Srishti Triveedi, Creative Director presently working at Contiloe has had an enriching career wherein she has learned a lot and been part of projects that have given her creative satisfaction.
Always inclined to be an RJ, Srishti slowly but steadily got a foothold in the entertainment industry, and started loving the art of being involved creatively in the execution of a TV project.
In a conversation with Srishti, IWMBuzz.com covers her in-depth journey, and her experiences of being part of the creative team of popular shows Dil Dosti Dance, Aahat etc.
How did you begin your journey in the industry?
Ever since I remember, I always wanted to be an RJ. I was inclined to arts and creativity always…so ever since my college days I started working in the media. Being a crime reporter to Pg3 reporter to living the life of an AD and finally being a RJ, I have tried my hands in all until Balaji Telefilms came my way and who better than Vikas Gupta to mould me and make me fall in love with being into TV Fiction’s Creative department.
Which are your projects that have given you creative satisfaction?
My all time favourite shows that I loved working on was Dil Dosti Dance, Aahat and Bin Kuch Kahe. Working on Dil Dosti Dance with Palki Malhotra taught me a lot and working with Fireworks was a pleasurable journey while Bin Kuch Kahe was very today’s show and it was relatable to me. Creating things on D3, Aahat and Bin Kuch Kahe was like getting my heart and soul out on the table for work…
As a creative, what is it that is expected of you when you join a show?
I am quite a hard task master, very picky on things and definitely difficult to please. So this attribute actually gets the perfectionist out of me and makes me fight all odds. I try and deliver a 24 minute of entertainment to my audience by creatively visualizing and nurturing the show.
How easy or tough is a creative’s job?
It is quite a difficult job to go through sleepless nights, long odd hours of work, creating something new, having a vision and making the audience get hungry for that vision or thought is a challenging game. At times I get so stuck on things and can’t just crack it and that’s when I feel like giving up.
Do you think creative think tank gets its due in the entertainment industry today?
Well back when I started, I think I would have said that a creative’s job was a thankless job but thanks to people like Ekta Kapoor, Vikas Gupta, Palki Malhotra and more, we are getting appreciated for our work and hopefully are known as a key department in TV’s functioning.
What are the kinds of genres that you get attracted to when it comes to work?
I like romcom, dance fiction shows…You will be surprised that I can’t watch even a trailer of a horror film but am quite attracted to that genre of show. I also love reality shows, so much so that I left all my fiction work once just to experience reality. I went on to do Bigg Boss 8 in less than half the salary I was drawing in my fiction career at that time.
You have had a fruitful association with Cinevistaas. Where else have you worked?
Well Cinevistaas has been my love forever. The team there is amazing. They appreciate creativity and don’t get you bound to things; especially Palki is like a rock solid support all the time with so much of energy and enthusiasm of work. I have worked with Shashi Sumeet Productions, Fireworks, BBC, Sony TV, Balaji Telefilms, and am now with Contiloe…
Tell us about your job profile now?
According to me, in today’s date the creatives are the ones who on the whole create the show; be it from conceptualisation till the finalisation of the episode. From the scratch till the masters get delivered, the creatives are answerable for everything. They are also blamed if the episodes look bad, but rarely appreciated if it looks gorgeous!
How do you think of television and its future prospects?
I think the era is experiencing a change! Nevertheless, there will always be a fixed audience of the saas bahu lovers. However, if we go to see it through another perspective (an example which might not be applicable through everyone’s eyes, but my mother and her friends have been always watching shows like Tara, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Koraa Kagaz”, Idhar Udhar), we have had shows that gave out very meaningful messages to the audience and changed the perspective of many towards women and their problems and there were shows that addressed other problems of the society. Then came the era of today’s typical saas bahu shows which was not liked by a lot of people around, which is when they shifted their interest towards international shows and till date, are inclined towards Hollywood since our television keeps coming up with the same saas bahu love. But yes, a change occurred when we came up with shows likes Balika Vadhu, Na Aana Is Des Laado etc.
Do you think saas bahu sagas will go on forever? Your thoughts.
No, there definitely will be an end to it.
What about the youth subjects on TV?
Youth is on Netflix nowadays!
How do you think the digital medium has panned out?
They have been successful in pulling the television audience towards them like a magnet, so I think they are doing brilliant!!
TV Vs Digital – is it a real battle?
Absolutely!!
What are your future aspirations?
To be able to get the youth hooked on to television one day without the blue contents! I want to work on the content of travel which will show each part of our “des” to the world, our ethnicity, our culture (new and old), our thought (new and old), our backwardness which still exists, our progress which is still on a run etc etc. It is our country and we need to educate ourselves, build our interest before knowing what our countries’ household mishaps are!
Experienced faces Vs newcomers – how differently do you tackle them at work?
Be good to everyone and true to yourself. That’s the best way to do it! We have been trained to put up a plastic smile anyway, so use that talent!
Have you experienced a tough situation with a newbie actor?
Yes! who has not? But it was a teaching process for both of us! For me, it was a learning of how to tackle the situation and for him, it was a new learning process of being better as an actor and a performer.
How big is the canvas of TV today? Compare it with the olden time… And what does the future have in store?
It’s simple, majority of us have already moved to the digital world, so think its time for apocalypse soon!!
