After
indigenous toons, it is the turn of home grown comic characters
to spring to life on the tube. Sahara TV has taken the initiative
by bringing to television Chacha Chaudhary, the Diamond
Comics character, who has been entertaining children all
the over the country for the last three decades.
The serial that kicked off on 13 May and is slated to be
a thrice-weekly series, is produced by filmmaker Ketan Mehta's
Maya Entertainment, and directed by debutante Mohit Jha.
It's a new genre that takes on the might of the sitcoms
and daily comedies in the evening slot. The producers aim
to wean away the youngster clued in to Mickey Mouse and
Tom & Jerry on the kids' channels and give them a solid
diet of some Indian heroism in simple garb. The serial is
bound to find an echo in the hearts of generations who grew
up on the simple Chacha's antics against villains, Saboo's
giant strength, and the endearing red convertible, but whether
it will click with new age kids, remains to be seen. indiantelevision.com
correspondent Amar speaks to the persons involved
in its making.
Pran,
the creator of Diamond Comics
On the idea behind Chacha Choudhary,
the serial
"Almost four decades ago, I realised that children's
reading in India needed a comic hero character - someone
who would be a role model for children. The concept of this
hero had to be totally different from the western concept
of a hero. Unlike western heroes who would be tall and handsome,
Chacha is short-statured, bald and an old man. He uses his
brain, sharp intellect and common sense to good effect in
solving difficulties.
Aiding Chacha throughout is the brawny Saboo, a 20-foot-tall
creature, an original inhabitant of planet Jupiter. For
a comic story to sustain reader interest over a span of
40 years, one has to be innovative as far as issues are
concerned. If 40 years ago, the main issues tackled would
be cheating and pick-pocketing, today they are terrorism,
match-fixing and financial scams. Also, there has to be
a strong line of humour throughout. Adventure, no doubt
is of immense interest, but humour is at the base of all
comics and without strong humour, comics tend to lose some
of their sheen.
I have also been very particular about not depicting magic
or witchcraft because these are uncommon things. The thrust
of our comics is on simplicity."
Ketan
Mehta, producer and series director
On what made him take up Chacha
Choudhary for a TV serial
"The Chacha Choudhary comics have always fascinated
me in my growing years. These comics reflect the soul, ingenuity
and spirit of India. I always had a desire to bring these
characters to life and have been toying with the idea for
the last five years. Then, I met up with Gulshan Rai, the
publisher of Diamond Comics, who shared my passion to make
this character into a TV series and we put the show together."
On what is the programming thrust
behind Maya Entertainment's TV serials
"We would like to be path-breaking and different. TV
as a medium of entertainment has to become richer. Another
serial that we are working on is Saraswati Chandra, which
again will be a trend-setter. Besides we have a well-developed
infrastructure that encompasses the best special effects
and editing facilities. So, we are in a position to really
go for serials that are out of the ordinary."
On what is the understanding between
Maya Entertainment and Diamond Comics
"Diamond Comics have sold the TV telecast rights of
Chacha Choudhary to us, but I wouldn't like to dwell on
the financial value of the deal. I hope this serial goes
on and on - it's a never ending series of stories."
Raghuveer Yadav, who portrays Chacha Choudhary
On what made him take up Chacha
Choudhary and what preparation went into the role
"Actually I have not taken up any TV assignment in
the last few years because TV production today has come
to be operated like a note-publishing machine and this is
not the way creative people like to work. But when Chacha
Choudhary was offered to me, there were several factors
in it that appealed to me.
After Mungerilal, the character with which I have largely
been identified, I felt Chacha Choudhary had the potential
to attain cult status on TV. Besides, the fact that it was
meant for children, whose viewing interests we have always
ignored, excited me.
As far as my preparation goes, I have been a reader of Chacha
Choudhary comics in my growing years so I had a good basic
idea of what the character was like. After taking up the
role I started reading these comics afresh to get more insight
into the characters. Besides this, I really go by my instincts
and depend on the director."
Mohit Jha, director
On his experience of directing
Chacha Choudhary
"I have been involved with this project right from
the stage of conceptualisation and hence today I have immense
control over the shooting process. I shoot one episode a
day and because I also am the editor on the project, one
entire episode is fully ready in three shifts. As far as
my preparation for the project goes, to ensure authenticity
of the story, I did an exhaustive reading of these comics.
I am also lucky to have a very good cast which reduces my
worries considerably."
