Ag Talk | Experimenting with newer concepts, Swastik's Tewary

Creating a show in such a cluttered broadcasting space is a challenging task but with creative thoughts in mind one can create a show that can touch newer heights and build the necessary buzz. A production house that was set up to create differentiated content was, launched in 2007, Swastik Productions, where the team has been focused towards creating quality content which is engaging and relevant. With a strong belief that their best competition is no one else but them, the production house constantly endeavors to take up new challenges.

Innovative programming, characters, story lines were the essence of all the conversations. Today Swastik Productions has spread its wings and is prepared to touch newer heights in the field of film production as well as digital content and destination creation.

With the vision to go beyond television into digital content and the silver screen, Siddharth Kumar Tewary, Founder, Creative Director, Swastik Productions has always worked on interesting and amazing concepts. Whenever their remarkable journey is , Television production was all that occupied their mind space.

A strong believer of, “GOAL IS A DREAM WITH A DEADLINE”, the seed of Swastik came into existence when he wanted to create content that he believed in, as he follows his heart and not the crowd.

This Big Hearted boss is the source of all the energy and creativity. The Art of Creation is the driving force in his life. He says that, “You cannot last in this industry unless you are deeply passionate about it.”

To know more and get a deeper understanding Adgully caught up with, Siddharth Kumar Tewary who spoke about their journey, way forward and much more….

Adgully (AG): What has been your work mantra?
Siddharth Kumar Tewary (SKT): My work mantra is simple: Every process is unique and important, but it’s the end result that defines you. I aim to build Brand Swastik into a multi-media content creator.

AG: From 2007 to know, how has the production house grown over the years?
SKT: The journey has been quite good. When we started we were a small team whose aim was to give differentiated stories to the viewers but today we aim at going beyond just television. We have always been cautious about the quality of content that we produce and that has led to a successful journey of Swastik Productions. These years have been full of learning and understanding.

AG: When you started to till date, how has the perception and mind sets of viewers changed?
SKT: The mind set has changed tremendously and I think it is forcing content creators like us also to embark upon newer concepts and innovative content. People are becoming choosy with regards to the kind of content they would want to consume. 

AG: Content on Television has come a long way and today we see audience's needs and demands growing at a rapid speed. Also they prefer differentiated content. So how have you experienced the same and how do deal with the same?
SKT: Not only the viewer’s preferences have changed but the viewing habits too today are unpredictable hence when we come up with a show we keep in mind all possible aspects that a viewer would want to see and on any platform they wish to. With new channels coming in, it is giving content creators like us a new space for exploring new opportunities.

AG: You have a healthy mix of shows out of our bouquet, which genre you think would take precedence?
SKT: It is not about a genre but about the content that we create. We do not believe in coming up with shows as per the trending genres rather we pick up stories and convert them into shows which we think would make an impact on the viewers. I never work on one genre at a time. Like today, we have Razia Sultan and Bandhan and few more running simultaneously. From Amber Dhara to Mahabharata we have experimented with a lot of concepts.

AG: What are the genres according to you that work well in Indian market?
SKT: It depends upon how you create a show and it totally depends upon how one narrates the story. Soaps have always worked in our country and so has the comedy genre but today the game has competently changed as our viewers are evolving at a rapid speed and they want a crisp, interesting and engaging story line.

AG:  As you mentioned that you believe in delivering quality content but you work on different genres simultaneously. So how do you utilize your resources?
SKT: Every show has its own dedicated team of people and that is how we divide our work. If we look at our Team as Swastik, we work with enthusiastic and passionate people who work to create a show with full zeal and enthusiasm. The challenge is how one accounts for the fastest growing set of people in this industry. Over and above me and Rahul Tewary (co-founder, Swastik) go through each and every script and create the best possible show.

AG: The year 2014 saw quite a of new genres and concepts grabbing viewers’ attention, What will be your views on the same?
SKT: I am really excited about the way the Hindi General Entertainment category is witnessing change in terms of acceptance of newer concepts. The whole 2014 gave us a new era of ideas which will lead to a better industry in the coming future. The coming years will see a lot of differentiated content being produced on channels.

AG: What are the challenges do you face being in this industry?
SKT: The basic challenge is that with every show that a production house creates involves a lot of risk and challenges at every point. To give a twist and turn to a show involves an equal amount of brainstorming as it is involved during the conceptualizing of the idea.   

AG: What are the innovations that you observe in the production space today?
SKT: I guess television as medium is becoming a big innovation day by day. The production quality for television shows today are magnum and no where less than a movie. In our shows like Mahabharata, Razia Sultan etc we have not comprised in quality and have tried to give a grand cinematic feel to our audiences. Also not only that but today the role of VFX technology has also started coming in for a television show and that too in a strong way.

AG:  What is the roadmap for 2015?
SKT: Currently we are working on Razia Sultan then ManMarziyan which is light hearted Youth love story for Star Plus. The show is set to go-on air from April. Then we have an upcoming mythological show, Karna which will revolve around Karna’s life journey from childhood to death. Karna’s role in Mahabharata is being tried, told and tested on every channel hence we thought of exploring another angle to as to give something different to the viewers. |By: Aanchal Kohli |Twitter: @aanchalkohli