We are not competing with the content, we are also competing against movies: Binaiferr Kohli
Producer Binaiferr Kohli, who along with her husband Sanjay Kohli successfully runs their production house Edit II, agrees that there is a cut-throat competition in the entertainment industry, but so far they have coped with it smoothly.
She said, “With the changing times, where it is relevant, we have given the best content, we have the best creatives as well as performers, and we are up to date. We are not competing with the content, we are also competing against movies, which are running against us.”
With popular shows like “Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai!”, “F.I.R.”, “May I Come In Madam?”, “Jijaji Chhat Par Hai!”, and “Happu Ki Ultan Paltan”, to name some, under their banner, Binaiferr is very secure about her shows and their success. She said, “A new show in the same genre has never given us sleepless nights. There is enough work, on every channel, and I can’t be heading to every slot. It’s nice to have a bit of competition, have confidence in yourself, and reinvent and create new things. We have always been market leaders, and we will always be because we really believe in the quality of our content and having good writing, good performers, and good direction.”
However, she agrees that some actors are unable to handle success, and they can throw tantrums every now and then. And here’s what she would do in such situations, “Either you change the actor, or tolerate the actor till the serial is running. I hate changing actors, but actors also realise that over a period of time, whether it’s the spot boy or the makeup man, they do carry stories, so you are not only out of that production, but you are out of many others because behind every producer, there are 10 producers ready to produce and 10 more actors, ready for the role. Your good will takes you a long way in this industry.”
But lucky for her, she has never faced any such scenarios. She said, “Luckily for me, I have actors who are really nice. ‘Bhabiji…’ has been working for 9 years, and all my actors have been there with me for 17 years. There are people who have been with us for the past 30 years, and some who started with us are still there. So it’s nice to have one big family, and you can depend on each other. It’s a relationship of respect and being there.”
Being a producer is not easy. Apart from the gazillion things that they need to take care of, handling and dealing with the cast, along with directors, writers, technicians, and other crew members, is also important. Sharing her views on this, she said, “On a set, at any given time, there are 150–200 people working, and they are from different lines. There are various different people, and in my unit, all of them are very professional, very respectful, and very caring towards each other. With 12 hours on the set, it’s important to care for each other. Of course there are bound to be arguments, but that doesn’t take away the 99 good points the person has.”
Binaiferr also shared her shooting experience and the challenges she has faced. She said that there cannot be one most difficult sequence, there could be many, adding, “Sometimes you get an actor who is not into meter. Maybe the actor is very good with standup, but in fiction, there is give and take, so it is important to get that actor into the meter.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult, as we have done a lot of shows with a lot of children, so you have to be conducive and understanding. Sometimes the little ones want to sleep so you can let them sleep and do other scenes, sometimes they have their exams, so you have to let them concentrate. It's a little difficult, but not impossible. What really motivates us to work hard and do well is the backing of the channel. They have great trust in us, and you have to live up to it, and I thank the channel for that,” she ended.
