‘Keeping viewers hooked is tough’

Shiv Sagar, the creative force at Sagar World Multimedia, is busy with his shows Kakbhushundi Ramayan and Kaamdhenu Gaumata. While the mythological shows under his banner have always exceeded the audience’s expectations, he feels that it is challenging to hold viewers’ attention in today’s age of OTT and fast content. He said, “Today in metros even 10 seconds feels too long. But India is a large country, and rural audiences still want to be transported to another realm while watching devotional shows.”

So, what are they doing to keep the audience hooked? “We ensure our writing and screenplays remain unpredictable and pacy, with multiple tracks going on at the same time, so audience attention stays focused. The ethereal feeling, we try to create comes through strong characterisation, meaningful dialogues, and of course, situational dohas and chaupais (music), which transport the audience into another world,” he said.

He also believes that the genre will evolve with technological advancements. He said, “I think vertical formats will grow. With virtual reality, the format will evolve dramatically. Technology is changing very fast. Already with AI, a lot of our computer graphics work has become easier, faster, and cheaper.”