There are newbies who try and teach you direction at times: Anirrudha Rajderkar

Anirrudha Rajderkar is a very talented TV director. In fact, he has worked on some of the most successful shows on TV and is now directing both Dil Dostii Dance (D3) and Best Friends Forever (BFF).

We got in touch with this talented and busy director for a freewheeling interview for our ‘Behind the Lens’ segment.

Excerpts

Tell us about your journey?
(smiles) I was actually going to be an engineer as my father was an engineer and my family expected me to take up the same profession. But, I always wanted to do something creative. Hence, even though I had enrolled myself in an engineering college, I moved out of it and joined a theatre group in Pune. Having started as an associate director there, later I came down to Mumbai and got my first TV break with DJ’s A Creative Unit. I worked for their show Jhoome Jiya Re for Zee Next. Later I went on to take up shows like Dill Mill Gayye, Kitni Mohabbat Hai Season 2, Bade Acche Lagte Hain and Jaane Pehchane Se Ajnabi. Currently, I am directing Dil Dostii Dance (D3) and Best Friends forever (BFF).

How do you manage to balance between two shows?
Since I have been directing D3 for around one and a half year now, I have a unit that works for me there. And yes, it is a very demanding show. Though right now, my team has taken over D3, there was a time when I used to shoot in double shifts where I would shoot for D3 the entire day and BFF the entire night. But, things are better now and I am giving more time to BFF as we are still setting up this show.

You’ve mostly been associated with youth-based shows and love stories. Do you select them or it’s just been this way?
I think these shows have picked me. And I think that I was introduced to a very different show in the beginning of my career. When everybody was doing saas bahu dramas, I was busy with Dil Mill Gayye, a show that wasn’t a usual drama; it had a strong script. And from there, my way of looking at TV shows changed. Probably that is why I am more comfortable shooting for youth-based shows. Apart from this, I also think that since I am young in head and at heart, I connect to them.

Is there freedom in TV direction?
I think one gets complete freedom in films not TV as in TV, one person has to be passionate about his or her work and that could be a producer, channel, creative or the director and the rest tend to work around them. The scripts are written in so much detail that at times you do not have to use your brains. And it’s good that way, because there are days when you’re too exhausted to use your brains. But, then there are other times when you want to do things your way and you discuss this with the creative’s or the channel. On these days there are a lot of improvisations.

Have you faced starry tantrums?
I do not know how to put this but especially, when it’s your first day on any show people look at you like, god knows how he is? But, later, everything falls in place. There were times in my previous shows when actors did not want to mouth certain lines and I would call the creative to explain them. In fact KSG (Karan Singh Grover) who is a very good friend of mine, did not want to mouth certain lines at times. But, then, it’s about how you deal with it; I usually laugh it out. As there are newbie who try and teach you direction, at times and it’s a waste of time to explain them who you are, so better laugh!

What do you have to say about TRPs?
When you’re doing some good work and are convinced about it, you do not need to look at TRPs. Dill Mill Gayyenever managed to get good TRPs, but I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t watched and appreciated it.

Are you planning to take up film direction?
Yes, that is my ultimate plan. And I am working on certain scripts at the moment with my TV work. By end of 2013, I might come-up with something.