Producer, Writer and Content Maker Sandiip Sikcand gets into the New Year of 2023 with new hopes, new aspirations and of course, as he puts it rightly, by imbibing all the learnings that he has gotten with the oodles of experience he has in the creative field of entertainment today. Sandiip Sikcand has Aboli running successfully on Star Pravah. He will soon come up with Lag Ja Gale, a love story on Zee TV.
In a frank and hard-hitting interview, Producer Sandiip Sikcand gets into an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz.com.
Excerpts:
What are the learnings as a maker with Mehendi Hai Rachne Waali?
A good show does work, is what I learned from Mehendi Hai Rachne Waali. If a show ends before time, it does not mean that it is bad. The kind of love and response that Mehndi Hai Rachne Waali has got from different parts of the world is truly overwhelming. We are proud to have made such a good show, that too during the time of the lockdown.
There are a lot of projects getting shut in a few months. Compared to the earlier time when shows used to get a good span to show what they want to show, what according to you are the reasons for this change on TV now?
The audiences have matured now, they have seen new stuff. They are aware of new stories and want to see them. But in television, sadly, we do not offer anything new to the audiences. We just keep telling the same stories over and over again and package them differently. I think for television in the long run, we need to change the way we think. We need to change the way we say our stories. We need to have a more universal appeal to the stories we tell.
What is it that takes to get everything right for a TV show?
Honestly, if I knew the answer to this question, I would be the most successful Producer in the country. I don’t think any Producer can say what is required. I feel every show has its own luck, has its own karma. I don’t know what it takes to make a good show barring that it neds to have a good story. Every show comes with its own destiny.
What are your goals and ambitions as a content provider for the OTT medium?
I would like to say very different stories for the OTT platform. I want to indulge in contemporary stories which connect with the youth and people of today. I want to say stories which I have not been able to say on TV. I would love to get into the LGBTQ space, extramarital affair space, real spaces, and emotions and dwell on real relationships.
Any script for films in the offing?
Oh yes, films are happening. I will not speak anything about it right now. Let’s wait for the right time.
How is it to associate with Sai Ketan Rao again?
Sai Ketan Rao is someone who I look up to as my discovery. It is great to work with people like him who are cooperative, talented, and very good actors.
The trend on TV these days is for Hindi shows based on popular regional content. What is your take on this?
My take on it is that content on regional space is far far superior to what we make in Hindi. This holds good in Bollywood too. This is exactly what people are waking up to. They experiment and tell different stories better. I am proof of it, as I have a show on Marathi called Aboli which is doing exceptionally well. It gives great creative satisfaction to do a show like Aboli.
Do you think there is an overdose of this trend now?
Yes, there is an overdose as we have not been able to provide hit original content. Broadcasters and producers should now make an effort to think differently and try and make original shows which truly strike a chord with the audiences.
Will we see a time on TV like films where the audience prefers only original content?
The ratings that TV shows have today, the highest rating is about a 3TVR. At one time, the rating of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was a 20 TVR. So I feel the ratings are saying it themselves. But we tend to put a blind eye and a deaf ear to it. People are craving to see original content. It is time that we do that.
What gives you the utmost satisfaction as a writer and maker?
I feel the development of the story is what gives me the utmost satisfaction as a writer. As a maker, it is good TRPs. TRP is what keeps you in the business.
There is another trend of sequels to popular shows. Will you want to be dragged into this idea?
If the sequel is being made if you have a story, then why not? But mostly, I feel sequels are again made as we do not have an original story and we want to capitalize on the popularity of the previous successful season. But I don’t think any such sequels have worked. Maybe one or two here and there, I am not sure. It is nothing but laziness and capitalizing on previous success. As I said, we are scared to venture into new areas, new stories and new dramas. We want to be safe as long as possible. ‘Jo chalta hai usiki chalao jab tak woh ghis nahi jaaye’, I feel is the mantra for television.
Coming up with a good show and being successful in the show getting good TRPs are two different things. How do you as a maker bridge both?
Well, I want to actually cross the bridge now. I have always been told that I make very good shows. Now I am craving to get good TRPS. As I said, TRPs keep us in good business. So now my effort is not to make a good show, but to make a good TRP show. If it comes from a bad story, or from the same old plot, so be it. Jokes apart, I am somebody who will say something new in every show I make. But yes, fingers crossed for good TRPs for all the shows that I am going to bring in 2023.
How do you feel when ratings of a prime-time show and an early evening slotted show compared? Is it not a known fact that the early evening slots have a comparatively lesser audience? How will you explain this thought process?
Yes, early evenings will have a lesser rating than prime-time shows. But I also believe that if your content is good, then, slowly, (I repeat, slowly) your viewers should come to it. The viewers will come with an equal amount of push from broadcasters, from promotion and buzz. It is a combination of everything. It does not only depend on content. It is an effort of a lot of elements put together in a well-blended manner, irrespective of the slot you are placed in.
