Tony and Deeya Singh have been pulled in from the wilderness (their last well known work was Just Mohabbat and Banegi Apni Baat) by Sony Entertainment TV to make Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, but it seems like a good decision. Four days old, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin on Sony TV had people talking about the plain Jane (who plays the protagonist in the Indianised version of Ya Soy Betty La Fea) and the theme which is novel in a country whose satellite television is obsessed with glamour, beauty, eyelid-batting heroines and kitchen politics.
By their own admission, the rights require them to proceed more or less on the same lines as the original, and the show should end in a year and a half as the original did. With the directors (and the channel of course) sticking to the same speed and story as the original that was a massive hit in several countries, a repeat story here cannot be ruled out. At last count, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin has broken through into the top 30 shows.
Indiantelevision.com's Vickey Lalwani met a beaming Deeya Singh in her office.
Excerpts:
It's been a long time after your last serial until 'Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'... Actually, Tony and I directed a daily serial Maan on Channel 9, but unfortunately Channel 9 did not happen. Nobody talks about Maan. We also did a show Dil Se Dosti (Sony) showcasing six friends. And we did Love Mein Kabhi Kabhi (Sab TV) which I strongly feel was one of our better shows. But the saas bahu rage was very, very strong at that time. The times were not conducive to the type of work we wanted to do or were doing. The show was not accepted. We were quite a disappointed duo for some time, at least. |
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But still you kept going. What was the motivation? |
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So far, so good. But tell me, do you think that 'Jassi...' would have done well if it had come as a one-hour weekly? |
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Why? It is a sad state of affairs that we watch so much of negativity every day in most serials. What do you end up in bed with? Nightmares of vampires! Evil designs of vamps! |
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How did 'Jassi...' happen? |
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You seem to be quite pumped with enthusiasm... |
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Simply put, why has 'Jassi…' clicked? And yes, the fashion house consisting of the glamorous Rakshanda Khan and Manini De has contributed too. And of course, the models who walk in and out of the show cannot be discounted. We are going to have quite a few beauties on the show. |
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You say Jassi is very real. But she is out to erode every girl's dreams. Today, every teenage girl wants to become an Aishwarya Rai or Sushmita Sen? The best part is that she is not screaming over the rooftops while eroding that myth. It's just coming through. Believe it or not, parents have started telling their daughters to see this show simply because they feel it is just what the doctor prescribed for those girls. |
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How did you choose the protagonist? |
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How did you think of Parmeet Sethi and Apurva Agnihotri? Parmeet Sethi was literally sitting at home. 'Jassi...' gave him a new life. Now we see him in 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' and 'Saara Akaash' too... I don't know whether Parmeet was sitting at home (laughs). But I have always rated him as a very capable actor who should have been given more to do than just show brawns. As for Apurva's selection is concerned, we needed a fresh face, but at the same time he should look mature enough to head the fashion house and hold his own. So we thought that someone from the film industry would fit the bill. |
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Are you having some cross-branding with the fashion designers? |
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If the currently good TRPs do not remain good tomorrow, will you still stick to the original 'Ya Soy Betty La Fea'? Of course we have modified it a bit to fit the Indian standards. Like, the grandmother was not a part of the Spanish show. And, the family has been made a little more alive. By making the family more alive does not mean increasing the emotions. We are not resorting to any tricks. Jassi… is one of the most natural shows ever made. |
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Didn't you feel nervous taking up this project for Sony, because this channel has the reputation of scrapping whatever doesn't work? |
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Why so much of hype and hoopla about the show if you guys were so confident? |
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Is the marketing strategy going to be aggressive persistently? That's for Sony to decide when to press on the gas and when to let the show take over. They are constantly 'at' it; this baby is equally theirs. As a director, I have to bother only about working very hard. |
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Are you saying that the aggressive marketing has not helped? |
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Are you going to unveil Jassi or not? Whatever Jassi (read Mona Singh) will end up doing will be in complete sync with what her character dictates at that moment (smiles). |
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Is there a fixed length to the serial, or is it a never ending serial considering the good response it has garnered? We will be committed to the original show. Nonetheless, this will be a good question for Sony. |
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We've heard that you plan to venture into film direction too. Is it true? |