My vast past experience has helped me a lot in making Nadaan Parinde – Producer Imtiaz Punjabi
It’s a dream come true for writer turned director Imtiaz Punjabi to launch his first show as Producer with Nadaan Parinde Ghar Aaja on Life OK. The man who has helmed and set up unique concepts like Baat Humari Pakki Hai, Maryada, Parvarrish, Sangini, Kaisa Yeh Ishq Hai, Ek Muthi Aasman always had it in mind to turn Producer and offer valuable content to Indian television. Along with good friend and colleague Art Director Chokas Bharadwaj, Imtiaz has kick-started his venture as Producer under the banner of Scaling Height Productions.
With his first step taken as Producer, the man talks of his aspirations, goals and of course, his journey of making Nadaan Parinde in an exclusive talk with us. Excerpts:
Take us through the journey of realizing the idea of making a show like Nadaan Parinde?
As a natural progression, I have always wanted to make shows as Producer. And my idea was to shoot at real locations whenever I turned Producer. The excitement of writing scenes which are to be shot at real locales usually give me a high. I had this script of Nadaan Parinde in mind, and when I had a talk with Life OK they seemed to be equally excited to work on the project. Thus began our journey. And today, to see the show on air has made my dream come true. The look and feel of the show has been appreciated by many and this is just the start as for me.
How is it to shoot at Chandigarh after coming out of the comfort zone, which is Mumbai?
Well, we have had a great deal of problems, but I always believe that there is a solution to every problem. To begin with, Chandigarh is not a place as equipped as Mumbai. So I had to get my whole crew to Chandigarh to start work. The biggest challenge for us was to hunt for local talent. Also, another concern was the manner in which the entire crew and cast would adjust to the extreme climate out here in Chandigarh. For instance, with summer setting in, we have to make sure that everyone on the set stays on toes being in perfect health condition. There is always a possibility of people getting dehydrated while shooting continuously in this extreme heat. In the same way, I might need to provide everyone with proper warm clothing and boots when winter would set in. Overall, I am ready to face the challenge as it comes and I have prepared myself for it. As long as the show does well, we will be happy putting in our best at any given situation.
So where do the entire cast and crew stay in Chandigarh?
I have provided a homely atmosphere for one and all in Chandigarh. It was not feasible to stay at any hotel for over a year. So I took four bungalows in which my entire team is placed. I have appointed cooks in all the bungalows so that my cast and crew would get home cooked food. Also, when any actor or crew member gets home-sick, I immediately grant the person leave for 4-5 days, and ask him to go and spend time with family in Mumbai. In this way, I have looked into every minute detail of everyone’s stay in Chandigarh.
Is it not a risk for a first-time Producer to work on such a show, which is out-of-the-box by all means?
You can certainly say that, as no channel would risk giving such a big responsibility of shouldering a show like Nadaan Parinde to a Producer who is new. I guess this is where my vast past experience has helped me a lot in making the show. I have worked on various international outdoor projects, and have a good experience. I have handled quite a lot of tough shows for channels and set them up. If you see my style of work, no two shows have been similar. A Parvarrish is completely different from Maryada, or a Baat Humari Pakki Hai. My experience in designing shows like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, Amber Dhara, Mata Ki Chowki speaks volumes of what I can achieve. Life OK certainly knew what they can expect from me. And of course, their support has always been there. Ajit Thakur, Amitabh Raina and many others from the channel have put in their best to achieve the goals. So it’s been a collective team effort that has made our dreams into reality today.
You said casting local talent was a challenge. How did you overcome it?
We have been auditioning for local talent since last December. We basically wanted actors with a Punjabi background to play the characters, as they would get the dialect and tone of the character right. Except for Gulki Joshi, everyone has a background from Punjab. Tanushree Kaushal is a Punjabi from Mumbai. Karam Rajpal is from Ludhiana. Nikkhil Chaddha is again from Delhi, and has his roots in Punjab. Mannat is also a Punjabi. I was fully involved in the casting with Umeish Yamgarr. Also, we have got quite a lot of people from Jalandhar, Patiala, Delhi and other places.
Tell us about the involvement of the army backdrop in the show…
Well, the basic essence of the show is based on human values. And army is just a part of it since the family resides near the border. If you are dwelling on a story near the border, there will be an involvement of the army in it. The army will be brought into the picture whenever the script requires it. But on the whole, the show will touch the chord of the audience for the mother and son bonding. The very thought of the show is that every mother, whether staying in India or any other neighbouring country is a mother and will have the same qualities. The human element is rich in the show. Basically, I got this idea of making such a show when I had long back travelled to Amristar, where I saw few families residing near the border. I weaved my story keeping this as the focal point.
How do you work on the minute details when you are casting for a particular character?
As I said earlier, I have a good experience in understanding faces and casting them. When I saw Tanushree Kaushal, I was very confident of her doing well as the positive mother. But many did not like my idea, as she had been typecast as a vamp through her earlier shows. The same happened with Karan Rajpal the lead. When he walked in, I knew he suited the character very well. Nikkhil Chaddha too had that streak of the character in him. I simply love to work on actors. And my past experience of working with kids in Parrvarish has proved that. However, it is very easy to mould a child as he/she does not come with a thought of his own. This is where you have to work harder with the elder actors. The same contrast happened with Shilpa Shirodkar in Ek Mutthi Aasman, when I cast her in the deglamorized avatar of the maid.
How did you decide to partner with Art Director Chokas Bharadwaj to form Scaling Heights Productions?
We have known each other for 10 years now. He has been the Art Director in many of the shows I have directed. He calls me ‘bhai’. And once when we were conversing, he asked me whether we could do something together with so much experience to back us. And that is how the association began. We have a very good tuning since we have worked together for years. And it is much easier when you have a partner who is so experienced. It’s been great associating with him.
Is Nadaan Parinde a finite series?
Well, when I started working on this project, I was very clear in my mind that the story would run for a year only. I have planned all the tracks for a year. But in TV, when you have a script for a year, you can easily extend it to half a year more. We are confident of pulling this off, and getting a good response from viewers. If all is well, I have ideas for newer tracks too that can extend our show.
Personally, how do you cope up with the pressure of work, being away from family?
My wife, Shyama Punjabi and daughter Falak Punjabi have moved to Chandigarh to be with me. My wife is a big support, and she made things easy for me by shifting base to be with me. My daughter is 18 months old, and is my energy booster. When I see her around, I get motivated to give my best to work. My parents too have given me full support to move to Chandigarh and stay here and work on my show. I keep shuttling between Mumbai and Chandigarh as I need to be with the writers and others in the team for discussions.
What would you want to tell viewers?
Nadaan Parinde is a show which is rich in human values. We will try our best not to go the normal way. Our idea is to tell a different story, and we hope viewers sample our program and get glued to it.
What is your idea for the future as Producer?
Well, Hollywood is the goal. I want to make small films and stories. However, as of now, TV is priority, and my complete concentration is on Nadaan Parinde.
