Producer and writer Suzana Ghai has always been a steadfast believer in her creative convictions, consistently breathing life into her authentic characters and crafting compelling narratives. Currently, she proudly holds the title of a prolific producer under the banner Panorama Entertainment, with as many as four shows captivating audiences on television. Mangal Lakshmi and Mangal Lakshmi – Lakshmi Ka Safar, airing on Colors, have garnered enthusiastic responses from viewers. At the same time, her work on Dangal, particularly the enchanting series Mann Sundar and its highly successful spin-off, Mann Atisundar, has truly set a benchmark, earning acclaim as some of the most successful shows on the channel.
In an exclusive conversation with IWMBuzz.com, Suzana Ghai talks about how her convictions have mostly paid off, on her successful shows, and on working with experienced actors as well as freshers.
Whenever I have chosen my creative instinct over science, it has mostly worked for me. Thankfully, the channels I am working with currently have been supportive of that.
Read on.
You have a good number of well-received shows on air at the moment. How does it feel for these shows to do well?
We are very grateful for all the love that is coming our way for our four shows – Mann Sundar, Mann Atisundar, Mangal Lakshmi and Mangal Lakshmi – Lakshmi Ka Safar. We have worked hard on every nuance in each show, and we are glad that the concepts have connected well with the audience.
We are at a phase where TV shows do not last for even 2 months. Explain.
Yes, as a Producer, I have also been through this phase where the concepts have not worked well and lasted long. We had to make some decisions based on conviction, and that worked. Whenever I have chosen my creative instinct over science, it has mostly worked for me. Thankfully, the channels I am working with currently have been supportive of that.
Mangal Lakshmi and Lakshmi Ka Safar split exactly when the stories were doing well. Lakshmi Ka Safar had the potential to do well on its own. I could see that Lakshmi and Kartik, as a couple were working, and had the potential to go ahead on their own.
MS and MAS have done really well for Dangal, being the flagship shows. Tell us about the secret of their success.
In fact, when Mann Sundar and Mann Ati Sundar were offered to me, I was not doing any Hindi TV show. Dangal was also fairly new. Vivek Behl brought me into the show, and I decided to produce it and go along with his conviction. But things changed along the way. There was a lot of pressure as the show was not doing well initially. But we did not change the core of the show. We have to understand that while the audience is evolving, their values and traditions remain the same. My learning has been that viewers like an amalgamation of drama, emotion and characters, and that is what we went for. We did not go just the drama way, we played with a lot of romance with good characterisation. This has paid off for Dangal. The channel has been supportive. It was my longing that, irrespective of the channel, the audience has to connect to the characters and drama, and this has been a happy feeling.
Mangal Lakshmi started as a single show of two sisters and is now doing well individually. What do you have to say?
Mangal Lakshmi started as a remake. In the beginning, we were following the original story. The core of the show was the journey of two sisters. Eventually, we started to make it our own story. The audience embraced the characters, and we tried to play along with the story that was being told. Even the split was a different decision. Colors has always told me that there was a split in the show in the original too. I never pushed for the split initially. I believe that the show should settle and have its own branding. When the decision to split was made, we were ready for the plunge. We split exactly when the stories were doing well; Lakshmi Ka Safar had the potential to do well on its own. I could see that Lakshmi and Kartik, as a couple, were working and had the potential to go ahead on their own. We were also struggling with screen time, as all the characters were loved. Above all, the channel had its strategy and we saw that the audience was latching on to the strategy. I am very happy to see the split and both shows doing well. It is a good phase to be in.
What makes you more proud? Deepika Singh and Naman Shaw had the experience, while on the other side, you had Sanika Amit and Sshubham Dipta who were newcomers when they started.
It is difficult to choose between the two. I have always worked on shows where we have introduced fresh faces. I have also received resistance initially for casting freshers. But the fact is that they have grown with every experience. Even when Deepika was cast for Diya aur Baati Hum she was a fresher at that time. For me, Mangal Lakshmi was different, and for the first time, I was casting big actors. The way the show was crafted was very different from what I had done before. There was a lot of comparison to other shows, which put pressure on us. We did not want the show to look like any other show. That was a different challenge. The fact that Lakshmi and Kartik were able to run the story on their own, independently of such big actors who supported the cast earlier, has been a different kind of high. Both shows have given me different highs in my career. Mangal Lakshmi was also not an easy show for us, because of the factors I have mentioned.
Mangal’s engagement and wedding have created huge curiosity. Tell us about it.
I am not going to reveal anything about the story. This is a very big phase, tricky too, as I had not anticipated it as part of the story. We did not want this to become another show, where the female protagonist needs another man. I always saw Mangal very differently. It was a challenge when we got a male character in the show. We had to write it very differently. We worked more on the friendship and mutual respect angle between Kapil and Mangal. Kapil has also been liked by the audience. We will now write it in a certain way without it seeming like any other show. Mangal, as a character, is a woman of immense strength, and we will stick to that core.
Even though Mangal has graduated to be independent in life, she keeps going back to her past, which has made viewers voice their opinions more. Your take.
For me, Mangal was always a woman who was sitting inside the house, devoting her time to working inside the house for her family. Not every woman goes out and becomes a superpower. These women are also strong; they prioritise their kids and family at the same time. Mangal has had a gradual growth in becoming an entrepreneur. But the ties she made with her mother-in-law Kusum is very special. They don’t die instantly. Kusum was a mother to her. At one point, Kusum stood against her son for Mangal. I did not want to change that bond. This is a special relationship on TV and has been a differentiator. Mangal has a gratification for Kusum which will never go down. This was one sentiment I always wanted to carry forward, with the in-laws of Mangal treating her like a daughter. We have put across the message that Mangal stood her ground a lot based on womanism. We have also mentioned in our dialogues that sometimes it is important to be human beings and decide. She has not gone back to the family, but to the home that she built, is a place where she wants to go back whenever the house needs her.
What can viewers expect in both shows now?
Both shows will have more and more highs in the story. Mangal, as a character, has evolved, and we will give viewers the gratification and joy that Mangal’s value is realised in every aspect of her life. In Lakshmi Ka Safar, there will be many twists to come.
