Writer-director Rajan Shahi, who helmed popular shows like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and Kareena Kareena, took a major risk two years ago when he turned producer. But the effort paid off and today he is known as the man behind Sapna Babul Ka... Bidaai and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hain which are rocking the charts.
He is a maker with possibly the highest strike rate in recent times. His first two shows Sapna Babul Ka... Bidaai and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, as a producer were instant hits and have been maintaining their top positions on Star Plus for over two years. His latest Chand Chhupa Badal Mein pitted against the popular Balika Vadhu may not be rocking the charts but it is still early days. His Swarg Mata Pita Ke Charnon Mein on Colors had an average run and lasted a year. But Rajan Shahi, the director-turned-producer says, "I don't expect all my shows to be hits or garner high TRPs but I am proud of them."
Rajan knows what he is talking about. Having been a part of the TV industry for 16 years, Rajan has had his share of ups and downs. He has seen great highs and even greater lows. If the success of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, which he directed brought him laurels, his reluctance to do dailies put him out of business.
A Delhi boy, Rajan, like scores of aspirants landed in Mumbai to try his luck in the industry without a clue of what he wanted to do. It was his maternal grandfather and Dadasaheb Phalke award winner P. Jairaj who inspired him to be a part of the film industry. But he was unable to make any headway and a disheartened Rajan consulted an astrologer who further disillusioned him. Heartbroken, he packed his bags and went back to Delhi to join his family business. His father, however, would hear nothing of it. The very next day he was given marching orders and Rajan was back to square one. This time though he had a plan in mind. He approached Ravi Rai, then a much-sought-after producer-director, and requested to keep him on as his assistant. Ravi brushed him off with the standard line "Will get back". Undaunted, Rajan kept going back with the same request for six months. "Then I got a job at Ulka Advertising, but before taking it up I wanted to meet Ravi," informs Rajan. It was on the sets of Imtihan, a serial Ravi was directing, that Rajan confronted Ravi and vented out his feelings. "I told him I was taking up the job only because he wasn't giving me a chance," recalls Rajan. What transpired later could be a scene straight out of a movie.
Rajan was waiting for a bus when he felt thirsty. Since the set was nearby he went back to have a glass of water. Ravi , who was directing a shot, spotted him and immediately called out to him. "He told me he wanted me to join him as his assistant pronto," smiles Rajan. Out went his advertising job and Rajan ended up assisting Ravi for a good six years. Since Ravi was a writer-director-producer all rolled into one, Rajan learnt the ropes of every department. "I even did errands as a runner boy and a production boy," laughs Rajan, giving the entire credit for his schooling to his mentor Ravi.
However, just when Rajan got ready to branch out on his own ("I am probably the only one to have remained as an assistant for so long"), the TV industry was undergoing a transition and weeklies were slowly being phased out. But Rajan did direct some weekly serials like Hamare Tumhare, episodes of Rishtey on Zee and Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin on Sony. His big break came with the path-breaking Sony serial Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin."Dailies became the order of the day but I was used to sitting on the script, editing and music and then delivering the final product, which is why I was reluctant to do daily soaps, that resembled a factory set-up," recalls Rajan, who for a brief time left TV to concentrate on film projects. However, after a year-and-a-half during which the films he was working on didn't take off, he decided to embrace dailies. "I had to earn my bread and butter and could not overlook this changing medium," philosophises Rajan, who returned to the genre with full vengeance. Shooting 30 days a month, Rajan adapted himself to the environment. He directed the popular sitcom Kareena Kareena and the channel-driver for Zee, Saat Phere, among others. The phase of series-director had came in and Rajan was sought-after for setting up shows that had failed to generate interest. Ghar Ki Laxmi Betiyaan and Maayka were some of the shows that got the Rajan touch. "I always went beyond the script, a trait that I carried over from my weekly shows days, which impressed the producers, " says Rajan.
During this period he had many one-to-one interactions with the broadcasters and Vivek Behl, the then Creative Head of Star Plus, gave him an opportunity to produce a show. It was also the time when Rajan had started thinking along those lines because "there used to a huge disparity between the production and the creatives." It was a turning- point in Rajan's life as he had to give up a good income he earned as a director and turn producer. "I didn't even have a huge bank-balance but I decided to take the plunge," says Rajan, whose first show under his banner Director's Kut was Bidaai. This serial came in at a time when over-the-top, loud saas-bahu soaps had outlived itself and viewers were looking for a change. Bidaai with its simple presentation and story was welcomed open-heartedly and within a year, Star Plus got Rajan to do another show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. Even this show clicked, racing to the numero uno slot replacing his own Bidaai. "The story is the USP of the serial. It has no negative characters, the costumes are authentic and the sets have a grandeur," explains Rajan.
The success of these two shows brought Rajan laurels and comparisions with TV doyen Ekta Kapoor. "There can be no comparision. The kind of vision, command and control Ekta has over the medium is something which nobody had or will be able to get. She is an institution and I have a lot to learn from her," says the producer-director. What about allegations that he borrows heavily from Rajshri films? "I am very clear that I want to make clean entertainers that propogate positivity in terms of values, relationships etc. It is important in today's world where language has become crass and people are abusing each other. The Rajshri films are an inspiration for their feel-good entertainers and I am a big fan of Soorajji, (Barjatya)," admits Rajan, unabashedly
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