Getting familiar with Nazdeekiyan

Getting familiar with Nazdeekiyan

One hundred and seventy episodes old and gasping for breath, the matinee serial Nazdeekiyan on Sony TV is currently on the operating table. Treating it are two new directors who joined in October, Kaid Kuwajerwala and Himanshu Consul. Sabiha Kalolwala lands up on the sets to find out their plans for the serial.

First, what is the concept behind Nazdeekiyan?
A daily soap, Nazdeekiyan is the story of three families the Mathur’s, the Parekh’s and the Tejani’s. Totally city-centric, with characters who are a lot like you and me, the story revolves around them, their love, their hate, their relationships, their businesses and their affairs, says Kaid.

How different is this serial from the rest?
A lot, in fact. The story, characterisation and the look of the serial is very modern as opposed to the traditional look of the other serials (translate that into Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Ghar Ek Mandir and others). Also, Nazdeekiyan is one of the few serials which is shot exclusively on sets designed specifically for the serial, which helps give it a distinctive or definite look. And we have a multi-camera set-up which helps give us technical finesse, says Himanshu.

With so many plus points working for it, why is the serial not very popular?
What can we say, sometimes that happens. But things are going to change now, they say.

And what are these changes?
We are making a few changes to the script (written by Vibhanshu Vaibhav and Aakash Dixit). The story is going to move faster and a new character has been introduced (Tom Alter) who is going to bring a few interesting twists and turns to the story, reveals Kaid.

Known for producing popular shows like Star Yaar Kalaakar and Movers and Shakers, why did In-House Productions decide to come up with a soap?
Why not? Today, soap operas are the norm of the day. Apart from the above, they had also produced Commando, a thriller, which was aired on Zee. Trying out various genres, this time around they decided to come out with a soap opera, says Himanshu.

Why do you think soaps are so popular?
Simple, a soap is an ongoing story. Its characters and situations are similar to those in real life. It makes one a part of the characters’ lives. Living a fast-paced, isolated existence, it is difficult to get involved in other people’s lives soaps, somehow, help to compensate for that void, they say.

Sentiments which are reflected by Mahru Sheikh, who enacts the role of Kiran Mathur, one of the vital characters of the serial: ‘‘A soap has characters that someone, somewhere is able to associate or identify with. If not then they definitely aspire to be one of them,’’ a point that everyone, including Rushali and Abhimanyu, two other artists in the serial, agree with.

Another good thing about a soap is that it is slow, so if you miss even three-four episodes, you will be able to pick up on what’s been happening in the serial, adds Mahru.

How does one judge the popularity of a soap?
The fact that most housewives (who make up the core audience for soaps) schedule their day according to serials says it all. Their shopping, meeting-friends, picking-up-the-kids, attending-functions are all adjusted accordingly,’’ reasons Mahru.

‘‘When my mom wants to watch her regular serials, everything else comes to a standstill until it gets over. We dare not disturb her then. Even when she is tired, she won’t go to sleep till she has finished watching it,’’ says Kaid, adding that this is the case in most households.

Just how different is the schedule for a soap opera from other serials?
Not very different. Nor is it as gruelling as most people make it out to be. We do shoot everyday, but if the scheduling is done properly and everything is on time, then there are no hassles, reveals Kaid. Even before the serial goes on air, we have to have at least 52 episodes ready. One month’s episodes are shot at least a month in advance, which means that the ones which are going to be showcased in December are already with the channel. Right now, we are shooting for the episodes to be aired in January,’’ adds Kaid.

And just how cooperative or difficult are the artists?
‘‘We prepare the story in advance, schedule episodes accordingly and get the co-ordinator to fix the dates with actors and actresses. And if everything is on time, then why should there be any problems. While making the schedule, we keep provisions for things going wrong, so that at the end of the day everything goes according to the plan,’’ says Himanshu.

And are these soaps influential in any way?
Only on a superficial level, says Mahru. Our audiences aren’t stupid. They know that this is just a serial and nothing more. Rushali and Abhimanyu, on the other hand, beg to differ: Soaps do make a difference. The stories are picked from everyday life, and if a person is able to associate himself to a character and identify with it then the character will influence the person.