MUMBAI: The television industry has grown by leaps and bounds, believes the co-founder and director of Shashi-Sumeet Mittal Productions, Sumeet H Mittal.
As part of Content Hub, indiantelevision.com spoke to Mittal who, along with his wife Shashi Mittal, has produced many successful shows like Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai, Diya Aur Baati Hum and Punar Vivah amongst others, to find out his perspectives on the changed television content.
“Up and until five years ago, our industry was at a nascent stage when compared to the television industry of other countries. However, things have changed. A lot of that has to do with the global exposure we receive in India today, which drives evolution of mindsets and hence, the demand for progress in concepts and ideas as well,” he says.
Mittal highlights that today, the audience no longer accepts a basic plot as they want to be stimulated with depth and complexity. He feels that a script writer needs to be able to create that while keeping the interest of the audience.
According to him, the content shown on television also needs to be in line with the viewer preferences and demands. “There is a need today for differentiated content and everyone is working towards providing just that. Our shows like Diya Aur Bati Hum and Punar Vivah are strong examples of shows that are different from the usual,” he says.
Mittal feels that seasonal shows can break the monotony. He adds, “We did two seasons of our cult hit - Punar Vivah, and both were received very well by the audiences. I strongly believe a story should only be told till it holds merit and not be stretched just for the sake of it. That is cheating your audiences.” He also stresses that unless a broadcaster and producer work hand-in-hand, a show will not be successful.
When asked if Indian content has the potential of going international, Mittal says, “Some of the more popular television serials are already being sub-titled in different languages such as French, German and even English and are being broadcast around the world.”
He states that today there are a lot more schools and institutions teaching the budding writers to develop the skill to create great original scripts. “Hear them out with an open mind. You never know who has a super idea with a potential to be turned into a great script,” he signs off.
