Ace writer Mrinal Jha, who has been the creative brain behind successful shows like Kahin Kisi Roz, Maika, Banoo Mein Teri Dulhan, Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Na Kijo and the currently running Sanjog Se Bani Sangini and many more, is turning producer with Star Plus' upcoming show Kaali, which launches on Sept 13, at 11pm slot.
 
Kaali is a tale of a young and ambitious girl Rachna (Swati Kapoor), who dreams of making it big in life. This is the tale of every middle-class family, who feels vulnerable and insecure; at the same time go through the harrowing experience of seeking justice.
 
Writer Mrinal Jha and her husband Abhigyan Jha's Undercover Productions collaborate with Fox Production to produce Kaali for Star Plus.
 
In a frank tte--tte with Tellybuzz, Producer Mrinal Jha talks us through the concept of the show, on the star-cast and experience on writing their concept, which has a cutting edge.
 
Mrinal Jha says, "My basic idea was to work on a show, which depicts the struggle of families, to chat with the judicial system. We often see vulnerability and scare in the faces of middle class family; they shiver at the very thought of something going wrong somewhere. This is one such story that is very relatable to the masses, where we talk about a particular family, who lose years of their lives in trying to get justice. Star Plus showed great confidence in my script and with the channel coming up with their new campaign 'Soch nayi, rishta wahi', they have now decided to go beyond soap genre and introduce soaps with a different edge."
 
Talking about her protagonist Mrinal states, "Rachna played by Swati Kapoor, is a sunshine girl, a very good badminton player, who is extremely positive about attaining her goals and dreams in life. Rachna represents contemporary India, amidst many leading ladies on TV who are mostly home bound. Again, Star Plus has, as a part of its new phase of programming wants to focus on young India, wherein there are millions of girls who aim to pursue various careers.
 
Ask her whether this story is a take-off from a real life incidence and the producer is quick to say, "This is a fictional story and is not based on any particular real life incidence, but as you know, we cannot create a concept out of thin air, so obviously you will see certain elements in the show, that are similar. Having said this, we have tried our best to create a relatable character."
 
Talking about the casting of Ashutosh Rana for the very important role, Mrinal states, "When we and channel had a talk about this character, the only person we could think of was Ashutosh Rana. It was unanimous decision to take him and we were equally pleased to know that Mr. Rana liked the concept a lot. In fact an extensive search was made to get the cast, whether it be Arif Zakaria, Akshay Anand, Vipra, Neelu Kohli etc. As an incing on the cake, we found Swati Kapoor, to be perfectly fit to play the female lead."
 
Adding further she said, "We will be presenting this show in a different way, it will not have typical soap like dialogues and writing, as we wanted to look as real as possible."
 
Ask her whether the show will have a run of only four months and Mrinal sates, "As a part of new Star Plus policy, I guess they do not want shows to go on for years. Above all it's the genre of the soap that can have the lenience to run endlessly. Even though I cannot comment on the specified time of our show, I can say that Kaali is a finite story and has a start to end storyline."
 
Lastly one question about the late 11pm time slot given for the show, she quips, "I don't think 11pm time slot is too late, however, we have varied arguments to it, but in our personal experience I have seen my biggest success with Kahin Kisi Roz at the same time slot."
 

Reporter: Srividya Rajesh