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India’s most recent mythological thriller Naagarjun has received a warm welcome to the big and producer Yash Patnaik is ecstatic! The maker got in touch with us regarding his thoughts on the show and the way it was received. Here’s what he had to say:
What was your reaction when you came to know about it?
It was overwhelming. At a time when online audience is getting so important something like is exceptional. We have heard about Arnab Goswami trending in Twitter but a TV trending like this nationally and internationally is almost unbelievable. 4 million unique reach and 35 million impressions was unthinkable. I kept getting news of Naagarjun trending from 8PM. It opened at 4th in India and climbed up to 1st by 9.10. By the time the telecast ended we were 31st in the world. Hundreds of fans were uploading pictures with their TV sets playing Naagarjun. I must thank the audience for the support. I am still recovering 🙂
It’s the first time such a thing has happened. Comment.
I have been told its the first time something like this has happened. It was a prime time for news channels with all big national and international news breaking. Naagarjun not just toppled all the news it stayed at the top for over two hours.
What is the feedback you are getting for your larger than life show?
The reactions for Naagarjun have been splendid. I think people are liking the show, the story, characters, scale, casting, VFX. Hope these reactions translates to numbers 🙂
What is so special about Naagarjun?
Naagarjun is a daring dream. When I thought of doing a superhero many cautioned me. People asked me ‘how can you do a superhero in TV and how will you sustain 5 days a week?’ I saw that a challenge to be taken. Fortunately we managed to get a supporting channel like Life OK who believed in our vision. It took us 2 years to get the show on air. Almost one year of pre-production. We started creating VFX properties almost 8 months in advance. I am blessed with a great team which stood by my madness for a year.
The casting is very apt, how hard was the casting process?
With Nikitin Dheer and Mrunal Jain combination it is quite a visual treat with their well built bodies. Pooja Banerjee also looks stunning for the role. After we crafted the story, and created the characters the biggest road block was casting. To start with, I wanted to get the super villain in place before the hero. And else in India other than Nikitin Dheer. A massive built and a great presence. I had loved him as Thangabali in Chennai Express. He was brilliant in that film. After Nikitin we zeroed in on Anshuman Malhotra as Arjun as I wanted a very young and vulnerable actor for Arjun. He has a very unique combination of innocence and anger. He has surprised us with his brilliance on screen. I can say that he has the potential to become the next superstar of television. After Arjun I wanted to get the anti hero right. That’s how I thought of Mrunal Jain for Shankachurn. He had never played a negative role. Somehow I was very sure he is my Shankhachurn. He has that raw appeal which I needed for the character. He has been a revelation. With Shankhachurn I am sure he will redefine bad man.
The buzz is show is surpassing audiences expectations.
I just hope that the show does well. We have put in a lot of hard work behind it.
Beyond Dreams has four shows on air. How does it feel?
Its a great feeling, a lot of responsibilities. 2016 has been a great year. More than the number of shows what is interesting is that all four shows are from different genres and has different TGs. Naagarjun is a superhero series, where as Sadda Haq is youth romance. Jaana Na Dil Se Door is a drama and Kuch Rang is a slice of life. This is very satisfying.
