In an exclusive interview with ZoomTV, Kasautii Zindagii Kay's director Muzammil Desai opens up about the pressure of raking in high TRP, Karan Singh Grover playing Mr Bajaj and more. Read full interview here.
KZK's director reacts to KSG playing Mr. Bajaj!
Kasautii Zindagii Kay is one of the hottest topics of discussion right now with Ekta Kapoor announcing Karan Singh Grover as Rishabh Bajaj. KSG has donned a salt and pepper look to play the iconic role that was originally played by Ronit Roy. We got in touch with KZK’s director, Muzammil Desai, who spoke to us exclusively about casting KSG as the new Rishabh Bajaj and a lot more. The director also spoke about how pressurised everyone was to rake in decent TRP and strike a chord with the audience. He also spoke about what the show means to him.
Here are excerpts from our chat.
The show picked up pace in the TRP race quite slowly. Were you under a lot of pressure before Hina Khan came along as Komolika?
Show moved at its own pace but did strike the right chord with its audience. It is a remake of a love saga and the expectations that people had were high. We were all under pressure to deliver the best to make our audience connect with us but it happened when it was meant to. We have all worked hard from the day one and the efforts that we are putting now even with new entries coming in are also same. So I feel we are blessed to have our people loving us and the show.
How did you end up picking Karan Singh Grover as Mr Bajaj?
Mr. Bajaj is one of the most popular Villanero that we all know of. The benchmark that the character had made required an equally talented and hardworking actor which we feel Karan Singh Grover stands unrequited at. Ekta Ma'am has a keen eye and if she has chosen an actor to play a certain character than he/she will be the best. To add to this, the dedication and compassion that Karan has for the character says it all.
Do you think writers and directors need to be given more exposure?
A show becomes successful with the efforts put in by each and every member connected with it. There is a lot of hard work that starts from the ideation to implementation to planning and execution. And I feel each one deserves their own share of credits. Be it a producer, a writer, a director, a cinematographer or anybody else for that matter.
How has your experience been working with Ekta Kapoor? You have been working with her for a long time now.
Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor are the best mentors one can ever ask for. The amount of trust that they have shown on me has helped me become what I am today. I remember my entire journey of starting with Balaji- my Home away from Home almost 19 years back. And now when I look back I feel I owe it to Ma'am. I am thankful to her for always holding my hand and helping me fare forward.
What, according to you, has been the best show that you directed yet?
All the shows that I have done are very close to my heart but to remark one I would say Kasautii has been the biggest examination for me. The kind of grandeur, the exposure, the liability that I have had in this show has taught me a lot. As the basic thought behind Kasautii says- LOVE NEVER DIES, I agree and stand by the same knowing that my love for Kasautii will never die and we promise to keep our audience loving us the way they do.
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