Chitranjan Tripathi

An NSD graduate and known name in Delhi’s theatre circuit, Tripathi is all set with his silver screen directorial venture titled Tera Mera Tedha Medha. Having directed Tajmahal Ka Tender, a play that became an instant hit with the masses, Tripathi has now decided to focus on movies and his acting talent. Deebashree Mohanty chats him up

‘TV content still lacks freshness’

From Delhi where you were a renowned theatre person, to Mumbai. How did that re-location happen and whyIJ

I am a lover of the cinema, so I go where there are opportunities. While I was in Delhi, I made most of it by directing plays and composing music. But then, I wanted to do something bigger and for a larger audience. So, I packed up and left for Mumbai. Initial days were full of struggle and I felt a little lost but soon things fell in place and offers started coming. There has been no looking back since then. Having said that, I am still very welcome in Delhi. The State Government had organised a retrospect of my plays in 2012 and the response was overwhelming to all of my six plays.

You started out with a movie in Oriya titled Dhauli Express which created quite a ripple...

Dhauli Express gave me the much needed confidence and the creative satisfaction that I had been yearning for. The film bagged many awards and was showcased in the film festival celebrating 75 years of Oriya cinema. For me, that was a new beginning and I knew I had to take it up from here. I made another Oriya film Mukhya Mantri, which unfortunately bombed at the box office but by then I had made up my mind to never give up on direction.

What Tera Mera Tedha Medha all aboutIJ

I am super excited about this as it is my first Hindi feature film. The movie is a romantic comedy about a young couple who are in a live-in relationship. The couple are painters by profession and extremely passionate about their art. Their struggles and interpersonal relations is narrated in a fascinating way from the perspective of two planets of Indian astrology — Shani and Mangal. The navagrahas play a pivotal role in the Indian scheme of things and I wanted to bring that to the fore in a funny manner. The protagonists Rahul Bagga and Geetika Tyagi have done a marvellous job and so has Reema Worah who is there to spoil the party for the lovers.

Tell us about your small screen outing and has it been a satisfying oneIJ

I have been associated with Doordarshan for a long time and directed some shows like Jaaney Pehchaney Se Ajnabee, Mano Ya Na Mano, Yeh Ishq Haaye, Dhoond legi Manzil Humein and a host of others. My claim to fame was also a few episodes that I directed for Savdhan India on life OK. For me, content wise, TV is still lagging far behind and there is plenty of scope for improvement. They might be introducing new genres but the freshness in content is still missing. long ago, Colors started the tradition of brining us face to face with societal happenings in the form of Balika Vadhu and Na Aana Is Desh Mera lado but now everything has fizzled out. They rely mostly on copied concept and content. It’s high time creative writers have a re-think about their TV scripts.

What would you choose between acting and directingIJ

I have graduated as an actor and I would like to test myself in that front. I have signed up for a Bollywood film to go on the floor by the end of this year. So, I have my fingers crossed. In the meanwhile, I am scouting for a producer for my second Hindi film that I will be directing.