Be it Anupamaa or Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, producer Rajan Shahi is credited for making the careers of artists like Rupali Ganguly, Hina Khan, Gaurav Khanna and others. But the producer has a very pragmatic view of what makes a TV actor a star in the industry. “For any underdog, the platform is important. You can be a good creator, engineer or actor, but it’s the platform that gives us the opportunity. I’ve done a number of shows as a director. I always liked bringing in new talent whether it was Mona Singh in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Rajshree Thakur in Saat Phere….Saloni Ka Safar or Mona Vasu in Mili,” he says. The top producer says he even chose fresh faces and seasoned actors for his first production Bidaai.
Hina Khan is still recognized by many as Akshara of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. The creator reveals that he saw her during an audition in Delhi. Rajan Shahi says she was a total newcomer from Srinagar and had never traveled to Mumbai. “I told my team to take her to Mumbai. It took almost two months to convince her father to let Hina Khan do Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. My team and I took care of her for another month and a half to become an actress Hina did a fantastic job,” he says. Rajan Shahi has also launched Dheeraj Dhoopar in the industry.
He says he is very involved with the scripts and nothing is formal. Rajan Shahi says his shows resonate because they are in sync with the nation’s changing social fabric. He says COVID-19 has changed people’s perceptions around the world. “Although society is changing, there are some things that resonate with everyone in India. I like being close to the grassroots. I can’t empathize with unrealistic stories that don’t emphasize human or family emotions “, he says. The producer says he advises his team to be as grounded as possible in order to know the realities of life around them. “You can’t write stories if you live in a fancy palace,” he says. He thanks his mother, Deepa Shahi and daughter Shikha for keeping him informed about what is happening in the world.
Rajan Shahi says he has worked in the industry for 30 years, starting as a junior artist. He says there is a lot of mismanagement that he has tried to avoid. “We work in an organized, systematic way and add more infrastructure to help us. If an actor picks up work like other shows or events, the producer or broadcaster can’t blame it,” he says. Rajan Shahi believes it’s pre-planning that scripts click with fans. “You can see in Anupamaa that every character resonates with the audience. The interpersonal relationship is very beautiful. You have to be organic,” he says.
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