Son of one of Bollywood's earliest superstars Prem Nath, Cinevistaas chairman Prem Kishen began his career as an assistant director to showman Raj Kapoor and Vijay Anand, then switched to acting in the mid 1970s. Although he did a few super-hit films like Jaan Haazir Haiand Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaye, in which he played the lead, Prem Kishen quit acting, "because," he explains, "due to my initial training in filmmaking, I was more inclined towards production and the creative aspects of filmmaking."
To begin with, he set up Cinevista Ads in l982. Over the next three years, the company made more than 250 ad campaigns and several corporate films. In 1985, Doordarshan invited tenders from independent producers for serials for which they were required to pay the telecast fee in exchange for free commercial time. Prem Kishen was one of the first seven producers to apply. His proposal to create a series of 21 internationally renowned short stories into 28 episodes was accepted by DD. Katha Sagar was born, Cinevista had branched out into television programming and, as the cliché goes, the rest is history.
Katha Sagar was followed by Zindagi, Rishta, Merry Go Round and Gul Gulshan Gulfam, which was the highest rated programme on Doordarshan in l990 and which also gave a lot of credibility to Cinevista. The next programme from Cinevista - Junoon - established it as a premier soap production house as the serial ran for five years and 510 episodes and also set a record for the longest running programme during prime time on Doordarshan. More shows followed - Saahil, Ghuta', Hindustani, Jaane Bhi Do Paro, Nehle Pe Dehla, Noorjehan... the list is long- and Cinevista came into the reckoning as a leading software production company.
Today, he is concentrating on filmmaking but TV software remains a soft corner with him. An interview by Vickey Lalwani:
A little about your early days in television? |
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Why? Simple. I foresaw tremendous growth for commercial television in India. I was confident that within a decade, TV would emerge as an entertainment giant. Satellite TV came to India in 1992 and within a few years, so many satellite channels were launched that the Indian cable galaxy became overcrowded, resulting in a wide spectrum of programming and a vast choice for viewers to select from. I had been proved right. |
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You have been a strong DD loyalist, but of late... (interrupts) I know what you are saying. It has been a pure business decision. I am a programmer in the business of television. As a production house and content provider, we have to grow and keep pace with the rapid growth of television and cater to the huge demand for software created by satellite channels. It didn't make any sense in sticking to DD alone. |
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Tell us about the studio. |
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Something more about Cinevista from your side before I get specific? |
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Why did you produce 'Sshhh... Koi Hai' and 'Krishna Arjun' in co-production with Contiloe Films? |
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Let's talk about CAS. What would be the impact of CAS on production houses? |
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But you are moving back to films? |
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Have you considered the risk involved in today's times when most films bite the dust? |
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CAS again, but changing it slightly. What would be the impact of CAS on viewers? |
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Would DD benefit? |
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Why? |
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What was DD's objection to 'Knockout'? |
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What have been the revenues given by Cinevista to DD? |
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DD has changed its policies for producers. Right? |
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Do DD producers get funding from venture capitalists? |
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Why do you think that DD is erring? What is the malaise in DD? |
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Are you making shows as per the channels' demand? |
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Does Cinevista have any programme on DD's affiliated up-country channels? |
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Any plans for making telefilms? |
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Do you draw a line while budgeting? |
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Content is getting diluted on television. Agree or disagree? |
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Five major brands that have supported you thick and thin? |
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But don't you think you could have got more advertising support? |
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Pray, why have you converted 'Sanjivani- A Medical Boon' into a 'saas bahu' type? |
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Back to your films. What happened to the Salman Khan starrer you announced sometime back? |
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What's happening to Akanksha's career? |
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There was another film you'd announced, but it didn't take off at all? |
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Are you pushing your directors from TV serials into films? |
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You are open to outsiders, but what if some outsider cons you by plagiarising? |
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What are the opportunities on television? |
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Highlights of the first half of 2003? |