| Interview with Hats Off Productions'
Jamnadas Majethia |
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"Those
times are fast disappearing when producers used to sit in
their offices and sign cheques"
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| Posted on 28
January 2004 |
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Jamnadas
Majethia... better known as JD in the industry has been there, done
that. JD worked with Mudra Communications for two years as marketing
executive and was responsible for looking after the sponsored programmes
for Mudra Video.
On stage, he has been active in Gujarati theatre for the last 12
years. He formed a company Hats Off Productions with Aatish Kapadia,
which he claims is the only group to record a hat-trick of double
centuries for original plays; stories which were neither lifted
nor inspired from elswewhere - Thank You Kokila (210 shows),
Ek Beejane Gamta Rahiye (275 shows) and Aavje Vhala Fari
Malishu (230 shows).
And as if that was not enough, he has also acted in five Gujarati
films in the lead role. He has also co-produced 220 episodes of
the daily soap Babul Ki Duwayien Leti Ja for Zee TV. Phew!!!
Well, he is the same guy who won the ABCL Productions' Star
Trek contest a while ago. But unfortunately, the promised venture
by ABCL did not take off. He tried his luck with acting in the Urmila-Sanjay
Dutt starrerKhoobsurat , but the film did not create even
a whimper at the turnstiles.
On the way, he also kept himself busy with ads. Till date, he has
modelled for more than 75 brands - Bristol Cigarettes, Suzuki Samurai
No Problem Bike, LG TVs, Saridon... to name a few.
And he has a few awards in his kitty as well. Count and you will
find at least twenty awards for acting in inter-collegiate drama
competitions plus the Gujarat State Award for a Gujarati film titled
Darya Choru.
As of now, he is headlong into Khichdi - as a producer and
actor.
Excerpts from the flamboyant producer cum actor's interview with
indiantelevision.com's Vickey Lalwani:
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How did Aatish Kapadia and you get together?
Aatish and I have been working together for the past two decades.
We know each other since our college days. We did college plays
together, we even studied M.M.S together. Basically, I was an actor
and he was a writer. I was always his bouncing board. One day, we
decided that we should start a company to produce plays. Aatish
said that since he was a writer, he had a better perception of the
content and could actually visualise how it should be portrayed,
and hence he would like to take on the onus of direction. So, I
thought that I should divert my energies in the production segment.
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How did 'Khichdi' happen?
After we started our company to produce plays, Aatish
was writing and directing for others as well... like Ek Mahal
Ho Sapno Ka for Vipul Shah. Likewise, I entered into a co-production
with Shobhna Desai and we came out with a serial Babul Ki Duayen
Leti Ja. Slowly but surely, we graduated from plays to serials.
Then we thought we two friends should put our experience together.
This is how Khichdi came about.
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And then...?
We went to Star Plus with our proposal.
I was very clear that I wanted Aatish to direct the show. In fact
Aatish himself wasn't too sure because he has no technical background.
To the channel's credit they were extremely co-operative and encouraging
and I want to thank them for it.
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Did
you'll have any parameters that you'll worked on?
We realised that the comedy field was virtually empty. There
were lots of saas bahu sagas, suspense thrillers, even horror shows-
but there was hardly any show which was making people laugh. Like
a sensible batsman tries to time his shot in the area where there
is no fielder, we too tried something different. And it went all
the way (Laughs).
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"I
literally know naive women like Hansaa and duffers like Praful"
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Is
that the only reason behind Khichdi's success?
Surely not. That was just how the programme
was pitched. Of course the content mattered. We believe Khichdi
is genuinely funny... as simple as that. It's characters are
either believable or completely non-believable in all their stupidity.
Actually, Khichdi is inspired by the first Gujarati play
our company produced, the play was titled Ladakvaya. At the
risk of sounding boastful, Khichdi is different from other
family sitcoms.
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Could
you elaborate on that?
It is different in the sense that though
it is set in contemporary times the setting is not too modern. Earlier
we shot in an old haveli and not in a studio set which instantly
gave it a nostalgic, 'back to the good old days' feel. The feel
was very authentic and Indian. The genuineness and typicality of
an average Gujarati household with all its quirks had been brought
out. All these little touches worked. Then we had some problems
of continuing our shoot at the same place. So we shifted to another
place, showing that the new place had been gifted by Babuji's aunt.
But we had to ensure that the original flavour was not lost, else
the identification factor would have got diluted.
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As
a producer, what is your involvement in the project?
I have always been a hands-on producer, present on the sets.
The times are fast disappearing when producers used to sit in their
offices and sign cheques. Today a producer is not just a financer.
I take to production as a creative art. I am involved with casting,
twist-n-turn in the plot and the look of the sets. I work with my
director (Aatish) as a team.
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How
did you do the casting?
The essence of comedy is to surprise people with as many unusual
things as possible, make their eyes go wide in amazement. Nobody
on television had ever thought of casting Anang Desai in a comedy.
Or, Vandana Pathak has never done a grey character. Or for that
matter, even Praful hasn't done comedy. You might have laughed at
him in Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, but he was not doing any comedy
there - you laughed simply because he played a hen-pecked husband.
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But did the channel allow you a free hand in the casting process?
They had a few names in mind. But we were firm. We had even
given them the second options for the main roles. There was no autocratic
method applied. I guess they saw the conviction in our eyes. Hmmm...
actually they even wanted a laughter track in the serial, but we
requested not to add that. We explained to them that comedy can
work better in the long term if the show is not pushed as a 'in-your-face
laugh riot.
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"The
essence of comedy is to surprise people with as many unusual
things as possible & make their eyes go wide in amazement"
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Earlier
you said that some of the characters are real. I beg to differ...
(Interrupts) I have seen these characters in my day
to day life. I have met people like Hansaa and Praful. I literally
know of naive women like Hansaa and duffers like Praful. This is
from where I derived the inspiration of characters in the play Ladakvaya
and Khichdi.
I have
a boy in my office. I sent him to Aatish at Khar, to get a signature
on an important document. He went and by the time he came back to
my office, I had left for the day. Next morning he tells me that
he could not do the job. I demanded to know the reason. He explained:
I reached Aatish's office. He was busy on the phone for 30-40 minutes,
thereafter he came out of his cabin and left. I did not stop him
because he looked solid busy. I was livid and told him that his
antics would soon make shut my business down. He nodded and said,
"mujhe bhi aisa hi lagta hai", (I too feel the same).
Mind you, there was not even a grin on his face. He often does not
understand what he says. Haven't you read the famous Suppandi stories
in Tinkle? There are many Suppandis around you and me. Praful
is one such Suppandi.
All
we have done is repainted the characters to suit the needs of the
plot.
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But
why a Gujarati set up? Is it because Aatish and you are Gujjus?
That, no doubt, is one of the reasons. One should work in a
zone where the comfort levels are high. One should detect, tap and
exploit his own strengths, only then he is truly creative. Think
of it, why does Yash Chopra have a Punjabi flavour in almost all
his movies?
There
is one more reason. Check this out. Compared to other states, Gujarat
records higher TRP ratings for almost all shows. Our show set in
the backdrop of a Gujarati household, would definitely have an added
advantage of getting still better TRPs.
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How
do you make sure that every particular episode or scene will make
people laugh?
The characters come alive in front of us as Aatish writes and
rewrites their nuances. If we are not sure that a particular scene
would create laughter, Aatish even enacts the scene himself. It
is bizarre and at the same a logical thing to do.
Plus
we ensure that the show does not lose its freshness. We make sure
that we don't repeat situations. We have enough incidents for inspiration
from real life if we look closely enough.
Plus,
don't forget that there is a lot of emotion in the serial. You can't
make people laugh, laugh and laugh. A time will come when it will
all look stale. No serial can work without emotion in India.
Like
there is a character called Jackie, whose birthday comes once in
four years. When he complains that he can't celebrate, his mom explains
him that there are thousands of children in this poor country who
don't even know when they were born. At times, we have even dealt
with serious issues, though in a light manner - so it doesn't sound
preachy. For instance, once we questioned why shouldn't a widow
be allowed to put mehendi on her hands and lead her life as per
her own wishes. Such episodes help to create the right balance.
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Have
you earmarked any issues that you won't try to make people laugh?
Yes, we have laid down some basic rules, if I may say so. We
will not take a dig at caste, customs and traditions. Somehow we don't
fancy taking potshots at different castes. It can be amusing to one
section of the society, while it can be terribly hurting to the other.
Plus, we don't believe in controversies pulling the serial ahead.
Do we need such undesirable things? I get letters from families saying
they gather around the TV on Tuesday night and invite friends over
for a Khichdi session, they try and catch the repeat as they
missed a couple of jokes because they were too busy laughing. |
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"Humour
is something that you may appreciate in the mood of the moment,
but it need not necessarily tickle at a later stage"
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Why
did you suddenly start acting in the show?
I have acting experience. Those who knew that Aatish and I were
behind the show, used to keep sending feelers that I should be a part
of the cast. Somehow I was not too keen. Then, sometime back, there
was a slot - Raju - where Aatish insisted that I get in. However,
I thought that Raju required a younger person. So we chose Amit Varma.
Recently, when the Himanshu slot crept in, we thought of Deven Bhojani.
He expressed his inability to do so, due to some of his commitments.
Aatish suggested that I jump in. Star Plus officials endorsed the
idea. Obviously, they had seen me acting in Karishma Ka Karishma.
So, it happened. Of course, it saves quite a lot of money. But it's
very taxing. |
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Do
you think working for theatre has helped you guys in your work for
television?
To an extent yes, but not much. Theatre and television are two
entirely different media. I would say writing for theatre is far more
difficult since you are catering to a live audience. You can get their
reaction instantly. As far as television goes, you really can't be
affected as there are millions of viewers. Also the styles and the
structure varies a lot. Plus, production values for television are
much higher and need to go down to the flimsiest detail. |
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Do
you take your artistes' suggestions and give them a free hand?
We let them improvise but only if it is absolutely relevant to
the plot. Sometimes, they suggest a line or two that is hilarious,
but if it doesn't fit into the theme then we don't use it. We can't
afford to get carried away. Humour is something that you may appreciate
in the mood of the moment, but it need not necessarily tickle at a
latter stage. |
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And
when you don't get it right, what you do?
On occasions, we have shot almost the entire episode again. There
have been times when we thought that it was going right, but when
viewed in totality, we knew that wouldn't work. |
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So
what's cooking after 'Khichdi'?
We are working on a couple of scripts. We hope to churn out quality
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Correct
me if I am wrong... but aren't you working on a soap and a thriller?
(Smiles) Oh, you knew about it. Well, recently, we dropped
the idea of doing the thriller. Now we are working on a soap and a
family comedy. The comedy, in particular, will be of a totally new
genre. Unlike the Khichdi parivaar, this parivaar will be very
sophisticated. |
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Where would you place both these shows?
Star Plus is our first choice. Other channels have also approached
us. Let's see. But we would prefer Star Plus. |
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What is so special about Star Plus?
They seem to know the pulse of the audience like the back of
their hand. They know what will work and what won't. At times when
the chips have been down, they have come in as doctors. This is because
they understand the programmes very well. They not only have a business
mind but a creative mind as well. If you have a creative as well as
a business mind, you are a winner. |
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Recently, kids' participation in 'Khichdi' has been increased. Why?
We are using children as a medium as they have an uncanny sense
of what is right and wrong. I think as one grows older we tend to
sketch a utopian image of the world blocking out reality and children
often bust that. Now this was suggested by Star Plus. This is once
example where they came in as doctors.
Plus,
this way Shakalaka Boom Boom is being utilised to carry forward
a spill-over audience into Khichdi. After this move, Khichdi
has benefitted in terms of viewership. This is one example where
they come in as shrewd businessmen. To be honest, we were quite
reluctant when they suggested that kids participation in Khichdi
be increased!
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