"Bigger channels don't provide me sukh" Anurag Basu

Anurag Basu - does this name ring a bell? No no don't confuse it with Kassauti's Bong beta played by Cezzane. We are discussing the once-upon-a-time TV director (Tara, Koshish Ek Aasha, etc.), and now a renowned film director (Murder, Gangster, Metro…) 'Anurag Basu'. Life has come full circle for this accomplished man who is he all set make a splash once again on the TV circuit with SAB's Love Story. Red is what aptly describes Anurag's new show - An intriguing premix of passion, violence, hardcore reality with an added dose of fun and youth. The story weaves a narrative with various sub plots; two rival gangs, notorious families, dirty politics, shady underworld and a conscientious cop. Couple this with a juvenile love story shot at varied locales across the country. We think the director is sure to re-define television viewing. On the verge of the show's roll out in a few days, Seema Pherwani meets up with Basu on the sets to find out aakhir kya hain yeh Love Story. Excerpts: So you are back on the small screen. How passionate are you about this project? SAB TV assured me that they would let me do 'something different'; that's when I gave my consent to make a passionate love story for them. But I don't know how far the small screen will allow me with this fervour. Lekin ab hum jangh mein kud pade hain (But now we've are ready to fight the battle). So we'll try to be distinctive with our show. But how different can one really get with a love story on the TV; after all it's all about a girl meets boy? I agree. Even I am applying the same basic concept but with a rather realistic touch to it. My characters have been etched out differently. The older couple played by Harsh Chayya and Rupa Ganguly are separated and Akash, their only son can't handle this. The story explores this father-son relationship. The story oscillates between various sub-plots and the screenplay between the past and present mode. The fun factor will be sufficed by a fresh, young star cast. Like other shows, you too have roped in new talent. What to do? On television, actors don't become as popular compared to their characters. When people get saturated with a character they don't want to see him again. Very few people like Harsh Chayya have been zeroed in for Love Story as they are selective about their work and are worth their craft. What were the criteria for channel selection? Why SAB TV and not a bigger name? See a bigger channel does guarantee me TRPs from day one, but they don't promise me sukh (happiness) or creative satisfaction. In today's market, it doesn't matter what genre you're tackling. If you handle any story sincerely and honestly; it will hit bull's eye. Today you see soaps which are just filling in scenes. Tell me, if you remove a shot from a show it doesn't make a difference to the story, so what is it's worth? At that rate even if one misses their favourite soap for three weeks, he hasn't missed much (smirks). Point noted. As Love Story is primarily a college drama, do we expect a glossy packaging for it? Nowadays every college turns out to be a Karan Johar college. Though our look is rich, stylish and contemporary, we are also shooting at various locations in Delhi, Haryana and Mumbai. You have been successful with your movies. What factors as per your set this medium apart from television? Not much, except in films once a bullet is fired it can't be retrieved. Also the stakes are high. But for TV shows one can re-shoot, alter the story or even change the actors for that matter. But all in all it's pretty complex, we can't take the storyline for granted and keep planning for the future. What I am shooting now will actually go on air in the sixth month. What changes has the TV industry undergone between your first innings till now? Oh nothing much has changed. The same stuff is happening even now since the time I left television behind. Producers are only concerned about stretching their story and this stems from their insecurity, 'what next if my show ends?'