?I want to see Rajshri soar in TV production,? says Kavita Barjatya

Cable queen Ektaa Kapoor has some sort of a challenger, finally. The Barjatyas, merchants of celluloid dreams who also wield considerable clout in Bollywood, have invaded her small screen turf. But unlike Ektaa?s saas-bahu sagas, Rajshri Productions? Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki? will deal with the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

The Barjatya camp had been thinking about foraying into television for the past few years, but to start with it is sticking to what it does best ? making family entertainers. As its name suggests, Woh Rehne Waali?, featuring Alok Nath and a host of not-so-known faces, centres around a rich young girl who lives with a band of servants trailing her at home. But a twist of fate forces her to go through the grind, learning the little things of life and meeting the man of her dreams.

?It will be a return to values and culture. It will celebrate the small moments of life and will have the Rajshri touch,? insists Kavita Barjatya, head-TV, Rajshri Productions. Though Rajshri has chosen Sahara One to launch its debut serial (it airs from Monday to Thursday at 9 pm), it is ?open to other channels as well?, says she.

After graduating from Sydenham College in Mumbai, this 27-year-old daughter of Kamal Kumarji Barjatya, seniormost director of the company, picked up a management degree before joining the family business last year.

The entry into TV production was almost a natural progression for Kavita, having worked as an assistant director to Sooraj Barjatya for the Hrithik Roshan-Abhishek Bachchan-Kareena Kapoor-starrer Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon.

The film bombed at the box-office, but Kavita came away with loads of hands-on lessons. She would hop around the sets with a script-book in one hand, keeping a strict eye on costumes, continuity, dialogues and the music. Her new job entails overseeing the creative content of the serial (once it is approved by cousin Sooraj), as well as work related to pre and post-production. ?I look after the day-to-day operations of the TV unit. I sit with Soorajji and discuss the script and casting,? elaborates Kavita.

For Sooraj Barjatya though, Woh Rehne Waali? won?t be his first brush with the small screen. The 40-year-old maker of superhits like Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun?! and Hum Saath Saath Hain, steered Rajshri?s popular soap, Paying Guest, for Doordarshan in the 1980s. ?But he was getting into films then and we couldn?t continue with TV,? adds Kavita, aware of the enormous task her family has entrusted her with. ?It? a great responsibility and I want to see Rajshri soar in TV production.?

But as all Rajshri films are also a show of opulence, won?t Woh Rehne Waali? end up being a Balaji clone? Kavita disagrees: ?We have different styles. For us, the storyline is more important than production values.?

Yet, parallels between her and the reigning queen of cable homes are unavoidable. While Ektaa started out on her own from the garage of her home and built an empire from scratch, Kavita operates from a built infrastructure with a safety net (also known as Sooraj Barjatya, whose green signal is vital in getting projects on air).

?I have high regard for Ektaa Kapoor. She has taught all of us so much,? says she. But can Kavita snatch the crown? Let?s wait and watch.