Creative Director Imran Mir is a master when it comes to setting up new shows, on TV and on the medium of the web. Presently involved in the creative functioning of the Star Plus’ newly launched show Banni Chow Home Delivery, Imran has found creative satisfaction working on this concept. He is also creatively helming Naagin 6 on Colors.
In an exclusive interview with IWMBuzz.com, Imran Mir talks about the show, his creatively inclined career and future.
Excerpts:
A lot of regional concepts are being converted into Hindi in recent times. Banni Chow Home Delivery is the latest in the trend? Why do you think the Hindi audience will savour this trend?
Remake of any regional concept is always about presenting a good/well-received story in front of a wider audience and our show – Banni Chow Home Delivery, is a similar attempt taken up by Star TV Network and presented by Shashi Sumeet Productions.
Are you following the original concept fully?
We are trying to stay true to the original concept while making the necessary changes and additions to the story and its central characters, which will be presented to our Hindi GEC viewers. Also, we have made an effort to introduce a few new characters and remove some from the existing family tree in our show.
How are Pravisht Mishra and Ulka Gupta fitting into the lead characters?
Perfectly well, as if these characters were tailor-made for both of them. Pravisht and Ulka, along with the entire team, have worked very hard to do justice to Yuvan & Banni’s characters. Now it’s difficult for us to imagine anyone else portraying these roles.
The show is slated to have a rich element of music too in it. Take us through it.
Yes, music is an integral part of our show. Our lead character Yuvan, is musically inclined and the show demanded us to create special songs and tunes which have been created and sung by some well-known artists from our entertainment industry.
You have set up many TV shows in the past and in recent times. What’s the most satisfying moment for the creative person in you?
Creatively, the most satisfying and challenging part is always the mounting of a new show…giving life to characters that have been penned down on paper. Each process – casting, setting up the look of characters and sets, execution, creating new music etc. it’s all very engaging!
Take us through your experiences in the creative space for the web?
Web and TV are two varied platforms and both need different approaches. Web gives us more time to prepare creatively and all web projects come with a definite beginning and an end. It is easier for us to plan our web shoots and we get ample time to work on our post-production detailing.
How is it to get back to TV after a hiatus?
I have always wanted to do a TV show for some good network and it can’t get better than Star Plus network and the prime time 9 pm slot. Although I was supposed to work on a web project for Shashi Sumeet Productions, I grabbed the opportunity to work on this TV show when it was presented to me. I always perform better when I am entrusted with such responsibilities, irrespective of the medium.
Do you think it is a bigger challenge now to make successful shows on TV? We ask this as many shows have not performed in the recent times.
Each new show presents its unique set of challenges and indeed every new show is expected to perform better than the show that it’s replacing. We live in a very competitive environment and all the efforts are always directed at creating a slot leader across all networks. In the end, it’s always about those fine margins that define the success of any project.
Do you think TV is seeing competition from the OTT space? How do you think TV concepts can get better?
TV and OTT used to cater to different audiences earlier, but in recent times, we have seen audience overlap in both the mediums prompting imperative changes and additions in content presentation. It’s always a challenge for GECs to keep creating innovative concepts that appeal to our younger and newer generation, which is naturally inclined towards web viewing.
Do you harbour dreams of making your own show?
Indeed. I am working on a few new concepts simultaneously while preparing for the launch of my current show. Soon I will be directing a short film in Kashmir, which has been written by me.
What are your expectations from Banni Chow Home Delivery?
We want Banni Chow Home Delivery to become the slot leader across all networks. We have made a sincere effort in presenting this beautiful story and we hope the show gets its due credit and acceptance from our audience.