Roadies is not our deal anymore - Raghu & Rajiv

Swirling rumours of Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman having been chucked out of Roadies by MTV that erupted last week created quite a storm. The duo spoke to Tellychakkar.com to set the record straight once and for all.

Did the reports shock you?

(Raghu & Rajiv) It did. It came out of the blue.

Who do you think could be behind this? Do you suspect anyone?

(Raghu) No idea. Everybody can conjecture. I would rather not waste my time thinking about it. When it came out or why it came out is none of our concern.

(Rajiv) What matters now is that we are on a new journey now and we ended our association with Roadies amicably. All is well and there is no problem.

But obviously whoever spread this news is certainly not your admirer, right?

We have had many detractors for over a decade and to be honest it had never affected us. This is also not affecting us. There might be someone with an agenda or strategy but I don’t think it is the official strategy or official agenda. It is something that happened between the publication and that source. The journalist who wrote that checked with me and I dismissed it. Despite doing so, the news piece was written.

Do you think someone could be trying to sabotage your new company Monozygotic?

(Raghu) First thought was not that someone is trying to sabotage Monozygotic but someone is trying to salvage Roadies. The top management comprises of people we have worked with intimately for over a decade. These are the people we trust and we are not na?ve. If they would have done it, we could have seen it coming from a mile. So when somebody says I have a channel source who said this, I believe the journalist. But if the channel’s management says that they have said nothing of that sort I believe them too and I have 10 times more faith in MTV.

But the source does seem to be an insider?

Whoever is speaking is probably from within the channel but he or she doesn’t speak for the channel.

Tell us why did you decide to quit Roadies?

(Raghu) Roadies has largely been something of which I have been at the helm of for a long time and it has always been my attempt to refresh the property so that there is a certain freshness to the whole thing. Our attempt to refresh it for a decade has been successful. We have been able to hold on to our core audience and have been able to bring in some new ones as well. But time had for the show to move ahead and we couldn’t have been the guys to take it forward because monotony had started creeping in. So we had this frank and candid conversation with MTV back in March where we told them that we couldn’t do it anymore and we had given enough notice about it. Infact, I was asked to be a part of Roadies 12 as well and I made the decision to not to be a part of it. I was able to convince the channel that the show itself requires a reboot without us being a part of it.

Why couldn’t you guys be a part of that reboot?

(Raghu) I have rebooted it many times. But today, there is a lot more that needs to be done. The action has clearly shifted to digital where young people are very involved. They are contributing to it and interacting in a manner in which TV or films can never allow them to do and that is where we find our excitement and enthusiasm. Not just digital but also the new TV shows that we are working on is something that makes us want to get up in the morning, get dressed and come to office and work. This enthusiasm was missing towards the fag end of Roadies.

Was it difficult to let go off Roadies?

It was not difficult to let go off Roadies. We had been trying that for three years and finally we became successful. Roadies is just one success story of ours. We are young and not yet forty. Roadies is done now. It is not our deal anymore. It is our past. Monozygotic is our present and our future.

What are you coming up with next through Monozygotic? Will it be a reality show?

(Raghu) Reality shows are the smallest part of it… Wait and watch. We have a lot more up our sleeves.

Finally, will the angry Raghu & Rajiv ever make an appearance?

No. That aspect of our personality was a requirement of Roadies and you will never get to see it again. You will now get to know the real us.