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Badho Bahu co-producer Teena Swayyam what it takes to make fresh, engaging content on TV
Oct 11, 2016, 03.55 PM IST
Teena A fiercely strong woman, TeenaSwayyam may have been born with a golden spoon, so to say, but the woman has charted her own path. She is a successful producer of TV shows, with the highly rated series 'Badho Bahu' to her credit. In a freewheeling chat, Teena throws some light on how she achieved success in the industry, what lies ahead for her production house and how she keeps the content they produce fresh and engaging.
Tell us something about your background...
I'm born and brought up in Mumbai. I have done my schooling and college here; I was in Wilson College. I belong to a business family and I have learned a lot of things about handling a business from my father. The most important business advice he gave me was, "Do your best, you'll get the best"; and I am following in his steps. His motto is, "Think Big and Do Big". It has worked for me just fine.
How did you open your production house Hum Tum Telefilms?
Just like my father said, I always wanted to do something big and I was waiting for the right opportunity to make my dreams come true. In my college days, my friends, fellow students and even my teachers always asked me to join the film industry because I was very good with acting. They would say, 'You're so pretty. Why don't you try in Bollywood?' I didn't take then seriously back then. I would just laugh it off. Later, I did think about it and reached this conclusion -- I don't want to be a star. I want to make a star out of people. So, I jumped into this, and started my production house.
Throw light on the association with your partner Sushant Kumar. How do you both work as a team?
Sushant is my bestie. He is my childhood friend and my moral support. I can't thank him enough. I have a very fluctuating mind and he always pushes me towards my goals. He's always telling me, 'Focus on your goal, Teena'. Over all, he is my best friend for life and my business partner too.
What kind of content do you produce at your production house?
Hum Tum Telefilms is a full-fledged production house which is into producing films, television shows and web series. Currently there is an ongoing project which would be announced soon. Apart from that, we have our show 'Badho Bahu' on &TV. We started Hum Tum Telefilms by producing movies in 2014. Back then, we worked in collaboration with many channels, after which we finally joined hands with Deepti Kalwani and collaborated with her to create quality content.
What kind of feedback you are getting for 'Badho Bahu'?
The response to the show has been surprising. When the trailer was launched, we got a good feedback. People said that it looks quite promising. Today, from all four sides, the praise just keeps flowing in; be it from news channels, the local audiences and from the audience in foreign countries. It's so heartening, because in our respective hometowns too, we are getting so much love and appreciation.
What is your vision for your company?
Our vision for our company is to be so strong financially that we can have multiple shows at the same time. In the next five years, we are looking forward to at least air five to six shows running parallel. There also some major projects which we will talk about with the media later. As of now, all we can say is with the such vastly talented creative and other production teams, we hope to grow soon. We will be working on a web series as well. However, for the time being, television will be our top priority. Later, we will plan and shift our focus on films as well.
What are the current trends in the television industry according to you?
There are no particular trends going on in the industry. Even the lowest rated shows get a sudden raise in popularity as the audience starts appreciating the show. When we decided to start a show, we were looking into a fresh content so that it works well and attracts the audience well, which is what the show is doing. 'Badho Bahu' started well with .9 TRP rating, and we hope that the audience like the show and are engaged with it.
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