[Exclusive] Gurdeep Kohli Punjj Talks About Sanjivani 2's Downfall, Says Confused Creative Team Started An Iconic Show Half-Heartedly
Gurdeep says, "The whole creative team and the producers were very confused. Sanjeevani 1 also dealt with a similar love story and with cases. It showed how a hospital runs. I think they could have done the same thing. It was also a lack of exploring and not taking a plunge, and half-heartedly starting an iconic show again. It was not done properly."
The fans of the hit 2002 show, Sanjivani, were more than excited when the channel announced its return in 2019. The reboot featured Gurdeep Kohli and Mohnish Bahl reprising their roles from the original. The show did not match the expectations of the audience and it was axed less than a year later, airing its last episode in March 2020. In an exclusive conversation with LatestLY, Gurdeep opened up about what she thinks could be the possible reason for the show's early death.
She says, "The whole creative team and the producers were very confused. Sanjeevani 1 also dealt with a similar love story and with cases. It showed how a hospital runs. I think they could have done the same thing. It was also a lack of exploring and not taking a plunge, and half-heartedly starting an iconic show again. It was not done properly."
Gurdeep is promoting the third season of her hit web-show Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain. She admits that the web-series is a big hit despite the mature content, whereas a similar romantic track was on Sanjivani was not appreciated by the audience. She was shooting for the two shows simultaneously.
"There was the same content - mature love story. But it could not take off on TV, because the audience was not ready, that is what the channel heads see. And the same kind of story is successful and accepted with open arms by the audience on OTT," she says.
Gurdeep knows that the TRPs that the Indian TV churns come from the heartlands of India and a modern take on relationship won't be the most welcomed content.
"In TV, you have to cater to your audience. And the audience of TV is completely different and the audience of the OTT platforms is completely different," she says. But she still pushes for a change.
"This has to change. There are people who are enjoying both the platform then why can't we show the same content," she says.
When asked, if she has tried to push the envelope or a put her foot down with content she did not subscribe to, Gurdeep explains that she has not had the opportunity. She says "I have never been offered roles where I had to put my foot down and say no. I have always been offered good author-backed roles keeping the sanity of a woman intact. I have not been offered roles that are unacceptable in society. "
"We need to push the envelope. As an actor, I can't because I am accepting mature roles on both the platforms. But people are not ready to watch," she concludes.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 09, 2020 05:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).