'My aim is to bring Sony back to No.2'

'My aim is to bring Sony back to No.2'

Chaya Unnikrishnan Sanjay Upadhyay was one of the best known directors on the telly when weeklies ruled the roost. His hit list includes Saaya, Hum Pardesi Ho Gaye and Aatish that introduced Smriti Irani. In a freewheeling interview the Head of Fiction, Sony charts his future plans.   From directing serials to being the creative director of a channel, how has the journey been? It's been an interesting journey. I quit direction when dailies came into the picture. I couldn't see myself churning out the kind of volume a daily soap requires. Also, the creatives started being controlled by EPs of production houses and channels and it wasn't in synch with the director's vision. Now, after a long time I feel some sort of satisfaction as I am in charge of programming. There was a time when a serial would be known by its director's name. Today directors are non-entities with producers driving the content. True. Earlier directors had a vision, but with the advent of dailies they had nothing to contribute. In a daily there's little time to think and create. As I said, you may have planned it a certain way for four episodes but the EPs have decided 20 more episodes that have nothing to do with what you have conceived. Now that you are on the other side of the board, has your opinion changed? Today, the EPs of the channels draw the outlay of the show and are in charge of the creatives, right from the conceptualisation. My whole idea is to bring to the table my experiences of being on the creative side, first as a director and then as a senior creative director with BAG Films. This will help me in sourcing right kind of creative minds and connecting with them which is why I have a broadbased interaction with the producers. It is not 'my way or high way'. I also give and receive feedback with the directors of the shows who are virtually forgotten. You came into Sony when it was losing its grip and sliding to the No.3 position. How did you percieve the channel then and where do you see it now? I don't want to talk about the past. Let bygones be bygones. There is a certain science into making the shows. Either you tell the same stories differently or you tell completely different stories. I prefer the former. By telling the same stories differently, I want to make a connect with the viewers. Over the years, consumer market has played a strong role in dictating content. You have to realise you are catering to a certain market where certain shows are in demand. You have to work in that direction and not use the platform to experiment your personal fantasies. At the same time, there has to be something about you that makes it special and not be a me-too brand. We are in a changing phase and my aim is to bring back Sony to its No.2 position if not No.1. Amber Dhara is the first serial to roll out after you joined. Didn't you think it was risky to air a show about conjoined twins at primetime? The risk was in the mind when we heard the idea. Soon, we realised it was a story of triumph and though there was this little mental block about viewers accepting conjoined twins, we knew we had a winner in our hands. We were right as the girls have endeared themselves to the viewers and opened up new markets for Sony. Rajasthan, Punjab and Indore that earlier were not responding to us have started tuning in.

Will the girls eventually be seperated or continue as they are?
They will continue to be conjoined. However, the serial is not about their affliction, it's about these two young, vulnerable girls discovering their identities, their ambitions and how they overcome odds to achieve them.

Your next offering is Salaam Zindagi, the promos of which take you back to Udaan...
Yes and it's a co-incidence that I was involved with Udaan too! I was the associate director to Kavita Chowdhary who had written, directed and acted in the serial. It was one of my early experiences. I was coming from an ad background and I remember, it took us a year-and-a-half to shoot 13 episodes. That was 20 years ago. Today post-globalisation, attitudes and perceptions of the young generation have changed. What has not changed are the traditional values and belief systems. Kalyani in Udaan fought for values, for certain rights that her father had lost while Manya in Salaam Zindagi is traditionally rooted. It's because of her grandfather's reaction, who is confined to a wheelchair since the demise of his son, when he sees Manya in a cop's uniform that she decides to join the police force, thereby giving up her dream of becoming a dancer.

What next?
The next launch is a serial tentatively titled Abha. It's about a girl who's caught in this perpetual dilemma of whether she should abandon responsibilities of her mother's family after marriage. Then there's Autumn Love, which will come later.

Sony is perceived as a reality channel with Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Indian Idol and Big Boss high on the charts.
That's because Sony has brought in innovative formats. Whether it's Indian Idol or Big Boss these shows have taken reality shows to another level. Having said that, let me also make it clear that fresh and progressive soaps with relatable characters have worked like Heena,Kkusum and Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi and I am looking at hows that will connect and create their own identity. You can also expect new seasons of Indian Idol and Big Boss.

Don't you feel like getting back to direction?
I will at some point of time. Right now, all my energies are focussed on bringing Sony back to its position.

http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=18211

Sony has great serials and the upcoming protects do seem ineteresting esp Salaam Zindagi..the promos are promising!

I hope Sony will get it's position back for sure!

So AD will stay conjoined as he mentioned...

Thanks Shru!

LOve,
Gracella