Actor Ravie Dubey is having an eventful year. Not only is he playing Laxman in Nitesh Tiwari’s film Ramayana, he has also been busy with projects that he and his wife, actor Sargun Mehta, have been producing lately.
He tells us, “The entertainment industry is a thriving prospect only if you know how to strike the balance between the audience and your stories. Television of late has become too deadline-centric, and OTT is less on family-driven content.”
As he steps up to the producer’s chair himself, the 41-year-old shares, “Our hands are full. On our projects we are actually moving with instinct, and that’s working for us.”
However, the actor who rose to fame with his television roles, dismisses the notion that Hindi television is in decline. “There were times when people had written off cinema; the same is for TV or OTT. So I don’t believe in using the term ‘failure’ for television. In fact, we need to redesign our strategies for TV; kahaniyo ko sahi jagah pe khatam karenge, then only excitement will continue,” he explains.
Building on his belief in the strength of Indian content, the actor-producer, who recently moved into his new beach-facing home in Mumbai, also addresses comparisons with international shows. He stresses India’s deep storytelling heritage: “I have never believed that Pakistani dramas are better when it comes to our content. Our historical roots are the strongest, so it is we who have stories to tell and characters to create. How can we be short on stories and screenplays?”
{{/usCountry}}Building on his belief in the strength of Indian content, the actor-producer, who recently moved into his new beach-facing home in Mumbai, also addresses comparisons with international shows. He stresses India’s deep storytelling heritage: “I have never believed that Pakistani dramas are better when it comes to our content. Our historical roots are the strongest, so it is we who have stories to tell and characters to create. How can we be short on stories and screenplays?”
{{/usCountry}}That’s why his production house chose YouTube to reach a more universal audience. “Family viewing is extremely important, and maybe Pakistani or K-dramas have been working on that. And that’s where our eyes should be set, to cater to the audience that still loves talking about ongoing dramas over dinners. Many consume a lot of international drama from YouTube; that’s the need gap we wanted to utilise.”
He goes on to argue that Indian TV is capable of matching global standards.“It’s wrong to say that we can’t match [international content] when it comes to daily soaps. How can we forget the Indian television of the ’80s and ’90s? We had some of the biggest shows and beautiful stories to tell. Be it Humlog, Swabhiman, Ramayana, or Mahabharat, our shows set the precedent even back then,” he concludes.