Viewers don't support new ideas: Ajai

Producer-director Ajai Sinha, who’s been in the business long enough, has seen it all right from the days of ‘kitchen politics’ on TV to the current ‘rural’ scenario.
Ajai, who has been credited for attempting some bold storylines in his TV serials like Hasratein and Astitva, says TV viewership has moved from the classes to the masses making it difficult for channels to take up such themes.Here he speaks about the changing TV scenario and his recent acting stint...
You are trying your hand at acting and singing too these days...
I was an actor-cum-singer in my theatre days and used to play the main lead singing 25 songs in some of the musical operas. So there’s nothing unusual about it! But of course, after becoming a director I never wanted to cast myself as an actor in any of my shows. I can’t see myself anywhere, but as the leading man! Singing is my passion, so I sang one song and did a cameo in Kesariya Balam... I do my riyaz at home. People say I sing very well (smiles).
Did you always want to be a director?
I was a known actor in my theatre days in Delhi and Mumbai as well. I did some 30/40 plays on stage and few episodic roles in TV serials. But after becoming a director, I started enjoying the process of living every character of my work. That’s why the characters of my shows are so well defined.
You were known for your bold storylines like the extramarital theme in Hasratein and Astitva. Not any more... why?
Times have changed. The viewership of TV has moved from classes to masses and to the entire household. That makes it difficult for channels to take up such shows. You will see my bold ideas in my forthcoming film.
Aren’t all our serials getting too repetitive?
To some extent, yes. There’s so much work... how can writers come up with new ideas everyday? Moreover the audiences are, in a way, responsible for this because they accept the repetitive story ideas and scenes. They do not support new ideas easily, thus discourage the makers and the channels to experiment with extremely innovative stories.
Your current show Kesariya Balam..., people thought, was based on the film Satyam Shivam Sundaram...
It’s a coincidence that the beginning of the serial resembled the film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Actually, Kesariya... takes off from where the film ended. The story is far away from the film. Now that much coincidence is possible where we make so many programmes! Like in music we have only seven surs and the eighth one is repetition. There is nothing new on this earth. Every thing is recycled.
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