A grand show

In May 2005, fans of the famous Barjatya film family and their production house Rajshri tuned into their first foray into television, Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki, albeit with a bit of scepticism. Last week, the show aired its 1,000th episode, a mighty accomplishment in today's eyeball-hungry times.

The production house's television head is 30-year-old Kavita Barjatya, filmmaker Sooraj's sister, whose soft voice is filled with pride as she talks about the lengthy process of creating the show. "Though it was primarily a strategic business decision, we wanted to create a show that delivered pure Indian simplicity and emotion."

Woh Rehne Waali is the leading show on Sahara One with whopping TRP ratings. With a family-centric theme, the program embodies all that Rajshri Productions has to offer. Kavita attributes this to its realistic portrayal of relationships and marriage. "The average Indian viewer can easily relate to the storylines. We create plots that are full of hope. And in this day and age, who doesn't need hope?" she says.

The show attempts to highlight the fact that people change and hence each character continues to evolve with each episode. Unlike other soaps where there are defined antagonists, Woh Rehne Waali has made it a point to depict life on a more grey scale. "Our negative characters are created with a purpose and a story behind their actions. They aren't there for the sake of it," explains the producer.

Initially, the show focused more on moments in the story but now it's moving towards more drama and a faster pace. Having already completed 1,000 episodes, Kavita believes that it's vital to keep the viewers engaged and interested. The way to do that is to make sure that there's always ample material to work with.

Rajshri Production usually focuses on programs that analyse relationships and family. Kavita makes it clear that even after all this time, the show will continue in the same direction for the simple reason that there's a lot of room left to explore. Though she does admit that it would be nice to branch out, for now, the ideas within these themes are still overflowing.

... contd.

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