With a supernatural twist to a love story, &TV’s laal Ishq brings a new dimension to the small screen that will make viewers wait for what unravels next, says Monika Thakur
A lot of romantic TV series have been showcasing the cliché story — boy meets girl and they fall in love — with perfect jodis swearing to be there for each other eternally. Why is it then that the stories go in the other directionij Makers say that they want to be unconventional and yet be relatable.
&TV’s latest offering — laal Ishq — questions the clichéd happily ever after. Experimenting with the love- thriller genre, the show aims to bring something new for the viewers at home.
“laal Ishq is a marriage and the thrill quotient that comes a supernatural twist. This kind of genre has not been attempted so far. Therefore, it brings a lot of curiosity,” Bhawna Sresht, producer, &TV, says.
Breaking the monotony of romantic shows, laal Ishq brings the ‘may be or may be not’ factor that compels the audience to wonder, what’s next. The viewers will get to see a different side of a love story that is both practical and real.
Actress Mahi Vij, who has shot for one episode of the show, says: “laal Ishq gives love a completely new perspective. When the story that was narrated to me, I was hooked instantly. This a romantic story with a peculiar element to it. This genre is a new learning experience for me and that is why I took it up even though the stories are episodic.”
It was a conscious effort by the makers to go for episodic instead of daily soap. The show, which went on air on June 23 and telecasts every Saturday and Sunday at 10 pm, stands at 0.2 as per BARC ratings Week 28 (July 7 to 13, 2018).
“In a daily soap, people work on a single story for years. In this show the need is to squeeze everything out of the story and showcase every bit of it. Your responsibility is to narrate one journey which could be one day, one year or ten years, in a 30-40 minute episode. The narrative of such TV series must be beautiful yet intriguing, to make sure that people are hooked on to it.
“They should be entertaining and yet find a connect with the audience who should not feel that this is not possible in reality. Giving a purely fabulous content to the viewers to watch is another challenge that comes our way. Execution part of the shooting is like running a race and be able to reach the finishing line in a stipulated time,” Sresht tells you.
Actor Rhea Ganguly, who has also shot for one of the episodes, says: “I look for quality work and script matters to me a lot. It’s the catchy stories and interesting characters that made me say yes to laal Ishq. The supernatural element in the show appealed to me. I don’t know about ghosts, but I do believe in good and bad souls. The show beautifully portrays the supernatural part in it.”
Multiple producers and creative heads have come on board for this project since there is a lot riding on the success of this show. “Characters made us choose suitable actors for the show and celebrity faces are an additional benefit as there is already a loyal fan following for them,” Sresht says.
The show has been received well thus far by the audience. Talks are on for another season in the making. “We would be open to creating another season. As producers, we have decided to shoot 13 episodes as of now, but we might shoot more episodes, depending upon the response of the audience,” Sresht tells you.