor.

When these two were done, then our whole idea was to have a big star cast since it's a finite series. I wanted to work with Deepti Ji (Deepti Naval) since a long time and when Farooq Ji (Farooq Shaikh) had also said a yes to my feature that I was directing, I wanted to work with them and now I have finally got the chance. It was very kind of Deepti Ji to come on-board with us. I have worked with Zarina Ji (Zarina Wahab) before and had a brilliant experience with her. It was all like a jigsaw puzzle which just fell into place. I have a brilliant team to execute whatever I had in my mind; my director Kushal, my cameraman Raju, Rakesh, Sheetal and everyone; it's been a team work. The kind of support I have got from everyone and the channel is like magic for me.

There is already a lot of buzz about the show even before it got on-air. So are you happy with the response that you are getting from everyone?

Because we started off with a different show, with big star cast and getting Amrita Rao on TV, that created a lot of buzz and everyone is curious and excited to see how it goes. There have been a lot of promotions as well. The channel has delivered what they have promised and now it's my turn to deliver what I have promised. Everyone has been very supportive. Everyone is very confident about it. I always wanted to do something different.

Who has been your biggest support throughout?

My biggest support in the industry has been Ekta. I have got a lot of motivation from her and to have somebody at her position.. to stand up and tell everyone that Nivedita is my right hand and has made Balaji... It made me cry. I always had that comfort with her and I know that she will always come to my rescue. Having Ekta on my side, has been a biggest support for me. Even Vikas, and everyone from the channel and the team have been the biggest support to me. The director has beautifully visualized everything and has shot like a film. We have shot outdoors only and that's going to be the USP of the show, that we will be shooting outdoors only and not at any particular set because then it would look just like any television show.

There has also been a lot of buzz about the story of the show being loosely based on the life of the legends Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. So what do you have to say on this?

The moment one will think of music, they will connect it to them because they are legendary singers. But when you watch the story then you will realize that it's not Lata Ji and Asha ji. May be its getting a lot of attention because of this that as people are thinking that its their story, but if they will start watching the story, then they will find out that its a different one and hopefully it will be entertaining for them.

Are there any special plans to watch the first episode of the show?

We probably have a screening with the entire cast for the first episode. We are still figuring things out.

Along with this, you are also occupied with BCL... so how are you managing things together?

It's very difficult to manage because we just finished our first match in the morning and that's how things work. In Balaji also, we used to do multi tasking. I was doing 7 shows altogether in Balaji! I am enjoying doing both and BCL has got equal promotions as well. I am enjoying my role as a producer and a team owner.

What's next in store for you?

With the beginning of this, I am pitching more for finite series now. Along with GECs, we are pitching it out for digital as well. I want to do something different whether a finite series or a high concept.

Anwesha Kamal