MUMBAI: Actor Namrata Ramsay, who is both an actor and a writer, says that the quality of a show and its writing is not as strong as before. The actor says that there are too many people involved in deciding the direction a show takes now. “I feel back in the day when producers like my dad, Shyam Ramsay, as well as Raman Kumar and Ajay Sinha, were making shows, content-wise they were very rich because it was one person’s vision that was being followed. Today, times are different and sometimes due to so many opinions what you are actually trying to say, gets lost.
I see a trend of writers turning producers in television, which is great as long as the production side doesn’t consume your creative energies,” says Namrata, who has acted in shows such as
Jersey No 10 (sab tv), Jugni Chali Jalandhar (sab tv), Parvarrish (Sony), Rishta.com(Netflix) and Bani -Ishq da kalma ( colors).
The actor is also a writer and loves it. Talking about how she got into writing, she says, “I come from a film background and right since my early years my dad, Shyam Ramsay, encouraged me to write. When I was a child, he would narrate a story to me and make me write it in synopsis form for our TV show Zee Horror Show. Professionally, I got into writing after my show Bani, wherein I felt that I needed to do more so I assisted Shashi Mittal and went on to co-write Deeya Aur Baati Hum on Star Plus. I started enjoying the creative process after which I have done a couple of shows. Currently, I am writing Aye Mere Humsafar for Shashi Sumeet Productions and this is my third show with them after Deeya aur Baati Hum and Mitegi Laxman Rekha on &tv. I consider Shashi ma’am to be my mentor as she taught me the craft of TV writing.”
Ask her what she enjoys more, acting or writing, and she says, “It’s a tough question..let’s just say acting gives me wings to fly and writing keeps me grounded. I enjoy both equally as both keep me going creatively.”
Namrata is open to making a comeback in acting and is on the lookout for something different. “I have been getting calls for web shows and everything seems very fresh and exciting on that front...Honestly in television, you don’t really have an option to pick and choose as similar kinds of characters are written most of the times. However, I would be happy to play characters which are relatable and real to some extent. It would be interesting to do a period drama,” she says.
Ask her if the writing style of shows has changed due to the pandemic and social distancing norms, and she says, “As an actor, I can understand the concerns of other actors on set. But when you are writing, it becomes difficult to write with so many restrictions in mind. Still, we try our best to keep the new norms in mind.”
Meanwhile, this pandemic has taught her a lot, says Namrata. “Firstly, I learnt to be at home. I am not a home person at all and love being on the move constantly. On a serious note, I feel this pandemic made me realize the importance of small things like just being able to hug your friends and family. It made us all realise the need to be mentally and physically fit and just slow down in general. I feel that I utilised my time well as I joined an online screenwriting class with Boman Irani. It was like like going back to school where every day we would look forward to learning something new from Boman Sir,” she says.
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