Nowadays, TV serials have evolved way beyond the usual rona-dhona and pyaar-ki-kahaani, haven’t they? Have you ever wondered at the amount of hard work, effort and editing that goes behind producing a successful TV soap? Or, would you ever like to be a part of the glitzy TV entertainment industry?
If you’re looking for further inspiration to look beyond the conventional TV-soap drama, you need to meet Eshita Surana Poddar.
Presently the Creative Head of the Bengali general entertainment channel ‘Aakash Aath’, she is a TV producer and has produced over 15,000 Bengali television soaps in several genres previously unexplored. However, achieving success in less than a decade in this field needs some serious guts and dedication. As she said while speaking to HotFridayTalks.com, “I believe in providing my audience with something that will be of value and not just to watch something to kill time.”
Success Begins At Home
Miss Surana confesses herself to be not-a-huge-fan-of-television, yet has made her name for herself in television. She looks up to her father, Mr Ashok Surana, as her greatest source of inspiration, who has always supported her in her endeavours. She began simple like the most of us with a Master’s degree in Marketing and IT from Pune, but steered her passion to focus on and achieve her dreams – and the rest was history.
Making A Change One TV Soap At A Time
Image Credit: Eshita Surana Poddar
As we all know, most Indian television soaps are over-saturated with family-dramas, clichéd love stories and saas-bahu serials that have been done to death. Eshita decided to put her own creativity into use and chose themes that have an underlying message of social reform.
“I did not want to do anything that is a run on the mill story. Unlike the mega soaps and never-ending saas-bahu sagas that most channels air, all our programs have a destined timeline, like for 6 months or for 1 month etc. Our stories are based on true events in history, biographies, famous works of literature and current social scenarios that everyone can relate to” says Eshita
For example, she had chosen the theme of autism in the serial, “Amader Chhoto Nadi”. On the other hand, “Police Filez” is a crime show based on real incidents in our day-to-day society. “Run Rony Run” features a woman athlete struggling to pursue her dreams. For children and grandparents, “Lakkhichhana”, while “Om Sai Ram” and “Jagat Janani Maa Sharada” are well-received due to their authentic content related to history and devotion. Music programs such as “Good morning Aakash” and “Adda Buzz” are popular as well, along with the feature films that are aired every day.
As An Everyday Person
Image Credit: Facebook
In spite of holding such an important position, Poddar describes herself as a simple and aspiring individual who strictly believes in the mantra of dedication, team spirit and hard work. She enjoys travelling and cooking in her free time and cultivates a hobby for reading books and writing poetry as well.
Eshita, however, does not run after money or success. “I don’t believe in getting instant numbers or ratings. My way may be slower, but slow and steady wins the race for the long term” she says
With such idols among us to motivate us, Eshita Surana Poddar will soon break the age-old stereotypes of Indian soaps and give us something new to look forward to everyday.
