the pioneer about Madhubala

Love, sets and the small screen

Pitching serials as romances seems the best formula for channels. Producer Saurabh Tiwari and Colors programming head Prashant Bhatt talk to Divya Kaushik about their new show, Madhubala

Recall ye-olde-Doordarshan serials, where that emotion called love played a significant part but was never promoted as the basic premise? Then came saas bahu sagas, where sweet, visual exchanges happened, away from spying mothers and sisters-in-law.

Then came the young love blooming around the Pride and Prejudice premise till it matured into the adult romance of Bade Acche Lagte Hai (BALH) last year. The show's initial success motivated others to contextualise a love story. And there's a new addition to the list of romantic tales with a twist, the much anticipated Madhubala, Ek Ishq Ek Junoon on Colors, premiering on May 28.

It is being promoted as a passionate love story about a girl named Madhubala, who is born on the film sets and finds her moorings walking the dark lanes of the film industry.

"Colors' programming strategy has always been socially relevant. It worked in the past with serials like Balika Vadhu. But something entertaining was required, keeping changing formats in mind. So we stepped into a different genre and at the same time kept the story realistic," said Prashant Bhatt, former TV actor, who is also programming head of the channel. "Our last launch was Chhal-Sheh aur Maat, a thriller-love story. Now it is Madhubala. This presents harsh truths about the industry. It's a change from love stories in corporate houses, the neighbourhood and other backgrounds."

Bhatt conceived the show as a tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema and denied it was inspired by legendary actress Madhubala. "Years ago, there was a show named Heena on Sony. The RK banner released a film of the same name. But nobody drew comparisons then. However, Madhubala's story was the dream of movie buffs, drawing parallels with Marilyn Monroe. If you watch our show though, Drashti's character defines every girl. She is a simpleton. Very relatable," he remarked.

Needless to say, the similarity of names has helped garner publicity for the new show's TRPs. As producer Saurabh Tiwari said, "We initially thought its name would be Kathputli. But changed it to Madhubala later. Our story is set in the film fraternity of the 1990s, when many professionals and technicians worshipped icons like Dharmendra, Dev Anand, Madhubala and Meena Kumari. So when this pretty girl is born on the sets, her parents name her after their screen goddess. It's like fans of SRK naming their kids Rahul, the actor's popular screen name."

Why choose a Bollywood-themed love story, a safe, commercial format? Tiwari emphasised that small-screen love stories are rarely based on real life ones.

"I think it's because the audience cannot take a dose of pain and frustration everyday. People do not have the patience to watch an Awara or Kagaz Ke Phool on a daily format. Relationships are changing. And real-life drama is hard to take. It would be too much to watch the same onscreen. Having said that, let me add that the industry is just about beginning to push the envelope."

It is not clear for how long the show will be on air but Bhatt says it aims to entertain. "If you have followed our channel over the last five months, you will know we have knocked off four shows because they did not entertain or they had nothing to add to the story that had done its time. It is only difficult to decide length of shows like Balika Vadhu where characters are part of people's lives and dinner-table talk. They cannot imagine it going off air. So we have to factor in emotional connect. The concept of seasons in the US format doesn't come easily for us," said he.

But Tiwari added that characters and storyline suffer because of long, TRP-driven formats. "No story needs more than 200 episodes. But there are logistics involved. And people earn money from every show. So it gets difficult to take it off the air," he added.

Be it BALH or Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, there is hardly any love story for the modern working woman. Why? "They form only 10 per cent of the audience. And have easy access to other forms of entertainment. The 90 per cent, who cannot spend Rs 500 every week on a movie, are more important," Tiwari concluded. Here's hoping they get in a working woman's hour somewhere.

All the best to Drashti Dhami and the whole unit of MADHUBALA.