Flashy sets stand out

As television gets more and more glossy, the need to have opulent sets is very much on the rise. As most serials depict wealthy and large families it obviously necessitates the need for spacious sets, complete with winding staircases, expensive furniture and rich drapes. Mona Kapoor, the ex-wife of producer Boney Kapoor, has started one such studio with 12 floors which offers sets with an international look- i.e. English sets, Italian style sets etc.

"Unlike other studios which offer just floor space, we provide readymade sets. Our New York set comprises is a typical Big Apple penthouse complete with cedar work. I recently organised one set which has a typical princely type appearance for the Sony show Vaidehi, They gave us clear guidelines as to what they wanted and we delivered," assures Mona.

Channels are ready to spend huge amounts of money for acquiring such sets, which are mostly based in Mumbai itself. "Sets have become the essential part of story telling today," says a programming executive from Sony. "And that's the reason producers are spending huge amounts, to the tune of Rs 35-40 lakhs on constructing sets today."

A whole team of specialists, artisans and interior decorators sit with art directors for days on end before the look of any particular set is finalised. They make sure that the look gels with the characters, their social status and the storyline. Mona has an in-house team of 30 people who work day and night and then come up new ideas and innovations.

Balaji telefilms have created their own studio the interiors of which are changed from time to time keeping the general look intact. Ekta Kapoor's sets also reflect the culture of a particular community (for example Bengali culture in Kasuati Zindagi Kay and Gujarati in Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi).

Some channels like Star and Sony prefer to use their own dedicated sets which they upgrade according to their requirements. This is also helpful in the sense that if they use outside sets, one might not be able to shoot at one's wish sometimes, due to date hassles. As the numbers of studios are limited sometimes, the same set is used for different serials and only the camera is being placed at different angles.

But then again it's assured that things don't get too monotonous. Therefore, in a bid to keep the look interesting; most sets have to be dismantled and new one's erected after a certain amount of time. Mona is very particular and her sets are changed every year. On the other hand there are some studios that don't really bother to change the floor look frequently. It's also true that most sets are also not equipped to deal with emergencies like 26/7 (the Mumbai floods on 26th July 2005).

"When the actors and set hands were stranded, I was stuck at one set for three days. We had no facilities for sleeping and even proper toilets. At least the actors were much better of than us," says one worker. But there are people like Mona Kapoor who can refute such allegations. "People on my sets were well taken care of. I can't comment on what others do or don't," says Mona. Looking at the brighter side of things, it seems Indian sets have undergone a sea change for the better and things are likely to get even better in the days to come.