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Sonali Jaffar – The Producer's Secret

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Najeeb Ullah
Sonali Jaffar – The Producer's Secret

Sonali Jaffar, the producer who is known for writing one of the longest streaming dramas on Indian TV- Yeh Hai Mohabbatein by Balaji Telefilms. She started her career as a journalist and later turned towards fiction writing and with the assistance of a lover she happened to satisfy Ekta Kapoor and then, as they call it, rest is history. Now, Sonali has three programs on-air as a producer that has Meri Hanikarak Biwi, Tujhse Hai Raabta on Zee TV, on Star Bharat, and Papa accidentally on & TV. In an interview, she talks about the changing world of the ‘Idiot Box’ and the way it continues to inspire and satisfy her a day. Excerpts from the interview:

 

You started your journey as a writer for a few iconic TV shows. From where does one derive this creativity and what’s the procedure of your literary genre.

I attempt to create ideas from a real-life situation then weave them around the melodrama. As an example, the story of Devanshi on Colours was based on a real story that I saw during a newspaper, where a child was found in the garbage near a temple.

 

Now, you're within the shoes of a producer. Which one is more exciting and why?

Sonali Jaffar:- being a producer expresses such a lot of responsibility that you honestly can’t even imagine as a writer. They both are different in every way imaginable. As a writer, you've got the freedom to steer away, but as a producer, you can't. Also, as a producer, you would like to be confident about your subject and content. They both have their own set of challenges, and that I love juggling between the 2 (smiles). I attempt to be an ingenious producer who knows the nuances of writing and also the hardships of manufacturing a show.

 

You are a working woman, a mother, and a wife too. How does one perform a balance?

People call it an art of balancing, but I feel it’s not an art. It’s something all the ladies are blessed then, do I. I'm a working woman, except for me, my family comes first. So in simple words, I'm a full-time mother and a part-time professional who loves twiddling with the ideas that she observes while playing the role of a mother and a wife.

 

How does one see the shift in Indian television from daily soaps to reality and laughter shows? 

It’s not a shift. Variety is that the spice of life which is what the TV audience demands and therefore the channels are just serving different varieties within the sort of soaps, laughter, and reality shows. All of them co-habitat and help the channel to run smoothly in terms of profit and expenses. Reality programs are bombastic no channel on a budget can survive just with it.

 

When it means attraction, television writers rarely get their dues. What does one require to say about it?

Honestly, I'm not curious about awards. I think in rewards than awards. And for that matter, I assume all the TV writers are being paid well. It’d sound weird but television writers are paid better than film writers, keeping their diligence and time investment in mind. I feel that no TV writer within the times feels sidelined, they're happy seeing their bank balance (laughs).

 

With the invasion of digitalization within the show business, does one think things have changed within the name of content? 

Yes, to an outsized extent content has changed. I think television has taken a back seat for obvious reasons. In terms of content, television has taken a step back and is exploring the weather of supernatural powers, which I assume the digital market has not explored yet.

 

Would you wish to be a neighborhood of the league? Explain.

I am not in the least a part of the league and that I never desire to be. I'm happy in my space, where I keep changing myself constantly. Change is merely constant and in my view, that's the sole thanks to surviving during this competitive industry.

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Najeeb Ullah
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