Due to erratic timings 'Powder' didn't do well: Atul Sabharwal

A brilliant story, taut scripting, effective dialogues and great performances by the cast made "Powder" a perfect crime show for small screen. But its director Atul Sabharwal, who is making his big screen debut "Auragnzeb", says the show did not get high ratings because of its timings. He feels television is not an effective medium.

Sabharwal directed "Powder" of Yash Raj Films (YRF) Television and the 2010 show was about drugs mafia and saw wonderful performances by the cast that included Manish Chaudhary, Pankaj Tripathi, Geetika Tyagi and Rahul Bagga.

"I guess it was the show timings. It was at 11 in the night, which was not a prime slot. Also, in spite of saying 11 p.m., they never used to start it on time. That erratic timing had cost us some of the TRPs," he told IANS.

The director does not feel that the Indian television is an effective platform today and has no plans to direct for TV anytime soon.

"I don't think we have created a platform yet... Maybe 20 years from now... Maybe an Indian version of HBO and BBC will come. I am looking forward to Anil Kapoor's '24' and see what that does, but I haven't planned anything (for TV) any time soon," he said.

Instead of TV shows, he said that he would like to "make a mini series".

"But I don't think there is a platform on TV, which can take it to a maximum number of people," he said and added that TV was not his aim, but when the opportunity came, he took it up by making "Powder".

"Honestly, I never had any intentions of working in TV in India. I had the story since nine years, when I had an opportunity, I went ahead with it. I had no experience in TV and I don't even watch it," he said.

The director is now looking forward to the release of his film, "Aurangzeb", again a crime-drama focusing on land mafia and he has roped in Arjun Kapoor, Prithviraj Sukumaran along with senior actors Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Amrita Singh to narrate the story on the big screen.