Producer Ashvini Yardi has had years of experience as a content maker and has had a long journey in this field. From heading a channel to creating her own content for varied platforms, Ashvini Yardi banks on the kind of confidence that she provides to the characters she creates.
Ashvini Yardi’s Viniyard Films now bankrolls Spy Bahu on Colors which is a differentiated concept, especially for TV. In a candid chat with IWMBuzz.com, Yardi talks about the show and on her thought process while making it.
Excerpts:
How did the concept of Spy Bahu originate?
I had this thought that if I have to do something on Colors, the channel which I started with and have been closely associated with, it had to be something really different. To be honest, it has been 11 years that I have not done anything for the channel. So when this concept came to my mind, I wanted to ask Colors first. When this concept came across, it could have been made differently, for any medium; it could have been made as a movie, as a web series. All depended on how we formatted it. So that was when I thought of making it on TV. I am thankful to Colors that they wanted to do this. They have done a great job promoting the concept and show.
The concept related to a spy is not the usual one on TV. How do you think the engagement level will be of the audience?
Of course, the way we work for different platforms is very different. We have involved identifiable characters, there is the Dadi, the parents. We have kept the narrative in Sejal’s family as humorous. However, the basic idea is to show how an ordinary girl goes on to do extraordinary things. If you see Sejal, you will find her to be very clumsy in her looks as well as action. In fact, you would have seen many people like this in real life. The more you can relate to the character, the more you feel the vibe of positivity. TV is such a powerful medium that if you are creating content, it should inspire people and change a few mindsets. Sejal who is shown as a girl next door has to inspire people, wherein people seeing her will also realize that I too can do so, and feel confident.
How tough was it to shoot amid the snow in Kashmir?
This girl has a backstory that originates in Kashmir. Even in the present ongoing narrative, there is a story that takes us back to Kashmir. The idea was to create a back story, which has a big influence in Sejal choosing to do what she is doing in the future.
Talking about the shoot experiences with Sehban Azim and Sana Sayyad in Kashmir, we got back with a lot of tales to tell. It was so pleasant a shooting ambience. In fact, the two of them were so cooperative while they were shooting at extremely cold temperatures.
As a content maker, how important is it for you to come up with original content?
For me, I am a producer as well as a creative person. I have never made a remake. Most of these concepts have been mine. I take a lot of time on each of my projects. If a remake works and I get to do it differently, I can also do it. But given a choice, I will always take an original.
Take us through your love for the element of romance and thrill in the shows you have created?
I am very comfortable in romance. But in all my shows in my career, we have had a woman doing something different, like Sejal here, or dealing with a subject or taboo which gets impactful, for example Balika Vadhu. When I started Khatron Ke Khiladi for Colors years back, it had 13 girls in it with one Akshay Kumar. The idea was to show that women are physically on par with men. I had taken people like Pooja Bedi, who had two children. I wanted ladies to think that they too are capable of doing bigger things. So yes, coming back to the new concept here, we have Sejal who has set foot to do all that an ordinary girl cannot do.
Tell us about the Sejal moment that has been created in the show?
I wanted to create something which will be a talking point. The Sejal moment here is that we can all get clumsy at times, just like Sejal gets. You can fall somewhere where you are not supposed to. Basically, we don’t like to show the flaws of a person. But I am here talking about a girl who is flawed, yet she will overcome and do things that are not imaginable.
How would you describe the chemistry of Yohan and Sejal?
I always feel that two very opposing personalities and their love story really works. This will what will define Yohan and Sejal’s chemistry. Yohan is a very mysterious character, while Sejal talks a lot.
What are your takeaways from the broad script of the show?
We have created the show as a film. We have put in a lot of comedy too into the serious subject. I will be happy and satisfied if people get to enjoy what they are watching.