Small town, big dreams

Radio old-timer Roshan Abbas tells Abhilasha Ojha of the downslide in the medium, his show on TV and his big plans to enter films.

I still remember listening to your show Live Wire on radio when I was in college. What do you think of the medium after all these years?
When I began shows on the radio, more than a decade ago, the medium was very open to experiments. We were there to try and offer new stuff to listeners. Live Wire, where people called up and interacted with just a voice, was a brand new concept. Today, despite so many channels, there’s a lot of clutter. Everyone’s doing the same thing; no one is trying anything different.

You have a new show on Sony TV called Palampur Express that you’ve written and produced. It isn’t the typical kitchen drama and it does not have zany camera moves. Do you think it’ll succeed?
(Laughs) The initial response has been good and the feedback from viewers is to make it grittier. The story is based on a girl from a small town who is a fantastic runner and who hopes to bring home an Olympic gold medal one day. We are focusing on her journey, on the politics of sports, and how a small-town girl tries hard to make a name. To my mind, it’s the first time that sport as a genre has been introduced in an Indian serial. (Pauses) I think it will continue to appeal to viewers because it’s time to get “real” on TV.

So, it’s Chak De! India on Indian television?
(Laughs) Chitrashi Rawat, who essayed an important role in Chak De! India, in fact, asked me to make this script for a film and promised to do it for me. But I wanted it to be a serial because I wanted to focus on the journey of a small town girl with big dreams. As for films, I have other plans.

Such as?
Red Chillies (Shah Rukh Khan’s production company) and Cine Yug will be producing my film which is based on Graffiti, a high-school musical of sorts that I’ve directed earlier. I’m going to be in Delhi next week for auditions. We hope to have it released early next year. My company is also working on two non-fiction shows besides continuing work for Palampur Express which is a daily.