Producer Sudhir Sharma has been a renowned Writer, Director and Producer who has given some clutter-breaking relatable content to the world of TV and OTT. Sudhir Sharma and Seema Sawhney Sharma’s banner Sunshine Productions thrive on telling realistic tales, and the proof before us are in shows ‘12/24 Karol Bagh’, ‘Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha’ and many more on TV. They already made a foray in the OTT world with ‘Salt City’, starring Divyedu Sharma, Piyush Mishra, Gauhar Khan, Nivedita Bhattacharya on SonyLiv. Their banner Sunshine Productions has recently collaborated with the creative visionaries in TVF for the web series ‘Yeh Meri Family’ Season 2.
Now, the banner has a wonderful presence in the OTT world in addition to their shows on television. Sudhir Sharma and Seema Sawhney Sharma have ‘Maitree’ currently airing on Zee TV, and the team is geared up for the launch of ‘Neerja’ on Colors. Apart from that Sudhir and Seema are working on some interesting stories, soon to be seen on major OTT platforms.
In an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz.com, Producer, Sudhir Sharma takes us through a free-wheeling talk on their projects on web, TV and much more.
Excerpts:
How was Sunshine Productions’ collaboration with TVF for Yeh Meri Family?
TVF and Sunshine Productions have always shared a common ground of working on stories set in the real, identifiable India. Since the time we met many years ago, Arunabh and I were sure we would work together when the time was right. It was a collaboration of like-minded creative forces that was just waiting to happen. We are glad that we have started this association with a huge cult series like Yeh Meri Family. The challenge to come up with a Season 2 was daunting but got the creative juices working.
Was it a planned strategy to not repeat the old cast of Yeh Meri Family?
Arunabh felt that the Season 1 family had given what it could to the series. In the 1990s, there were a lot more middle-class Indian families with so much going on. We agreed that though the earlier family had a following, in Season 2 we could tell some different stories with a new family. Setting it in Winter gave it a texture that was different and lent itself to a different context.
We are very happy with the overwhelming response that this simple, sweet, family story has garnered. It is a victory for both TVF and Sunshine.
How did the cast of Yeh Meri Family 2 come into place?
We were certain that we did not want to do any ‘gimmicky’ casting when we were casting the Awasthis. Without considering the actors’ pre-existing reputations, we cast actors simply based on their abilities to play the parts. Both Rajesh Kumar and Juhi Parmar have enjoyed prosperous professional careers, but they were just so right for the roles of the endearing papa, Sanjay and the alpha, busy-working mummy, Neerja. Hetal Gada immersed herself into Ritika so well, we couldn’t tell they were two different people. Despite being just 10, Anngad did a great job. And of course Veenaji, with her years of experience, only added to the powerful cast. I must really appreciate that the creative force at TVF of Anandeshwar Dwivedi, Shreyansh Pandey and Vipul Mayank, were willing to go with our instinct regarding casting. We all just knew that our vision was aligned, and that made the process quite smooth.
There is a belief among actors in the industry that TV actors seldom get called for the big projects on the web platform. What do you think of that?
I personally don’t believe in this myth. A good actor is a good actor. How does the platform matter? Throw them a challenging role, give them something to contribute to, they are raring to go! The so-called TV actors are TV actors because they have been acting since when TV was the only medium. I’m glad that many actors from Theatre and TV are getting cast all around, simply because they are skilled artists who fit the role.
Maybe actors do feel that their TV background is a deterrent but there is hope. It is commendable on TVF’s part to have taken the best actors for their characters, not once bothering to question their TV acting background. They have taken up actors from varied backgrounds for their other projects too.
What are the goals ahead for Sunshine Productions?
We are looking forward to a busy year, a year filled with interesting stories that we have been wanting to tell. It includes TV, Web and a Feature Film too. The collaboration with TVF is a great space. We are currently in the thick of developing the next two seasons of Yeh Meri Family and also a few other series with TVF. Apart from that ‘Neerja’ our ambitious show set in Kolkata is on floors, has received a great response to the promos.
What are the factors that you look into, when you want to create a new concept?
Both Seema and I work on instinct first. We don’t go by the market norms. We do not chase concepts that have worked. We want to go by what we want to create. We mostly pick worlds and stories that more and more people can identify with. That is where our comfort level lies. Of course, we are experimenting with genres that we have not worked on before. Having said that, we want to remain true to beautiful stories, which are socially relevant. Looking at the response to ‘Yeh Meri Family’. A great amount of it has come from the younger generation who were not even there in the 90s era. They easily identified with sibling relationships, growing-up issues, the need for a separate room, the permission to go to a party, and the intergenerational conflict at home. These are things that touch hearts and that is where we believe the stores must stem from.
Your other forte has been in youth shows. When are we going to see it next?
Very soon! Our next youth-based series is already baking in the oven. Stories of young people are always interesting because there is so much going on in their complex lives. It is indeed the best time of our lives.
Take us through the new TV show Neerja for Colors?
Neerja is a very emotional story of a little girl who comes from the fringes of society, completely different strata, and how she tries to build her own space in mainstream society.
The child playing Neerja, Myra Vaikul is immensely talented. Her understanding of script and technicalities is par excellence. Apart from her, we have a fabulous cast that includes Ayub Khan and Kamya Punjabi both in very different roles. Sneha Wagh, Vibha Chibber, Abhishek Rawat, and of course, Rajveer Singh and Aastha Sharma, add to this kitty of stellar performers.
Why did it take so long for you to get back to Colors after Na Bole?
When the time is right, the time is right! We pitch shows that we feel strongly about. Dil se kahaani aati hai toh bolne main mazaa aata hai. Back then Na Bole Tum was a clutter breaker in its sensibility and style, and Colors gave wings to our vision. It was the story of a widow with two kids and an offbeat almost taboo romance in a family setting. Neerja happened now because the time is right to tell this story. We are thankful to Manisha Sharma, Sheetal and the entire Colors team for their faith and trust in Sunshine. We are so happy to be back on home turf. Colors is a great place to tell such stories. They know their audiences so well.
Maitree on Zee TV, is also going good. However, it has seen a change in time slot. What do you infer to this?
It is absolutely fine to move from 7 pm to 6.30 PM. It is not a big change for us. We are trying to strengthen the show and its plot more. We are hoping to capture the newer audience in addition to the already existing audience.
What else is in store on TV?
We have quite a lot on our plate. So Seema and I are focussing on what is already there. We want to deliver them to the best of our abilities. Of course, with us, we have an able Content team that works parallelly on the pipeline. There are two wonderful heart-warming stories for TV in development, along with a grand period drama for OTT and a sports-based web series too.