Slapstick

Raight choice!

The way he talks, his mannerisms, even his words in a way remind you of his brother. Yet, after learning the ropes from his elder brother, director Anand Rai has very successfully evolved a style of his own.

With teleserial Kshitij on Sahara (Wed, 8.30 pm) emerging to be the only surviving political serial on air simply due to its relationship base, Anand has more than proved his mettle. The others politicals Mahayagya on Sony and Rajdhani on Star have both been yanked off.

Anand’s second serial on SAB TV, Tamanna again explores relationship, this time of a mother and her two sons, and of a widow and her deceased husband’s brother.

Kshitij, the first full-fledged directorial venture of Anand Rai, brother of director Ravi Rai, this serial explores through a political backdrop, how relationships change with politics. Says Anand, "Kshitij deals with a family when they were not into the political field, and then looks at how relationships change when they move into politics. It shows how suddenly power plays an important role in relationships between father-son, brother-brother, husband-wife... Kshitij, I would say political thriller with an undercurrent of emotions."

Interestingly, Anand never dreamt of being a serial-maker. In fact, he is a qualified computer engineer. Grins Anand, "You know when I did my computers, there was nothing I wanted to do more than wear a white shirt with a tie, a corporate-looking bag in hand and go to office every morning! But a stint as assistant to brother Ravi Rai, and as Executive Producer of his serials, Anand was seasoned enough to try out his maiden venture. "My computer engineering experience has helped me be more logical and organised," confesses Anand. "I am sure there are a lot more benefits in terms of application as well. Every experience helps."

Today, after Tamanna and Kshitij, Anand is excited about his next venture Gardish soon to beam on Zee. In Gardish again, Anand is doing what he does best - balancing the thriller and relationship element by getting the main protagonist to be a killer with a heart. "Gardish delves into the psyche of a killer. He is a man who is a mercenary, but in his room, you can see pictures of children. He feeds birds and murders humans! Here he is remorselessly killing and there he is in a church, looking at the picture of Jesus on the cross and shedding tears!

Is he good or bad? Should you love or hate him? Gardish can’t be really talked about. It has to be seen and experienced," explains Anand who is also working on another relationship-based love story set in Kashmir. Kshitij is a very fast paced drama, Tamanna is a touching story, Gardish is about a killer and on the anvil is a love story with a Kashmiri backdrop. Is this attempt to be different actually an attempt to step out of his brother’s shadow?

Anand answers you with a smile. "No. All that I have learnt is from him. But there is a ten-year age difference between me and Raviji. Hence, the way we look at a subject will always be different too. So, there is no question of an attempt to look different or something. We are brothers. We are bound to be compared. And since we are brothers, similarities will coexist with the dissimilarities."

What is his forte? "Well," says Anand, "if you want your serials to succeed, they should be simple. What appeals to me as an ordinary viewer, will appeal to the common man as well. That is the base on which I work. If I don’t understand the script, how can I expect the audience to understand it?"

Anusha Samir Gill

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