Tough to get actors for TV shows on possession: Ekta Kapoor

TV czarina Ekta Kapoor, whose new TV offering "Kawach...Kaali Shaktiyon Se" tells a tale of demonic possession, says the supernatural genre was missing from the world of television as "we haven't been able to get the right kind of actors" for such shows.

"Kawach...", starring actors like Mona Singh, Vivek Dahiya and Maheck Chahal, will go on air on Saturday.

"Basically, I was very clear that we need to do a show which has a totally new twist. 'Naagin' had created a whole new genre of folklore, snakes and gave a whole new visual appeal to television. So to do something which is of that calibre, I thought we would do something which is about possession," Ekta told IANS.

"India hasn't done possession nicely. I think internationally everyone has done it and we have not been able to do it on television we haven't been able to get the right kind of actors," she said.

Ekta also shared that getting the right actor is tough.

"It is very tough to get actors to do such shows...I was telling somebody that only Sakshi (Tanwar) and Mona can carry off Emily (from 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose') kind of roles in India," said the popular producer, who is credited with ushering in new content on television off and on.

From bringing kitchen politics, 'saas-bahu' sagas to mature love stories on the small screen, she is now on a mission to fill the void of supernatural tales.

While the small screen might be working towards decoding the genre, she says the success rate of the genre on the big screen is worth a mention.

"There have been various movies like 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' which I think was an excellent film. Vidya did it with the film. So the kind of performance required is of that calibre for a TV actor."

Ekta decided to bring the story via the TV show as "It was one lacking spot and I wanted to do something new."

--IANS

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