I am very boring - Producer Yash Patnaik

Producer Yash Patnaik is a happy man. His shows Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera on Star Plus and Life OK’s Junoon - Aisi Nafrat, Toh Kaisa Ishq which had been launched almost simultaneously are doing quite well. The elated producer told us, “I am feeling very happy with the way both the stories are shaping up. I based both of them in rural India as the stories needed that backdrop.” The kids in Veera have gone on to win the hearts of the viewers. Will the track with children be prolonged for a while? The undecided producer told us, “It will be far too early to comment on that. As viewers are liking the chemistry of the kids it will be on for a while. The writers are enjoying penning the scenes involving the kids too. I am yet to decide as to when I will make them grow up. In TV unlike as in cinema, you get your report card every week. It depends on your report card on how you want to tell the story.” Ranvijay (Bhavesh Balchandani) looks the same age as he was when Veera was a baby as he does now that Veera (currently played by Harshita Ojha) has grown a few years older. That isn’t realistic, is it? Yash justifies himself by saying, “Bhavesh is actually 11 years old. When the show opened we had shown him as an eight year old. After the five year leap, Ranvijay is shown as a 12 or 13 year old. Bhavesh is just a year older than the character he plays now. He was chosen keeping in mind the fact that he can easily pass off as an eight year old or a 12 year old. The actor has grown by a year between the first and second phase of the serial anyway.” He avers that the child artistes of Veera have a rollicking time on the sets. “Daily if we are shooting six scenes, two or three scenes are with adult characters and the rest are with the kids. We manage time so that the kids get half-a-day free to complete their studies. Also we have a bank so that the children aren’t over-worked. They rest in their respective rooms which are decorated with posters.” We then quizzed him on his show Junoon. Why did they turn Akash (Ajay Choudhury) bad thereby going down the hackneyed route? He replied, “When you are to have a love triangle, you need to have characters of different shades. Story telling is all about creating conflict, so that your characters can grow through those cycles. Akash was always intended to be a negative character but that wasn’t revealed at the outset.” Which of his two current shows is closest to his heart? He answered with a laugh, “You can’t ask a father as to which kid is the closest to his heart. All my shows are like my kids, how do I favour one of them? Both my current shows are close to my heart. Veera is a week older than Junoon.” Does he regret making any of his shows? He answered, “We generally don’t make any show to regret. However if I was to remake my old shows, I would have remade all of them differently.” Has he woven any autobiographical elements in his shows? “If I am 39 today, then I have seen 39 years of life and have met thousands of people. So some elements from the life I have witnessed have automatically blended into my works. They are all fictional characters though and not autobiographical. I am very boring. So, a character like me wouldn’t appeal to the viewers.” Regarding his fan feedback, Yash informed us, “I love the videos that my fans send me. A few days ago I met actor Jackie Shroff who went on about the kids in Veera. I was very touched.” Moving on to his film ventures we quizzed him as to why he thinks his film Kaalo had not worked out. He replied in a matter of fact way, “It wasn’t supposed to be a box office success. If we had planted a superstar in it and it flopped nevertheless, it would have been a different story though. It did better than many blockbuster Hindi films anyways. Kaalo was made with a television broadcast in mind. It was experimental horror. We got plenty of international awards for it. We retained the sensibilities of TV while creating it. Horror films are generally some spooks and sex. Kaalo didn’t have the second element. It was more for rural viewing and didn’t cater to urban India.” Yash and Mamta (his wife) have also made an Uzbekistani film titled Mohhabatnoma. Speaking on the film he said, “It was shot in Tashkent. It was a blockbuster in Uzbekistan.” Regarding his future films, he said, “We have shot a short film too but are yet to release it. It has shaped up very well. However, it’s too early to talk about that. We have also locked the script of a feature film which will be released in the winter of 2013.” Way to go…Yash!!!