TOI Article: Prime time goes local

Television shows are increasingly being set in smaller towns, and to highlight the setting of the show, many makers choose to shoot the first few episodes in locations outside Mumbai. Some episodes of " Madhubala" were shot in Ramoji Rao studios in Andhra Pradesh, some portions of "Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke" have been shot in Varanasi and some episodes of " Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai" were shot in Rishikesh. Out of the eight shows, which air on Star Plus from 7 to 11pm, seven are set outside Mumbai.

Similar is the case with Zee TV, whose most shows are set outside Mumbai except for " Pavitra Rishta". Barring three shows on Colors, the other shows in the prime time slot are set in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. We speak to some industry experts to explore this trend.

The novelty factor
"Every TV show is shot in Mumbai. There are chances that viewers might get to see the same location in one or two shows. It is a wise option to shoot in another city to break the monotony," says Sudhir Sharma, producer of " Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha". Sudhir reveals that he shot the first 35 episodes of the show in Indore in real locations like Khajrana Mandir, Juna Mohalla, Rajwada and Atal Bihari Vajpayee regional park. "In fact, I shot my show "12/24 Karol Bagh" completely in Delhi. My set was in Chhattarpur," he adds.

Helps bring in local flavour
Almost 90% of the shows are set in cities like Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Allahabad or Lucknow. "Most of the shows are set in different cities. To bring in the local flavour, we prefer to shoot in the places where the shows are set. This also helps the audience connect with the show. For instance, we shot "Diya Aur Baati Hum" (DABH) in Jaipur, Bikaner and Pushkar," says Rohit Raj Goyal, director of "DABH", adding that he shot one of his earlier shows "Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai" in Kurukshetra. Rashmi Sharma, producer of shows like "Saath Nibhana Saathiya" and " Mrs Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein" echoes similar sentiments. "As a maker, it is essential to convince the viewers about the show. Shooting in original locations lends credibility to the show. For "Mrs Kaushik...", we shot in places like Hawa Mahal, Bapu Bazaar and Nehru Bazaar in Jaipur," she says.

Flexible budget for initial episodes
But the trend of shooting outside Mumbai is more or less restricted to the initial few episodes. The reason, says Saurabh Tewari, producer of "Madhubala", is the flexible budget made available by the channel to a new show. "Every channel gives an additional budget to a new show for the first few episodes. Also, there are no time constraints when a show has not gone on air. Once the show goes on air, we have to meet the deadlines of delivering the episodes on time," Tewari says.

Production costs
While shooting outside Mumbai has its own share of problems, industry insiders say that it is a viable option when it comes to money. "Shooting in Mumbai has become expensive. If you shoot in Film City, the cost is not much but if you shoot in different locations in Mumbai, you end up spending as much 1 lakh for a single day. On the other hand, if you shoot outside the city, the cost touches 1.5 lakh, which is fine because you are getting a different setting for your show," informs Tewari.

Writers should be incorporate the setting
Gajra Kottary, writer of "Balika Vadhu", says that writers have to make sure they incorporate the local flavour while writing a show that is set in a different city. "For instance, you cannot show lush green fields in a show which is set in Rajasthan. At the dialogue level, you have to weave in certain colloquial words to keep reminding the viewers that the show is not set in Mumbai," she says.