They are the ones who run and almost rule the world of television. Master artists and visualisers, they create dramatic sequences on the small screen that touch the emotional strings in the hearts of the millions. And the reason for their success is because they share not just professional but personal goals as well.
Two's Company introduces the lovable and respected duos in the world of television who work together to weave magic.
Let's take a peek into the lives of these dashing entrepreneurs and understand what makes them and their shows tick. We flag off this series with Mamta and Yash Patnaik of Beyond Dreams Productions.
Yash Patnaik, Chairman and CEO at Beyond Dreams, is a Symbiosis Institute of Journalism & Communications (Pune) alumni. He started his career as a journalist for print as well as electronic media and then went on to work with leading production houses and television channels. When not busy working, Yash loves sketching, writing and travelling.
Mamta Patnaik, Creative Director at Beyond Dreams, started her career in advertising with Trikaya Grey in 1995. She has to her credit as writer more than 3000 episodes of various soaps for leading broadcasters of India like Star Plus, Star One, Zee TV, Sony Entertainment Limited, Sahara One, Sab TV and 9X. Mamta is an avid reader and also pens shayaris.
Yash and Mamta co-founded Beyond Dreams in 2007.
From the house of Beyond Dreams
- Babban Bhai vs Bimla Tai (2007)
- Cambala Investigation Agency (2008)
- Monica Mogre Case Files (2009)
- Vachan Dile Tu Mala (2009)
- Kaalo - The movie (2010)
- Jamunia (2010)
- Rang Badalti Odhani (2010-2011)
Let's start at the very beginning…How did you both meet?
Yash: Well, we met at the Zee office as we worked together. We were aware of each other's existence but didn't interact much. But I kind of liked her always as she was a pretty girl, and she still is. I would like to talk about the way we both came together. It is truly a filmy kahani. It was New Year bash in the year 2000, and we both were at a roof top party. I was having my usual Old Monk with water at the bar and Mamta was dancing with two of her friends. Suddenly there was a drunk guy who started to get cosy with them. I could see the girls getting uncomfortable. Mamta's friends left the dance floor and this guy started harassing her. I had two choices at that point of time- I could have either bashed him up or danced with Mamta. I chose the second option and I held her hand and started dancing with her. The guy left the scene and I moved into her life. And since then we have been together.
Mamta: That night when he held my hand I could feel the warmth and care. I knew he could take care of me. He dealt with the situation so calmly. I was impressed. After that he dropped me to my place and I gave him my jacket. The jacket became the means to meet again and again. And after 45 days since our first meeting he proposed to me and we finally got married in 2002. Kahani puri filmy hain…hain na? (laughs)
How's the equation between you two?
Yash: We are very different as individuals but there is a bond that is too strong. I am more outgoing, I socialise a lot but she is quite an introvert and hates going out. I can't really understand shayaris but she loves them. You must check her Facebook updates sometimes to read some great shayaris. If I like white, she likes colours and if I would go to Spain for a holiday she would prefer Ladakh. I think the difference is basically due to our backgrounds and the cities that we come from. I come from a small town in Orissa and she hails from Mumbai. Obviously there will be a difference in approach towards life. But the reason I think we have gelled so well is our ability to keep egos aside and not change as a person under any situation.
Mamta: We all are different as individuals but there are certain things that keep us together. We are diverse but yet wonderfully connected. He is a very good painter and I love shayaris. We both love art basically. I can say that the equation is wonderful as we both balance each other perfectly.
How do you balance professional and personal life?
Yash: It is tough but in our case we have our responsibilities demarcated. I handle the marketing part of the business and she takes care of the creative part. We help each other to grow in the business. In our profession we need to socialise a lot. Mamta doesn't go out much, so I do it. But on the other hand she comes up with some amazing concepts. It is true that the profession keeps me busy but I try to spend as much time as possible with my family and son Aarav.
Mamta: For me I know that I have to handle both professional and personal responsibilities. I finish work and come back home as early as possible as I have to spend time with Aarav. This is the reason why I don't socialise much as I don't want him to feel lonely. At work, as Yash already mentioned our roles are bifurcated and this solves most of the issues. And Yash is always there and he can deal with problems calmly. Balancing professional and personal life is not really tough if things are prioritised in life.
How do you handle difference of opinions?
Yash: I give up. (Laughs)
Mamta: No way. (Laughs) Well, on a serious note I think we all have difference of opinions but we have our priorities clear. At work, he handles the marketing part and I handle the creative. At home, I know my role as a homemaker and he too helps me with the day-to-day work.
Yash: We divide our responsibilities and keep things simple. The best part is that we have not changed as individuals and that has made our relationship stronger.
How did Beyond Dreams happen?
Yash: Beyond Dreams was launched when the market was bullish. Mamta and I were working separately in different companies and we both wanted to come together and do something on our own. That's how we started Beyond Dreams. We thought the road would be easy but the first three years were tough. Our shows didn't do well initially but we learned from the lapses and came up with Rang Badalti which was accepted well by the masses. For Beyond Dreams it was planned that television will be the foundation and slowly we will venture into films. And we have done that with Kaalo. However, Kaalo did not do well in terms of box-office and after that we decided to take a pause and wait till we get a good script before making another movie. But movies are very much in the scheme of things and of course lot many shows on television. Overall the journey has been quite an inspiring and enlightening one.
Mamta: I agree with Yash completely. When we launched Beyond Dreams we had lot of financial issues but Yash really showed lot of courage and patience to make it work. For TV shows you cannot really judge what will work. It all depends on good scripts. We constantly work to come up with good stories that will be loved by the masses and soon we will come up with more interesting and likeable shows like Rang Badalti Odhani.
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