You can count his famous game-changer shows on your finger tips Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kkusum, Kasam Se, Udaan, Sanskaar, Devanshi, Kumkum Bhagya… Television show director Deepak Chavan has played a crucial role in determining their skyrocketing TRPs. Yet, being a man of few words, DC is amazingly honest when it comes to speaking his mind.
Prod him about the content of the current crop of serials and he responds with ease. “Tamas released in 1988. It was a hit. The content of that show was super interesting and kept the audience glued to their television sets. So I think it is all about the content, the way a story is executed. There was a demand for good content among the audience back then and there is a demand for good content even now,” he explains with candour, and adds, “When it comes to the television shows that I direct, middle-aged women and housewives are my main audience. It has always been that way.”
Never one for basking in the glory of his success, Chavan is extremely modest and looks at conquering higher horizons all the time. “I am never satisfied with my work. Also, in the industry you get your next show based on your last show. I have always given equal importance, hard work and dedication to each show I have taken on, and it makes me feel proud to have been a part of such stellar picks. But I am always striving to improve. My recent show, Devanshi, is something I am proud to be part of. It is a heartening moment, having strangers walking up to me and praising my work, telling me how much they loved the show.”
Pressures of work
Of course, time constraints play into the scene while working with the medium of television. “Like a film can afford a six-day shoot sequence, but a telly serial director has to finish the same six-day sequence in just one shift. That is a pretty challenging aspect of my work,” he says.
Shilpi Madan for Sunday Herald