TOI: Experiments dun work on TV

Armu4eva thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
 

Experiments doesn't work on TV: Ram

IANS | May 25, 2011, 03.39pm IST
 
Seasoned actor Ram Kapoor, who has been in showbiz for 14 years and worked in TV as well as films, says experiments in storytelling yield more favourable results on the big screen owing to multiplexes.

"I think experimentation is being practised on both the platforms - television and Bollywood - but it is much more fruitful on the big screen because of multiplexes," Ram, 37, told IANS in an interview.

"Bollywood experimentation is working. On the contrary, TV does take the risk of bringing different subjects and projects, but these don't pay off.

"Films like 'Rang De Basanti' and 'No One Killed Jessica' have played an important role in reaching out to the masses and waking them up. We have seen people binding together and standing for causes. The most recent was when people got together and fought against corruption with Anna Hazare," he added.

Ram was seen in the critically acclaimed film "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi", the much appreciated "Monsoon Wedding" and "Udaan". He also featured in "Karthik Calling Karthik".

"After 'Udaan', I have been doing a lot more scripts, but five years ago such subjects would not have not got money-backing. Would you have imagined five years back a film like 'Udaan' being released with no stars, no item numbers, no glamour... nothing?," he said.

After finishing his graduation, Ram decided to plunge into showbiz, but before doing that he went to the US to do an acting course. Popularly known as Jai Walia of "Kasamh Se", Ram's first debut assignment on TV was "Nyay" (1997) and he continued his stint with a string of shows such as "Kavita"(1998), "Ghar Ek Mandir"(2000), "Kehta Hai Dil" (2002) and "Basera"(2009).

In 2009, he turned host for Imagine TV's much-hyped wedding reality show "Rakhi Ka Swayamvar" and continued to do that for the second season "Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jaayega".

He is excited about making a comeback on television with Sakshi Tanwar with Sony's forthcoming show "Bade Achche Lagte Hain" about love after marriage.

Produced by Balaji Arts, the show, going on air May 30, revolves around a business tycoon in his late 40s and a working woman in her late 30s.

"I am happy that I am getting the kind of work I have always wanted to do. The roles, the scripts - I feel my weight and my look are favouring my stars," said Ram who bagged the main lead despite being overweight.

"I consider myself a character actor, I am not the leading hero type;

I don't fall in that category. I feel I belong to the league of actors like Boman Irani and Anupam Kher," said Ram who also has interesting movies in hand.

"I am currently working on two films. One is Karan Johar's 'Short Term Shaadi' - I play a Las Vegas real estate king. There is a lot of comedy in the film. My work is more with Boman, Ratna Pathak Shah and Imran Khan. The Vegas schedule is finished and we have to shoot the India part."

He even plays a Russian mob boss in a film by Sriram Raghavan.

"The other film is 'Agent Vinod' where I play a Russian mob boss. The director wanted to experiment with my look and diction. Luckily, I am very good with accents."

Ram has divided his time equally between the small and big screen.

"Now I am getting meaningful roles. I give 15 days a month to TV and the other 15 to films. Sometimes it becomes hectic but it is a good period for my career; so I have no reason to complain," said Ram.

He admits all this comes at the cost of family time.

"My family does suffer - my children miss me. But whatever I am doing at the end of the day is for them. And in every actor's career, there is a period when you become hot; you have to capitalize on that. Now the time is mine," said the actor who is married to co-star Gautami and has two children.
 
 

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AreYaar thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
Thanks for sharing!

Good interview...he's right about how experiments on TV aren't received as favorably...but then that's all thanks to the channels...who lack foresight and don't fully support the shows on their channel with apt promotion. Best example of this is Sony itself...which probably is the only channel among all the current big ones that genuinely has had some different shows coming up like the YRF ones but they never value them and shunt them off to crappy timeslots where it is too late for anyone to watch them.

In the movie business, like Ram mentioned...the emergence of multiplexes has made a major difference to bring forth that audience for niche cinema...but no one is willing to give that kind of support to experiments on TV yet...it's still all about the saas-bahus who bring in the TRPs.


LOLL@ Ram playing a mob boss in BOTH his movies...haha...yeah I guess he'd be very apt for those type of character roles...lol
Posted: 12 years ago
IMO,experimentation will work on TV as well only when a story is kept short,meaningful and crisp..to the point..no dragging...nothing...but since its a hindi daily 'SERIAL',I guess you really cant make the story short crisp and to the point and this is where the experimentation fails.With the channels and PH running behind the almost doomed word TRP,experimentation just doesnt work as the people working for serials always think about how to make the story run atleast for a YEAR..People have definetely experimented on TV with various shows based on unique subjects...but how much essence of the uniqueness have they been able to retain?🤔..Unless,the indian audience gets used to seasonal or weekender shows having a fixed timeline and a fixed story...I guess even if people try to experiment,they fall short of ideas due to the growing demands of a continuing story for their serial.

The answer to why experimentation works more on films and not much on TV lies in the fact that a movie runs just for 2-3 hours while a hindi serial runs for years.

Thanks for sharing Tanu di😊Interesting read...I uite liked him in Udaan.😊

Tani91 thumbnail
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Posted: 12 years ago
interesting articlem I agree with him...I completely agree with nureat01...TV channels have no damn insight on what the audiences want, we're stuck with crappy saas bahu sagas and they think we actually like it.

Sony is the dumbest channel I've said this in some other forum before, they have such diamonds yet they go out there searching for gold. YRF shows were the best thing to happen to indian television



AreYaar thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: .sb.

IMO,experimentation will work on TV as well only when a story is kept short,meaningful and crisp..to the point..no dragging...nothing...but since its a hindi daily 'SERIAL',I guess you really cant make the story short crisp and to the point and this is where the experimentation fails.With the channels and PH running behind the almost doomed word TRP,experimentation just doesnt work as the people working for serials always think about how to make the story run atleast for a YEAR..People have definetely experimented on TV with various shows based on unique subjects...but how much essence of the uniqueness have they been able to retain?🤔..Unless,the indian audience gets used to seasonal or weekender shows having a fixed timeline and a fixed story...I guess even if people try to experiment,they fall short of ideas due to the growing demands of a continuing story for their serial.

The answer to why experimentation works more on films and not much on TV lies in the fact that a movie runs just for 2-3 hours while a hindi serial runs for years.

Thanks for sharing Tanu di😊Interesting read...I uite liked him in Udaan.😊



Shounak, but YRF shows ARE short, crisp, to the point, right?? Even THEY don't get their due even then...again cuz the channel never supports them with proper promotion...if you air a show at 10:30/11 at night...you HARDLY show promos or those ticker promos telling ppl about this show...show off-screen interviews, do some kind of contests, SOMETHING...this is a cut throat business completely saturated with saas-bahu shows...if you don't even make the EFFORT to grab the audience's attention, can you always blame them for lack of TRPs?

And yes, the TRP system for these experimental shows should also be different...obviously the same blanket TRP system can't be used for saas-bahu shows as well as niche shows...just like multiplexes work for smaller budget, niche films...a seperate system needs to be put in place for the ratings of such shows which don't cater to the saas-bahu crowd.

One shortcoming of most YRF shows though has to be scripting issues...even Kismat started out well I hear but moved TOO fast for the audience to manage to absorb everything and now is really being rushed in the last week too...Mahi way also lost the plot in it's latter half...R.com was the only A-class show from start to finish that maintained it's essence👏👏👏...but sadly it was given THE worst treatment from Sony🤢

Sony's current experimentation with making YRF shows dailies for this timespan  hasn't worked much either from what I can see...except for every typical lame crime show on Sony that seems to get them TRPs, that's about it.

Does Sony EVER pause to think why it's fiction band is so weak?? Does it REALIZE how it NEVER supports it's fiction band??
Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: nureat01



Shounak, but YRF shows ARE short, crisp, to the point, right?? Even THEY don't get their due even then...again cuz the channel never supports them with proper promotion...if you air a show at 10:30/11 at night...you HARDLY show promos or those ticker promos telling ppl about this show...show off-screen interviews, do some kind of contests, SOMETHING...this is a cut throat business completely saturated with saas-bahu shows...if you don't even make the EFFORT to grab the audience's attention, can you always blame them for lack of TRPs?

SONY is a totally different case alltogether..they are pathetic in treating their shows.I guess out of all channels now on Indian television..SONY has been one channel which has got a LOT of innovative programs..but they can hardly promote their shows like you said...@red-very true...in that we case we really cant blame TRPs..but isnt the YRF shows pulled off air citing TRP problems?*though SONY is really lame to realize that the TRPs are low coz of the channel itself*🥱

And yes, the TRP system for these experimental shows should also be different...obviously the same blanket TRP system can't be used for saas-bahu shows as well as niche shows...just like multiplexes work for smaller budget, niche films...a seperate system needs to be put in place for the ratings of such shows which don't cater to the saas-bahu crowd.

@blue-Exactly!You really cant put a person watching desi saas bahu soap and a yrf show on the same frame.The veiwpoint of both the audiences are totally different so it does need a different treatment TRP wise.But before TRPs,I think its the mindset of the audiences which needs to change...their attitude towards new shows with innovative ideas..people can just give it a try...

One shortcoming of most YRF shows though has to be scripting issues...even Kismat started out well I hear but moved TOO fast for the audience to manage to absorb everything and now is really being rushed in the last week too...Mahi way also lost the plot in it's latter half...R.com was the only A-class show from start to finish that maintained it's essence👏👏👏...but sadly it was given THE worst treatment from Sony🤢

After watching the culminating story of MW,KS and now Kismat..🤢..I am glad that though I miss R.com but the show can atleast go down in history as a no drag HINDI show which had a perfect start and a perfect finish.

Sony's current experimentation with making YRF shows dailies for this timespan  hasn't worked much either from what I can see...except for every typical lame crime show on Sony that seems to get them TRPs, that's about it.

true,the story of kismat I feel could have been churned out better if it was a weekly than a daily.




Does Sony EVER pause to think why it's fiction band is so weak?? Does it REALIZE how it NEVER supports it's fiction band??

No they dont pause..they just rewind,fastforward and play CID all the time😆

Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: Tani91


Sony is the dumbest channel I've said this in some other forum before, they have such diamonds yet they go out there searching for gold. YRF shows were the best thing to happen to indian television





Very true..atleast the current PH can get inspired from YRF shows in terms of content but hey!who is bothered?They think,just shooting the promo of the show in 16:9 ratio makes it a YRF replica🥱

Tani91 thumbnail
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Posted: 12 years ago
Shounak your last line cracked me up🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
AreYaar thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago

Originally posted by: .sb.




Does Sony EVER pause to think why it's fiction band is so weak?? Does it REALIZE how it NEVER supports it's fiction band??

No they dont pause..they just rewind,fastforward and play CID all the time😆



LMAO so true🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣


Yes it's ironic...Sony is indeed the only channel among the top 4 who happens to come up with genuinely innovative themes from time to time...concepts wise...but they all go down the drain in the blink of an eye...Sony does not know how to promote any show but CID🥱🥱🥱

Dekhte hain how BALH manages to survive the usual Sony treatment😕😆
shanti05 thumbnail
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Posted: 12 years ago
Thanks for the article..

The breed of actors between 2003 to 2007 or 2008 on televsion have been wonderful

I liked his take and his  way of  showing that many people do character roles and he is one of them
lead actors ka tho aaj kal daud hai lekin i prefer character roles which like Jai walia may imopress me in Ram in BALH

I hope SONY and BT stick to teh show for a good chunk of time and we get to know allpossible angles of a man  in his late 40's  getting married  to a lady in her early or mid 30's how their friendhip and love develops after marriage what are teh pros and corns and how they age with time

Good luck Ram thansk for teh article !