Certain shows have changed the dynamics of the small screen as a medium and left a lasting impact on the audience. A case in point is Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (KGGK), an iconic show, which returned to the tube recently. Producer and content head for strategy at Atrangii channel, Nivedita Basu, who worked as one of the creative directors for KGGK, asserts, “Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii is a modern take on Ramayan and it will never run out of favour. It holds relevance even today. Every Indian household has watched it and the soaring TRPs when it aired on the tube were proof of it. Everyone drew parallels between the characters they resonated with on the show. It is the Baghban (the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer that was released in 2013) of Indian television. It teaches you the importance of family values, retaining goodness around evil, and how evil turns good eventually. Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii is a forever thing.”
Several popular shows have returned with a new season. Should Kahaani be remade? She replies, “The USP of the show is its cast — Sakshi Tanwar, Kiran Karmarkar, Rinku Dhawan, and Shweta Kawaatra. I don’t know how sound the idea of recreating it is, as the audience would still look for the original cast they connected with so strongly. For now, a re-run would do the job, as the audience is already loving it ever since the original show has dropped on the tube.”
Nivedita, who is today a force to reckon with in the gamut of content heads and creators, has come a long way. Boasting an experience of over two decades, she credits her association with Ekta Kapoor (producer of iconic shows like Kahaani, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, and Naagin) for shaping her career and honing her creative bent. She shares, “My association with Ekta dates back to 2000, way before Kyunki Saas Bhi Khabi Bahu Thi was conceptualised. The good part of being in Balaji Telefilms for 15 years is that I was associated with each and every show, including Kyunki, Kahaani, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Koshish, Ghar Ek Mandir, Kkusum, Kkavyanjali, and Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki. I have been part of the creative team that worked on feature films, storytelling, and the background score of every show. I feel proud that Ekta made me such a big part of her production house and I can proudly say that I have seen the rise of Balaji and how Ekta has worked hard to turn it into such an empire.”
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