As Ekta Kapoor does a kabhie haan, kabhie naa with her status as producer of Jodha Akbar on Zee TV, AKDHA fans and viewers are hoping that there won’t be any need for a transition at all. They are hoping that the protests are all going to fizzle out and the much hyped serial will soon bounce back. But in the past too, there have been instances when the producer had to quit following protests or sighting personal reasons. Deebashree Mohanty tells you how much truth is there in this and whether a production house moving out of a serial will have any impact
I feel like a fool. We spend a lot of time in front of the television and in getting into the skin of every character that is shown in a serial. But sudden changes are a dampener. If an actor decides to move out of any show, it is a big disappointment but when a production house (PH) is contemplating to quit a show that is dear to them, then there is a major crisis. It could mean that the serial itself is in a jeopardy. It may go off air. Even if the transition to another PH is smooth, there are still noticeable changes that may not appeal to the viewers,” Gitika Mishra opines on indiaforum.com. She and many others have been reeling under the news that soap queen Ekta Kapoor might leave Jodha Akbar for good.
Although all is quiet at the PH front with some inside sources saying that the matter is under control and that Ekta and Shobha Kapoor will be back in the serial after the release of their upcoming film, Shaadi Ke Side Effects, there is still a lot of confusion in the forums. If she is quitingIJ Will the show continue as it isIJ Will there be changes in the scriptIJ Will the actors also quitIJ, are common talkpoints in these popular discussion forums on the Internet.
In fact, a popular website registered 300 pages to a single thread — ‘Future of Akdha’ — with more than 1,500 participating in this debate. So, it is evident that a change of hands even at the producer level makes a huge difference to the show. While members of the AKDHA community say that the grandeur that Ekta Kapoor gets to her show will be missed sorely, there are others who feel her bold way of showing romantic scenes can’t be replicated by any other PH.
TV critics, however, have a different take to this problem. For them change is the only constant. After all a soap sometimes continues for more than 1,000 episodes spanning over five years. You can’t expect the same PH or creative director to be associated for that long. “The TV industry works differently from Bollywood. There was no formal understanding or clause of contract for the producer or the actors until recently. So, it was purely an individuals personal decision if he wanted to leave the show midway. Of course, there is an impact on the show immediately but as the time passes, the show catches on albeit with some changes. Personally, I feel when a PH changes, the serial is modified and impacted in a much bigger way,” Rajan Shahi, producer of Kuch Toh log Kahenge says.
Not wanting to comment on the recent developments in Jodha Akbar, Shahi wants fans and viewers to be patient. “Until the truth comes out, we shouldn’t speculate,” he says.
Talking about Saraswatichandra, a show that was welcomed with a lot of fanfare in 2013 as it was Sanjay leela Bhansali’s (SlB) debut venture as a TV director, Shahi says that the new production house, Sphereorigins Mutivision Pvt ltd, has been doing everything possible to ensure that the story moves forward. TRPs, however, say a different story. When it began in February 2013, Saraswatichandra was touted to be the flagship show of Star Plus and SlB received a warm welcome. Saras, Kumud and their love story became popular overnight and the show broke all TRP records of being the numero uno show for seven continuous weeks. But all hell broke loose when SlB had a tiff with the channel regarding the storyline.
It is believed that SlB wanted the content to proceed as he willed not caring about the TRPs but the channelwallahs would not let him have his way. Come August and SlB decided to quit, leaving the show at a very interesting juncture.
“The content doesn’t suffer much and a regular viewer can’t even make out the difference in the storyline but a keen observer can notice subtle changes. Saraswatichandra might have shown a dip in TRPs post Bhansali’s exit but give it time and if there is good content, the show will bounce back,” Shahi says, adding that when a PH quits the show not many viewers are aware unless the transition has been talked about in the media and is a rough one.
SlB’s move has been a calculated one and something the ace director doesn’t want to talk about but he does tell you that TV directing is way more difficult than directing superstars in the film industry. “He was upset about the tantrums that TV stars were throwing and also with the general work attitude at the sets, so he decided to leave the show,” a source of SlB Pvt ltd tells you.
While SlB wants to be silent about his not so smooth exit from TV, soap dish’s mallika-e-khas, Ekta Kapoor doesn’t mind talking about it but she says she can only clarify points once she has had a formal chat with the channel. “No comments about this. We are still in talks with the channel,” Kapoor leaves it at that but her camp is gung-ho about making a thunderous return soon after the release of Shaadi Ke Side Effects. But till then, the Kapoor’s name has been erased from the serial’s tagline.
Will Jodha Akbar suffer from these protests and the sudden decision after having reached top spot TRP-wiseIJ “If they have got a response like this, I don’t think the channel would like to take the show off air at least,” Shahi concludes with this positivity.