It’s been more than a month since many of our fave Bengali serials aired on television. The Telegraph spoke to some of the key figures of the television industry to find out about the future of Bengali soaps!
Tota Roy Choudhury, actor
The story so far
Serials are about habit. It is about the characters forming a bond with the audience over time. They become a part of the viewer’s family as they sit in front of the television every day during a particular time to watch them. It’s like the ritual of having our evening tea with our family members or favourite friends; viewers have that kind of a relationship with the characters of a serial. The characters of Sreemoyee have already become a part of people’s lives. So I don’t feel it would be difficult to get back our core audience to be with us. Also, people across social media platforms are texting every day to say that they are waiting to see us on TV soon, so that is definitely very reassuring.
Resuming work
The truth is I don’t see work starting very soon. We need to overhaul a lot of things because of the way we function on a set. A lot of people are involved in shoots and they need to gather in the same area to make it happen. So we need to take extra precautions and a lot of protocols need to be set. Also hygiene issues need to be strictly addressed. Having separate make-up brushes and kits for each actor or washing all costumes to be worn on the following day with disinfectants should be compulsory. Everything needs to be under control. For a long time serials have been the backbone of the entire Bengali entertainment industry. So if these don’t run well people will suffer a lot. People are already suffering, like the artistes who work temporarily and the technicians. For their sake we need to resume as soon as possible but we need to sit back and wait for things to fall into place for a greater good.
Reruns and viewership
Though people are watching reruns now, I don’t feel it will affect all the ongoing serials as the leading serials have already formed a very strong bond with the audience. They will have the same place in the audience’s hearts. Technology-wise it has definitely become better but content-wise maybe not. So there remains a possibility that once people get the taste of a Gaaner Oparey or an Ek Akaasher Nichey, people might want to get back to that era and expect a similar experience. So there will be a demand to deliver a better experience. Also the habit formed by many, that of watching web series from around the world, will make them ask for different content now. This is where the creative teams need to step up.
Juggling dates
I don’t think dates should be a big problem once things resume because most leading actors are signed up for a particular serial only and it is understood that they prioritise that serial only. But of course there are some who work in various serials together, so it could be a bit of a problem for some.
Swastika Dutta
Swastika Dutta, actress
The story so far
For my serial Ki Kore Bolbo Tomay, we had just completed three months when the lockdown happened. Many things might change for us. But we have to pull up our socks and start working harder when things resume. I am not sure how accepting the audience will be post-lockdown. Our serial had a 10pm slot, so the TRP was amazing. I am very worried for my serial because out of sight is out of mind. But we are promoting the characters Karna and Radhika on the Internet to keep them connected.
Resuming work
It is a very different feeling. Nobody saw this coming. But we will take up work from where we left off. I am missing the floor a lot. For the past six years, I have always made it a point to work, even on my birthday. However, the kind of love we are receiving after promoting our characters online is very reassuring. The viewers are saying that they are missing us. So, I want to get back to work as soon as possible.
Reruns and viewership
People love entertainment and they wait for new stories too. It is like the old friend-new friend concept... just because we have a new friend we don’t forget our old friends but we also accept and make a space in our life for the new friend. Just like that people watch our shows and that can’t be affected by old shows.
Juggling dates
I am one of the lead characters in this serial so I need to work very hard. For those not doing the lead roles, dates could be a problem if they have multiple roles. Once we resume shoot, I feel we have to shoot with a limited number of artistes.
Leena Gangopadhyay
Leena Gangopadhyay, writer and creative director
The story so far
These are trying times. People obviously had various expectations from various serials and there was a flow. But now we don’t have a choice and we have to wait. People are messaging me every day to say that they are waiting to see new episodes.
Reruns and viewership
I don’t think viewership should get much affected in the future as people cannot stay without entertainment. We do get information about the ratings. And so far the ratings of reruns are not that high. Yes, people are watching them as part of nostalgia. But we are doing many good projects on television during the present times also and people are waiting for them to be telecast. If viewership gets affected there could possibly be only one reason and that is fatigue. People are confined in their homes and they are watching television a lot more than they used to. So that can be a reason if there is a dip in viewership after things resume.
Resuming work
It will definitely take some time to get back to the rhythm of work. After we get the permission to shoot again, we might as well wait for a few more days. Our work process involves a lot of people. We obviously cannot keep working like that. We need to minimise our workforce but obviously people will be paid despite that.
Focus on writing during lockdown
Yes, writing is obviously in progress now. And not only writing the scripts of serials but also writing for other things. Usually I have to do my writing amidst my busy shoot schedule only. But now I am getting a lot of time to concentrate on it solely. Coronavirus is obviously relevant so it could be a part of scripts. But I can’t comment anything specifically on it now. I do have a storyline in mind where it could be used.
Juggling dates
I don’t think it should be a problem as we always work like this. We accommodate the dates of the actors. It could be a problem for some people but should not be anything major to worry about.
Pallabi Sharma
Pallabi Sharma, actress
The story so far
I think we have to wait for a few more days once things resume since we work with a lot of people. There will be a rush to make new episodes. But we have to take all the precautionary measures and be very careful. Fifty-60 of us work together on the floor, so we should be extra careful.
Resuming work
In every other profession, people can wear masks but we cannot wear masks and act. Our life has gone on pause mode with the virus but the characters haven’t faced it. So we can’t suddenly show them wearing masks. So once things resume, taking other precautions are necessary like sanitising our hands often, avoiding public transport as much as possible, and sticking to home-cooked food. I am sure studios will also take precautionary measures by checking temperature while letting people in and not allowing unnecessary people to enter the sets.
Reruns and viewership
My serial (Ke Apon Ke Por) has been running for the past four years. In our time slot no rerun is being telecast. Instead people are getting to see a recap of our serial from the very first episode. Our serial has enough episodes to use as recaps to sustain through the lockdown. But there are many new serials where they do not have so many episodes yet to show recaps. Also, people wouldn’t like to see a recap of something that started only a few months back. I don’t think viewership will be affected as such. The channels are doing their best to keep people entertained. Everybody is at home and television is the only source of entertainment for them now. So, we are trying our best to do what we can. Even our channel STAR Jalsha is coming up with new things to keep people entertained. We are shooting videos from home and keeping people as entertained as possible.
Juggling dates
Dates shouldn’t be a problem. For leads like us, we work under contracts and not on the basis of per day. So, we already have our dates booked.
Solanki Roy
Solanki Roy, actress
The story so far
It is uncertain as to when we can go back to shooting again. We are doing videos from home and trying to stay connected with the viewers because quite naturally a distance is getting created with the audience as our shows are not being telecast. We are trying to maintain basic communication. And since we are doing it from the comfort of our homes, we are being able to engage with them in a casual manner and I feel it is a positive step that will help them to reconnect with us once we bounce back.
Resuming work
As soon as things resume we have to work very hard.
Reruns and viewership
The audience has already seen those serials and people already know the story. People want to know what is the story of the new ones that we are doing now. People are messaging every day saying they are waiting for the new episodes. They are definitely having a nostalgic trip with the reruns but it won’t affect ongoing serials.
Juggling dates
In the first few days it could be a bit difficult to set things up but eventually it will all fall into place. I don’t think dates will be a problem. We always work like this, we know who is doing the lead in which serial, so dates will be adjusted.
Snigdha Basu, producer
The story so far
The entertainment industry cannot stop. Our television industry was in a very good position. But nothing comes before health. Health is a priority.
Resuming work
Our industry depends on team work and it cannot function by working from home. So we need to be extra careful. A lot of things need to be decided once things resume. We will wait a bit longer but come back healthier as a team. People need to take their own responsibility and we expect everyone’s support.
Reruns and viewership
I don’t think our viewership will get affected. Audience can get divided but they will always get back to the good shows. Of course a gap is being created but we can all work towards making it a better experience for the audience when we resume.
Juggling dates
We are all going through an insecure phase because our income source is not stable right now. Everyone involved in the process must work to maintain the balance in the income cycle. I feel positive about it... there shouldn’t be any such problems.We are still not sure about the economic crisis and whether the budget will be affected or not. If need arises, we will sit together and give a second thought about it. Right now commenting on the budget is difficult.
