MUMBAI: There are some shows which leave their mark and producer Rajan Shahi’s Sapna Babul Ka…Bidaai is one of them. The show is being re-run on screen and the producer couldn’t be happier. The show meant a lot to Rajan as well. “Bidaai was a true game-changer for me. It was launched in 2007 when I was known as a series director. This was my first show as a producer. At that time, it was unheard of that a technician would become a producer. I will always be grateful to Uday Shankar and Vivek Behl, who took a risk with me,” he says.
However, making a show was a challenge for Rajan. “I remember I had no money when I started this show. I didn’t even have an office and the company was also not registered in my name.”
The show was considered to be unique right from the start as it broke the pre-existing clutter on the tube. “At that time, shows were very complicated and it was the simplicity of Bidaai which worked in its favour. The show was based on the relationships shared between the characters and that made it stand out. We had an amazing team too with seasoned actors such Alok Nath, Seema Kapoor, Vibha Chibber, Avinash Wadhawan and newcomers such as Angad Hasija, Sara Khan, Parul Chauhan, Kinshuk Mahajan,” he says, adding, “I had an amazing core team also to bank on core team. Everyone Ranjeet Agarwal, Vivek Jain, Romesh Kalra, Aarif Sheikh and their respective teams were great.”
However, there were many people who thought that Bidaai wouldn’t do well. “Contrary to what I was told, Bidaai was a super hit. In fact, it helped the 9:30-10:00 pm slot gain importance which also helped our show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai,” he says.
Well, is there a chance that we see a sequel to the show? “Bidaai was such a hit show that the last episode fetched us a TRP of 5.6, which is extremely high. A lot of fans demanded a sequel, however, I never found a script which was good enough. For me, the script is paramount, I never found one which would justify the first season,” says Rajan.
"I am eternally grateful to my mother Deepa Shahi who constantly supported me in all my endavours. I always wanted to take the legacy of my late grandfather Mr. P. Jairaj who was a famous star in his times".
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