At a time when channels loath to deviate from either a drama or a thriller format, Sony Entertainment Television's Devi which has managed to rope in both, is a potent combination that seems to be working for the channel.

Devi, a weekly soap that airs Fridays at 9 pm, is Sony's surprise hit show currently. The serial, which according to TAM analysis for 19 - 25 January, received more eyeballs than any other programme on the channel. The introduction of a dramatic twist to the plotline has worked and how.

The 'social' thriller, with a good measure of religiosity thrown in, has been on air for almost 20 weeks now. It is a typical Cinderella story about a girl - Gayatri, played by Saakshi Tanwar, an orphan raised by a cruel aunt. The similarity ends there. There is no Prince Charming to live happily ever after with. Instead, she is destined to die at the hands of her husband, Vikram (played by Mohnish Bahl), to whom she is forcibly married off.

Speaking about the new twist in the tale, director Anant Mahadevan says:"Devi is a social thriller, a cult story if you please. The term Devi is a metaphor; the serial is a reflection of the way a woman is treated in the society. The dramatic twist in the storyline introduced now, was anyway on the cards."

Actors: Mohnish Bahl, Saakshi Tanwar, Rajesh Khera Producers: Devgan Software and Television Footprints Director: Anant Mahadevan

The story so far...
From the frying pan into the fire! Gayatri, married to Vikram Sharma (played by Mohnish Bahl) - the spoilt son of a rich industrialist father, survives a loveless marriage, her only solace her faith in Goddess Vaishnodevi.
Predictably enough, she manages to bag the affection of her in-laws but all her efforts to win over her husband are in vain. Vikram, egged on by his brother-in-law, attempts yet another effort to banish his wife out of his life.

After tricking Gayatri into believing that he has had a change of heart, Vikram takes her to Vaishnodevi to seek the goddess' blessings. After umpteen attempts, he finally succeeds in pushing her off a cliff.

True to a prophecy made by the family pundit, Gayatri miraculously enters his life again, this time with a vengeance....

Says Mahadevan:"All I can tell you is that the Gayatri who comes back is neither a case of double identity nor a heroic survivor."

Sets, direction, action...
Devi is producers (filmstar Ajay) Devgan Software and Mahadevan's Television Footprints Production's debut effort.

The scene for the day is being shot at the spacious Poonawalla bungalow at Madh island. The bungalow is one of the prime locations for shoots on the Mumbai coastline. With a cool breeze blowing and the sound of the sea ringing softly, it looks as though the actors would have a hard time concentrating on work.

The bungalow is straight out of a tourist guide. However a full-day, nine to nine shoot is in store for the director and the actors. The first shooting schedule is already over by the time the press arrives on the set. The shot that we witness takes place on the lawn - a scene between Vikram and his brother-in-law - a few takes and the director is satisfied with the shot.

A little snooping around reveals that although budgets are tight, no costs are being spared to get the right effect. The location chosen today requires a sum of Rs 17,000 to Rs 20,000 per shift, and this is a normal shoot.

While the actors get ready for the next shot, both Mahadevan and producer Misha Gautam share their stories about location scouting. Mahadevan says: "Most memorable was the recent shoot that we did en route to Vaishnodevi. We shot continuously for three days! Right from Delhi airport all the way to the climb up to the temple." Gautam quips,"By the time we reached the cliff we were all set to push 'Gayatri' off the cliff."

When asked to elaborate on the choice of subject and the recent twist-in-the tale, writer Sanjay Kumar says, "Though the characters are stereotypes, we have certainly attempted to present them in a different light. About the latest twist, I am not trying to portray a woman's rebellion after being pushed too far but reactions of two different women to a same situation. Never at any point in the serial have we sprung a change on the audience, the story slowly leads to the change."

Speaking about the choice of cast, Mahadevan says: "We were very clear that we wanted an established actor to play Vikram's role. It is a very demanding role. As soon as Mohnish's name popped up, we decided to look no further. He has done a marvelous job; I can say it is one of his best performances till date."

He adds, "Saakshi wasn't the first choice though, it was supposed to be movie actor Madhu's telly debut. That, however, could not be arranged as she decided to go the family way. In the meanwhile, we came across Saakshi, she was already a popular face on television and had a screen image to boot, so we decided to cast her."

In the midst of an animated conversation, Mahadevan says: "The basic premise of the story is the eternal conflict between good, bad and evil. Don't get us wrong - we are not here to preach but to entertain. But we have not sold values that corrupt lives under the guise of entertainment. What we have created are larger than life characters of the yin, the yang and the man."

While talking about the difficulties encountered he says: "The main difficulty was that we did not have any set parameters for our story. It is easy to work sticking to a paradigm but when you are given a free hand, your responsibilities increase. Any goof ups and you are the one to be blamed."

Actors Pitch
Mohnish Bahl

On why he accepted the role
"I was tricked. The story narration was a sort of teaser,they narrated only a part of the story. The story sounded interesting and I wanted to know more. But they refused to reveal the story till I signed on the dotted line. So here I am as Vikram."

About the role
"I understand the psyche of Vikram but I can't say that I identify with him. He does not believe in marriage and strictly does not like any one to intrude on his privacy and Gayatri manages to upset him on both counts. According to some contorted viewpoint, he decides to banish her forever out of his life. I did try and tone down my performance vis-a-vis the big screen performance. I have showcased all the possible moods in this particular role."

Saakshi Tanwar

Saakshi Tanwar, more famously known as Parvati on Star Plus' Kahaani ghar ghar kii, is the chosen one for the role of Gayatri. While talking about her, the director does not use praise sparingly. He says: "She being the protagonist of the story has ably manoeuvred through all the shots rather smoothly and to top it all, she is extremely dedicated and professional."

Rajesh Khera

On his experience so far
Cast in the role of the Vikram's brother-in-law with ulterior designs is Rajesh Khera, an actor who has acted in Saaya on Sony. While speaking about his role he says:"I do not know why but it seems that I am being typecast as a negative character. In Devi I am a purely black character - an intelligent and manipulative person, who for his selfish reasons befriends Vikram and becomes his confidante. Murdering Gayatri is orchestrated by him but he is too sly in his operations," he adds.


The Channel's Say
Devi is part of its Ab Aayega Mazzaa programming initiative. While talking about the popularity of the show, Sony's Head of Creative Saurabh M Vanzara says: "We have tried our best not to get sucked into the regressive mode, so for the half an hour slot for a weekly format vacant we wanted a serial catering to women audiences and having the basic grammar. As Devi offered us the same, we commissioned the producers to shoot for 52 episodes, but after seeing the amount of viewership the serial has, we have decided to make it 78 episodes long."
When asked if there were any plans to make it a daily, he denied it saying: "One of the reasons the serial is interesting is because we have not diluted the storyline and introduced any caricatures. We do not want to compromise on the quality of the serial."
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