Kuch Is Tarah Articles Corner

Akaashdeep Sehgal is back with a bang. He's all set to play a positive character in Ekta Kapoor's new serial. Here he shares his experiences with A.L. Chougule.

Q It's for the first time that you are playing a positive lead character in a serial. What's your role like in Kuch Is Tarah?
I am playing Ranbir Nanda in the show, which is not a saas-bahu drama at all. Ekta is trying to make something different from what people have seen in recent times and I am really happy about playing the lead role. Ranbir is a finicky character. He is rich and happy about making money and running a family. For him marriage can wait.

Q Ranbir hates marriage and doesn't like the sight of couples in love. What makes him so negative about love and marriage?
I guess it's because he is too busy making money and setting up a business empire and therefore has no time for love and marriage. Since he is preoccupied with work, everything else can wait in his case. That's why he also doesn't like the sight of people falling in love or gets bitter seeing them in love.

Q Does he have a past which makes him bitter about love and marriage?
I don't know the character in detail as yet because a lot of work is still to be done on it. The character is being fleshed out and I am confident that it will shape up very well. But Ranbir is not a negative character. He is finicky but a positive guy.

Q Since Kuch Is Tarah is a different show, will it steer clear from the normal soapish elements?
Right now it is being treated and made like a completely different show. But then TV is TV and a soap is a soap. It is a writer's medium and it is entirely up to the writers and producer to stick to the original idea. A lot depends on the ratings as well. But I know for sure what Ekta and the show's creative head Prashant Bhatt are doing. A certain kind of entertainment prevailed on television in the last seven years because there were takers for it. The ratings are the proof. Kuch Is Tarah is a nice show. The story and dialogues are interesting and different.

Q Why did it take you six years to move from negative to positive character?
I think it's because Ansh worked very well for me. Television has had an unusual effect on me. Ansh changed my life for good in terms of popularity, money, recognition, respect and exposure to my talent. It's been an extraordinary experience. I won three awards for the role. I was looking for an opportunity to break away from the negative slot which came my way when I got Kuch Is Tarah.

Q Has Eklavya got his due place in the story of Kyunki?
Well, Eklavya is still there and he gets his due as and when the story demands. Kyunki is a story of several characters. There are too many lead characters and each character comes into prominence and slips into background as the story moves because the writers have to be fair to every character.

Q Between Ansh and Eklavya, which character you enjoyed playing the most?
Obviously it is Ansh. Eklavya is too well-mannered and well-behaved. But Ansh was wicked and wild. Ekta gave me the role and it changed my life for good.

Q Is that the reason why you are loyal to Balaji?
I think loyalty comes from respect for someone. Ekta has proved that she is the czarina of television. I work with full sincerity for Balaji and haven't had time to work for any other banner except for Ketan Mehta when I did his Time Bomb while on a break from Kyunki.

Q What's your take on the new general entertainment channels entering the cable galaxy? Do you think competition will help improve quality of programming?
I think new opportunities will open for everyone. There will be lot of work for everyone and more new faces will join television. But there will also be lot of variety for viewers. They will have a choice to either watch saas-bahu shows or something else of their choice on another channel because each channel will try to be different from the other.

Q Why are you still single? Like Ranbir do you also like to stay away from marriage?
I have had my share of relationships. I don't think I am ready for marriage. Or rather the time is not right for marriage. My mom is not in a hurry to get me married. If she can wait for her daughter-in-law, I can also wait for a wife. I would like to achieve a lot of things in life and make good money so that my wife can live like a princess.

Q What happened to the children's educational film that you were making?
Ahsaas is 90 per cent complete. It's a small and non-Bollywood kind of film. But I have kept the film on hold because right now I am working on another script. I want to make my directorial debut on a bigger scale.

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programming which started with Amber Dhara and now Kuch Is Tara from Ekta Kapoor who claims to have broken all norms of daily soap with her latest offering

All businesses are cyclical. So is the business of television entertainment. Innovation, moving with the times and product enhancement is the key to drive any business. Complacence means loss of market share and slow death. Channels know it pretty well but Ekta Kapoor has probably learnt this simple lesson the hard way when she says that she has put her heart into Kuch Is Tara which, she claims, will be counted in some of the best shows she has made. "It is a turning point in my career and this show is completely different from all my work till date. With this show I have broken all norms of daily soaps. There is no melodrama, no extended family and not too many twists. It centers on a happy family, lots of light moments, love and sweet romance," says the soap queen.

Queen she is. She has led the business of family dramas for close to seven years. But when Prithviraj Chauhan and Dulhan overtake Kyunki, Kahani and Kasauti time and again, it is time to introspect. It is also the time to revisit the basics of economics and business management because democratic market and competition punish arrogance and complacence. Ekta seems to have done precisely that when she says that Kuch Is Tara is in line with demographic and social changes that India has undergone in the last couple of years. "This show will cater to that particular youth segment thrown up by the recent socio-economic changes," she says, adding, "Today I am bored of watching TV and the era of masala soaps is getting over. This show is different but how well it does remains to be seen. But it is for sure that this is my best show in the last five years."

According to Sony's executive vice-president and business head Albert Almeida, the effect of fragmentation in viewership is across the board in general entertainment space. "The GE channels' share has come down from 35 to 24 per cent between 2004 and 07 which is a result of new options available for viewers who are sampling other stuff on several channels," he says. Thus Sony is not the only to see erosion in its GRPs. But the challenge before Almeida and his colleagues at Sony is to regain the lost ground, something that Zee has done quite well. Almeida says Sony is on the recovery path and the beginning has already been made with AmberDhara. "Our weekend band is doing fine for us. But fiction has been a cause of concern. With AmberDhara and Kuch Is Tara we hope to increase our GRPs," he adds.

Speaking further about the show Almeida says Kuch Is Tara is a journey of two relatable characters, a middle- class girl who believes in prince charming and a rich guy who also connects to the girl instantly. "This is not a classic Balaji show. It's about a middle class family which lives by paying EMI's and a very rich family. It is fresh and different and we hope the show will ignite the magic of love and romance on television," he says. Almeida has his operation overhaul in place. "We are working on our next launches. There are four shows being worked out which should be launched before the year - end," he adds. Talking about the new competition, Almeida says it's not a worry for established players like Sony. "We are already well-entrenched in the business. Of course we will work out ways and means to fight the old and new competition. But we are in a better position to expand our business and grow as compared to the new players," he ends.

Will you miss your trademark bindis since you are playing positive roles in both Kyunki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi and Kuchh Is Tara?
I'm absolutely excited about playing a cop in Kyunki. No matter how clichd it sounds, my role is very different. I idolise Kiran Bedi in real life and the show has offered me a chance to dress up the way she does. I'm loving my blazer and trousers, and my underplayed look, in Kyunki. As far as Kuchh.. is concerned, people liked my look after the first episode was aired. Though I have a professional make-up person, I take great interest in the looks of my characters.

Why do you think your bindis became so popular?
It's probably because they were different. People found them outlandish, yet they started sporting them. But I have never tried any of these bindis in real life.

What is the secret of your successful working relationship with Balaji?
I enjoy working 24/7. Till now, I have had no problems with them. It's not that I am not approached by any other production house but I'm too content with Balaji to consider those offers.

Do you still have any ambitions for the big screen?
I'm currently involved with too many projects on television, including two shows each for Doordarshan and for channels in the South. Besides, I am not getting any good offers for the big screen.