Sargun Mehta on Badall Pe Paon Hain: ‘Essential for main character to have dreams and aspirations’
Sargun Mehta is recognized as an actor-producer in the Hindi television and Punjabi film industry. Her new show Badall Pe Paon Hai stars Amandeep Sidhu.
Sargun Mehta is excited about her new show, Badall Pe Paon Hai. Sargun is backing the series, which features Amandeep Sidhu as the protagonist. The promos portray the story of an ambitious girl from Punjab who pursues a career in the stock market to provide a better lifestyle for her family. Sargun and Amandeep speak about the importance of ambition and more in an exclusive interaction with Hindustan Times. (Also read: Gippy Grewal, Sargun Mehta praise Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal for this reason)
Sargun Mehta says changing goal posts is not greed
The protagonist Bani in Badal Pe Paon Hai is unabashedly ambitious. When asked about the importance of being ambitious in real life, Amandeep says, “I'm an actor. If I hadn't been ambitious, I wouldn't be where I am today. Pursuing acting is very challenging because it solely depends on your talent and destiny. Unlike other professions, you can't study for it. It's a risk you take in your life.”
Sargun also adds, “I strongly believe that without a goal, it is difficult to achieve anything in life. Ambition is about setting a goal and striving to reach it. It's not a one-time thing; it's an ongoing process. Achieving one goal doesn't mean you should stop there. It's about continuously setting new goals and not giving up on life. Some may call it greed when you change your goal post, but it's really about not settling and always striving for more. Growing in life means continually learning and realizing that there's always more to achieve. So, if evaluating and revamping oneself according to circumstances is called greed, then let it be.”
(Also read: Heeramandi review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sprawling, sparkling debut show is blissfully free of his cinematic trappings)
Sargun Mehta reflects on her storytelling appraoch
Sargun's shows often depict the protagonist's professional journey and goals, in addition to her personal challenges. Similar to Bani's stint with the world of stock market, the producer herself is a commerce graduate and a management student as well. When quizzed about the relevance of goal-oriented characters in her story, she states, “Actually, it's my mental block. I often discuss this with Ravi (Dubey, her husband). I once wrote a show, but I was stuck because I couldn't figure out what the main character wanted in life. Ravi suggested that I should just focus on the story, but I felt that I couldn't develop the story without knowing the character's aspirations. As a writer, I feel it's essential for the main character to have dreams and aspirations to drive the story. My approach to storytelling involves crafting characters with specific goals, like a girl wanting to pursue a career in the stock market. I chose this profession (for Badall Pe Paon Hai) because I know there are girls who aspire to work in this field, and I wanted to tell their story.”
Amandeep Sidhu resonates with Bani's journey
In Badall Pe Paon Hai, Bani faces her family's resistance to her dreams and ambition. When asked if Amandeep too faced challenges in convincing her family about her acting aspirations, she says, “Bani believes that despite coming from a humble background, her destiny is not limited by her upbringing. Amandeep shares the same goal. I come from a middle-class family. I never wanted a 9-5 job. I wanted to do something big and take risks in life. This sentiment resonates with me as well, even though I wasn't as vocal about it as Bani. I, too, aimed to earn more money and change my lifestyle. Now they (Amandeep's parents) see that she's actually doing good and she's living up to the promises she made.”
The actor adds, “Problems are everywhere, especially for women, no matter which career path they choose. The same happens in this story as well. Bani wants to work in the stock market to provide a quality life for her family. She doesn't want to snatch someone else's money; she just wants to work hard. However, her parents have issues with her dreams, and I also faced the same situation. Everything is going well in my life till now, and hopefully, Bani will also find stability.”
Sargun Mehta says television reaches out to billions
On being quizzed about the overstretched stories and loud format of TV shows often being mocked in social media memes, Sargun opines, “People often don't understand why everything on television is so loud. When you go to the cinema, you focus on the story for two hours. When you watch a show on a streaming platform with your family, you choose the content. But with television, it's a habit. For example, housewives can listen to a show while cooking in the kitchen and doing household chores. We use sound effects in daily soaps so that they can come out of the kitchen and watch when something important happens in the story. There is always a logical reason for it. The aim was to bring these individuals back to television. People can make fun of it if they want to.”
She also points out “We reach out to millions and billions of people in the country, and everyone can relate to the characters on television. Even large-scale movies are promoted on our platform. But there is a definite reason why something is done in a certain way. In today's world, people have very short attention spans. In many video reels, laughter tracks are used in the background to create a comedic effect. It may be overdone, but it's used for impact. Television has to capture your attention, so we do what's necessary. If someone doesn't like it, they don't have to watch.”
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