Saurabh Tewary says, 'Full marks to Vivian Dsena

Producer Saurabh Tewari of Nautanki Telefilms is a happy man as his big ticket Colors show, Madhubala Ek Ishq Ek Junoon is doing well.

He says, "2.8 TVR is no mean task given the stiff competition at the 8.30 pm slot where shows like Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah on SAB TV and Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hain on Star Plus being consistent. Also look at the consistent numbers that we are contributing to the Colors GRP when compared to what Veer Shivaji (Madhubala replaced this historical) was delivering."

Saurabh who was earlier the Head of Programming (Fiction), Imagine TV and part of the Programming team lead by Ashvini Yardi has no qualms in admitting that in between, his dramatic love story had indeed gone wayward (1.2 TVR). "These things happen in television. I still remember many people laughing and calling Madhubala a super flop. But I was always confident of bouncing back which we did successfully. What always works is a compelling narrative and right mix of drama. One of the other big reasons for our turnaround was the confidence that Prashant Bhatt (Head of Fiction, Colors) had in me. It is very important for the Producer and channel to be on the same page," states Saurabh.

Ask him about the absence of ratings for the next two months and he says, "Wednesday mornings seem boring. I have lived by these numbers as this is the only way in which we come to know which track works and which does not. I want to add that it is these numbers which have made me what I am today."

Looking ahead, he does not see any immediate changes in ratings post December (when the ratings resume). "Just digitization alone will not change the ball game, as even in the four metros you will require the seeding of TAM boxes to increase. Having said this, the new system will bring in more sources of data, but all this will start to crystallize only around March 2013."

In closing, Saurabh expresses his satisfaction over the cast of Madhubala. "Everybody was happy with Drashti Dhami from day one. But most including my own team members were skeptical about Vivian Dsena's ability to pull off as the superstar with attitude. He was always dismissed as a wooden actor. But I had the confidence in him and full marks to him for portraying RK with elan."

We wish the team of Madhubala all the very best.