Yash Patnaik on ‘KRPKAB’ return & ‘Ishq Mein Mar Jawan’ initial response
Yash Patnaik has two shows on air – ‘Ishq Mein Mar Jawan’ on Colors and ‘Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi’ – and the producer can’t be more thrilled. He is ecstatic that the audience have loved the shows and feels that they will continue to be loved in the future as well.
“Kuch Rang… is coming back with a new season and I am experiencing a feeling of fulfilment. We are thankful to Sony for this opportunity. Fans are jubilant and the cast and crew are excited. Meanwhile, Ishq Mein Mar Jawan is a new experiment for Beyond Dreams. Keeping up with the tradition of creating fresh content, we have come up with a new genre. IMM is a twisted love story laced with romance, thrill and intrigue. Lot of hard work and innovations have gone in to it. I hope audience will accept it like all our previous offerings,” he says.
He adds, “The initial feedback on Ishq Mein Mar Jawan is very encouraging. It has generated interest among viewers. There has been a lot of appreciation for the content, plot, characters, pace, execution and production design. Again keeping up with our tradition we have introduced another new face as lead with Aarohi (played by Alisha Panwar). I am sure she will be accepted as all our previous discoveries like Mohit Raina in Chehra, Karan Tacker in Rang Badalti Odhni, Digangana in Veera, Harshita and Param in Sadda Haq, Vikram and Shivani in Jana Na Dilse Door, Rohit Khandelwal, who went on to win Mr World, in Million Dollar Girl, Gaurav Gera in Babanbhai Vs Bimlatai, Rahul Sharma in Teri Meri Love Stories and Erica Fernandes in Kuchh Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi.”
The show ‘Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi’ has been praised for being realistic and Patnaik says that this was the motive all along. “While developing the show, we felt there is a huge section of audience, who don’t connect with TV characters and are longing for characters, who are relatable. So in KRPKAB, we created a world which is real. From stories, characters, costume, sets, music everything has been designed with a realistic feel. Even the play out is subtle yet rich. This made the show relatable and inspiring. I am glad people love it and accepted it,” he says.
His production house Beyond Dreams is one of the most sought after production houses today. Commenting on this, he says, “We are in a very happy space. As I said earlier, we as a production house, have never shied away from experimenting with content. In the last decade, we have touched various genres. Whether it’s Veera, Sadda Haq, Kuchh Rang, CIA, or Rang Badalti Odhni, we have never repeated a formula. Our shows have a distinct look and feel, production values and richness in content. I am happy that they have been appreciated.”
Experimenting with new shows is very important, according to Yash. “There is no trend in TV. What works is perceived as a trend. But following the trend is definitely not the way ahead. One needs to reinvent oneself with every new show. Innovation is the key. You can’t keep repackaging old formulas. There is a risk in innovation. But that’s the fun. Audience is evolving and we need to understand that. They are exposed to much more content than what it used to be two years back,” he says.
Yash, who worked with his wife Mamta, says that their team is unstoppable. “We understand each other and complement each other’s thinking and work. After 17 years of togetherness, it comes naturally to us. Our commitment to quality is something that drives our team. Our race has never been for quantity. We create a workplace that’s exciting for everyone, who works with us. We are hungry for good work and that reflects in the content,” he says.
Even with so many different shows, TV is still termed as a regressive medium. However, Yash disagrees with this. “One can’t generalise the TV industry. It’s like saying India is about snake charmers. All kinds of content exist on TV, like all kinds of people live in our world. Content has to be made for everyone. Having said that, we as a production house prefer not to make the so called regressive shows,” he says, adding, “For example, as far as mythological or period dramas are concerned, we are developing some very interesting concepts. But our mytho or period dramas will not be just recreation of available stories. Our stories have to have some innovation.”
