Mere ideas and hard work do not lead to creativity. It requires passion. Parikshet Sahni, the seasoned actor, has this in abundance and it shows in “Prakriti”, a serial he has co-produced with Sunil Jain, being telecast on Doordarshan’s National (DD-N) channel. The story revolves around a young girl (essayed by Sheetal Maulik) who joins the forest service despite opposition from her friends and family. Burning with a desire to teach and inform the people about the importance of environment, forests, flora and fauna she faces innumerable problems in the jungles and opposition at work from her fellow officers who are predominantly male.
The concept of the programme was ready five years ago but Sahni was deterred by everyone from producing it. “People said it was a very dry subject and the end product will be construed as a documentary. Loving challenges, I persisted. I had complete faith that I can do it.” It certainly bore fruits in the shape of the serial.
Sahni, being aware of several manifestations of environmental degradation globally like rising sea levels, unnatural snowing, flash floods, drought, melting glaciers, drying rivers and lakes, etc., was asked by his cousin, Kapila Vatsyayan, a leading scholar of classical Indian dance, art and architecture, in the past to take up this subject for a serial. “During my visit to Kaziranga sanctuary I fell in love with the place and the animals. I made friends with forest officials and gathered a lot of information,” he explains adding, “I then decided to take up the challenge and make the serial.”
Asked if the soap opera’s emphasis on a message about environment will not make it boring, the producer gives an interesting reply. “Rabindranath Tagore was distributing prasad to villagers and when asked the reason, he replied later, that to make them immune to the prevailing malaria he had mixed quinine in it. Similarly I have sugar coated the message for the viewers by providing good entertainment which has interesting characters, situations and events. All this is wrapped around the core which is about preservation of environment, forests and animals.”
Elaborating, the actor adds that the programme brings to fore the illegal cutting of trees, irrational destruction of jungles, killing of animals, soil erosion, landslides and pollution. “In one instance the protagonist deals with water pollution caused by a factory, thereby making a number of enemies. Determined she pursues the case till the end. Thus the serial highlightsissues viewers will relate to.” He feels that people at large are ignorant about these issues and need to be made aware. “They need to take them seriously though poverty and lack of education are the main reasons for their ignorance,” comments Sahni. The programme focuses on corruption in the country too. “India has been ruined by dishonesty and graft. Being concerned, this also has been depicted in the serial,” he adds.
The choice of a female character as the lead was well thought out. “The majority of the television viewers are women and DD prefers women-oriented serials for its prime time slot. This apart, I was keen to espouse the cause of women’s emancipation,” says Sahni who plays a small but significant role in the serial. “My character shares Prakriti’s convictions and passion and is like a surrogate father to her. It is inspired by Dr. Salim Ali, the well-known Indian ornithologist and naturalist.”
Shot outdoors, the episodes encapsulate the scenic beauty of nature and animals. “We have filmed in Sanjay Gandhi National Park and will move to other sanctuaries to lend authenticity to the programme,” the producer says adding, “besides we will be utilising some exciting footage shot by naturalists and trackers.”
Having been associated with DD for over two decades, Sahni is happy with its changed look and package. He praises the public broadcasting service for allowing him full freedom to choose actors, director and cast while producing the serial. The actor seems to have his hands full. He is busy writing a script for a serial based on a real life character besides two acting assignments and one for direction. He is also penning a film script titled “Chingaari” on a subject close to his heart. Well, the passion does reflect.
(“Prakriti” is on the air on Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m.)
