‘Proud to have produced shows from our history, culture’
elevision producer and director Siddharth Kumar Tewary who has a strong Lucknow connect, says that the ongoing phase is just letting him be. “Yes, for me, it’s a clean break as I don’t plan, nor have I been very productive lately. There’s no pressure to deliver, no deadlines to meet. I am just home with my family and children. After years have I got such a break to simply be with them. Though I know from a business point of view it’s definitely a tough time and a lot of issues await being looked into, but then this is with every one of us, as all industries are on hold since the lockdown was announced.
Tewary has reason to cheer, as two magnum opuses he produced, are back on TV and getting good ratings. “Shows like ‘Mahabharat,’ ‘Karmaphal Daata Shani,’ ‘Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush’ don’t happen easily or in one go. A lot of planning and support from co producers, directors, actors and the entire team come together to bring out such a product. It entails huge work and pressure because a generation has already viewed it earlier. Though, at times, while watching the re-runs I do pick up areas where I find scope of betterment. Also, at times, you feel proud to have produced shows with riveting tales from our history and culture.”
When the country went into the lockdown two of his shows ‘RadhaKrishn’ and ‘Devi’ were being extensively shot and now everything is on hold, but he and his company, Swastik Productions, are still providing support to his team. “My crew and workers have been working with us for years and have left their houses in Mumbai for the shoot but with the lockdown in place, they have no place to go, so currently, they are all living at the shoot location in Umargaon. It’s an enclosed location where we are providing amenities to them. We are trying to do our bit, rest we all await government guidelines for our industry and hope to get back to work soon.”