Ajay Kartik -- Tackling Tejaswini

Television

Ajay Kartik
Tackling Tejaswini

A NSD graduate, Ajay Kartik started his career as a theatre director and eventually turned into a writer. In between, he directed a childrens’ film Karamati Coat and a few documentaries. He shot to fame writing the script of Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and Wagle Ki Duniya. Later he wrote, produced and directed serials like Bee Ji Ke P.G. and Faasle amongst others. Right now, it’s Tejaswini who’s taking up all his time.

Are you happy with the response you are getting for your serial Tejaswini?
As far as I know, Tejaswini is getting a Television Rating Point (TRP) of 3+ which is not bad at all, considering the fact that only 25 episodes have been telecast. All the same, I will definitely be happier if it gets more TRPs specially in the light of my efforts. I am writing, producing and directing the serial which, believe me, is a mammoth task. Also, let me tell you that Tejaswini emerged as the most popular woman on the telly when a contest was conducted by Zee last month. Even that is a kind of a popularity rating, isn’t it?

But why do you think is the serial not doing as well as you would like it to?
I think it’s because of the fact that Tejaswini is pitted against Heena which is the No. 1 serial on Sony. It has reached TRPs of 17 which is unheard of on a satellite channel. I believe, the reason for its popularity is the theme which deals with extra-marital affair. If you notice, currently all the serials that are revolving around this theme including Saans, Kora Kagaz and to a certain extent Amanat are doing very well.
But my serial does not deal with this aspect. It’s basically a story of three families. Besides, my serial is targeted towards the 30-plus audience as all my characters are mature whereas serials like Heena appeal to the 20-plus audience. So, it becomes very difficult for a serial like Tejaswini to lure the viewers from that age group which is already hooked onto Heena.

Does that mean you are unhappy with the slotting of your serial?
Not really. It’s a difficult slot no doubt but at the same time it’s a challenge Zee has thrown at me.

What inspired you to make Tejaswini?
With the advent of satellite channel, I noticed that most of the serials had an upmarket approach. They either dealt with corporate wars or extra-marital affairs which I felt was not a good sign. The fact that these serials are popular shows that 70 per cent of the audience likes it. But what about the remaining 30 per cent? I decided to make a different serial which had a middle-class milieu, people could identify themselves with. Besides, I wanted to write a story on the clash between a radical thinking woman and a chauvinist. At the same time, I was keen on making a social drama. So, I created three families which get inter-related as the story moves on and made Tejaswini one of the protagonists of the serial. She’s a radical woman and Sudhir Pandey’s character is representative of male chauvinism.
Right now, the story is poised for an interesting twist. Viewers are curious to know what will happen when Renuka Shahane (Tejaswini) becomes Sudhir Pandey’s daughter-in-law because it will result in a conflict of radicalism versus feudalism.

In the past you have scripted comedies like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and Wagle Ki Duniya which were super hits on the telly. Can we expect any more on the same lines?
To tell you frankly, I don’t get inspired to write comedy. The area of comedy is not developing in our country, it’s becoming barren. That’s because we Indians lack a sense of humour, comedy doesn’t come naturally to us. We don’t have the ability to laugh at ourselves. We are fond of melodrama. Also, writers are poorly paid. I remember when I wrote Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi 15 years ago, I got cheques of Rs 16-20,000. It was a great amount then. A decade down the line you are getting almost the same because the value of money has decreased but the rates haven’t increased proportionately. Producers think they don’t need to invest in writers which I think is completely wrong because TV is essentially a writers’ medium. That’s why I have stopped writing for others.

After Tejaswini do you have plans of producing another serial?
Frankly, my desire is to be a filmmaker. Cinema attracts me more as it’s a bigger medium. As for television I have set up my own software company Karma Television under which I plan to make entertainment programmes. I would like to hire new writers and directors and decentralise my work.