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Just
29, Kaushik Ghatak is already a veteran director on Indian
television. A hundred episodes of Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi
Bahu Thi, a few of Sanskriti and Sshhh….Koi
Hai under his belt, Ghatak has now taken on Sanjivani,
the new hospital series on Star Plus.
Hailing from a small town in West Bengal, Ghatak honed his
directorial skills under several veterans in the field after
migrating to Mumbai in the 1990s. For the last four years,
he has tried his hand at ad films as well, a fact that probably
helps him add the element of gloss and sophistication to his
assignments as a director of TV serials. Ghatak spoke to Gurpreet
Tathgur and Hetal Adesera about his initial days
and talks about Sanjivani, his latest and most prized
assignment till date. Excerpts from the interview.
What drew you towards direction?
I used to write, do photography and visualize a lot of things
- but was yet hunting for a means of expression. Filmmaking,
I believe, is the art of all arts. With a background in photography,
I started out as a cameraman. At the Noida institute where
I enrolled for a course in photography, the dean himself recommended
that I should take the one on direction instead. He nearly
brainwashed me into taking up the direction course.
How
did you come to Mumbai?
I came to Mumbai after finishing my course. Mumbai was as
foreign to me as New York, but I have had very pleasant experiences
here although I did struggle a lot initially. Anurag Basu,
whom I assisted initially, is almost like a godfather to me.
I assisted him on Raahat for Zee. Later, I assisted
Partho Mitra for Coffee House, Gautam Mukherjee on
ads like Dettol, Casper, Complan, Oscar, and Khaitan. I assisted
Gaurav Pande for Star Bestsellers and even made small ads
for Raj Travel and Tours.
Ghatak
with the cast and crew of Sanjivani |
What was your directorial debut?
It was a Bengali serial for Alpha Bengali called Amra Povashi.
For Hindi television, it was Kyunki…, which I took
over from the 35th episode and went on till the 155th episode.
Do you believe in sticking to certain genres or do you
believe in experimenting?
Kyunki… was a family drama and so was Sanskruti.
After that, I got an offer to do Sshh...Koi Hai. I
took up the offer not because of money or excitement but because
of the experience and experimenting it asked for. After doing
two family dramas, I didn't want to be stuck with that label,
so I took up Shhh …Koi Hai as a challenge. Directing
a thriller was not a new thing to me as I had assisted Anurag
in X-Zone. Yes, I do believe in experimenting.
What kind of themes generally interest you?
Presently Sanjivani is my main project. I believe direction
is not only about story telling, but is full of moments. Thrillers
and horrors are ok but they are not my kind. I shouldn't be
saying this because I have done those genres before, but my
inclination is more towards human relations and the moments
they are made of.
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Thrillers
and horrors are ok but they are not my kind
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Has Sanjivani been inspired by any soaps or movies?
Many series have inspired me, like ER, Chicago Hope
and Dhoop Kinare. Also, movies like Anand have
motivated me. But I have not copied or adapted from these.
There are similarities but nothing has been lifted. I believe
in inspiration but not in adaptation.
What kind of research do you do before commencing any venture?
Research is very important. A common man knows very little
about the subject of your serial so you can't mislead him
with wrong information. My aim is firstly to entertain, then
inform and lastly to educate. I agree that while making serials,
there is a slight lack of authenticity as it is very difficult
to be accurate but I try to be as genuine as possible. For
Sanjivani, we read 800 case studies, visited several
hospitals to see how the doctors work, how patients react
on various occasions, and interviewed a few doctors before
making a rough outline for the serial.
Are you satisfied with your work?
No, I'm never satisfied with my work. At the end of the day,
I always feel that there is something lacking and that I probably
am in the wrong profession. I feel like running away and doing
something else, but when I sit down to think about it, I realise
that if I leave this field there is nothing else I can do
or rather, nothing else that I want to do.
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Direction
is not only about story telling, but full of the moments
in between.
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Who are your favourite actors?
There are many. I have learnt a lot from many actors, so I
don't want to name all of them.
What work schedule do you follow?
We are currently shooting daily till 6 pm and sometimes have
a night shift too if we have to complete the episodes and
there's nothing to bank on. But after we can a couple of episodes,
we will shoot 16 days a month as each episode takes around
four days to complete. I need my time; the maximum I do is
one shift. I believe in the quality of the work and I don't
mind doing just two scenes in a day. I want perfection in
whatever I do.
What do you think makes for a good director?
A director literally breathes his work. There has to be
involvement, hard work and an ability to convey something
to an audience. You have to work with a premise that your
audience does not know anything about the subject you are
dealing with, and that you are solely responsible to inform
them. Once you have this in mind the rest just flows.
Who is your favourite director?
It is very difficult to answer this. But a few names that
come to my mind are Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Sooraj
Barjatya, Yash Chopra and Shyam Benegal.
Do you want to direct movies?
I plan to get into mainstream films but not into art films.
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You
have to work with a premise that your audience does
not know anything about the subject you are dealing
with, and you are solely responsible to inform them.
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A
still from Sanjivani |
What has been your happiest moment?
My happiest moment was on 14 February 1998, the day Anurag
Basu allowed me to stand on the sets and assist him. Then
of course the day I got the offer to direct Kyunki…was
also a very important day and I could not believe that I was
being offered to direct the current number one serial in the
country.
Where do you see yourself ten years down the line?
When I was a kid, I used to spend Rs 3.75 to watch a film
and then dream of myself directing that kind of film. And
now, here I am, directing television serials! Ten years hence
I see myself at the same place, directing television serials
or maybe even films.
Which are your favourite Indian serials?
There are lots but to name a few there's Malgudi days,
Hum Log, Neem Ka Ped and Ajeeb Dastan.
How would you define Kaushik Ghatak - the person?
Ohh…. a very fun loving person, who loves music, computers
and prefers sitting with his wife after a long day of work
rather than watching TV.
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