It takes a visionary to ideate unique storylines and someone with a great eye for talent to churn successful shows one after the other. Ved Raj seems to have aced both or how else do you describe his successful journey as a maker on the small screen? After a string of popular shows on various GECs, he trained his sights on Dangal TV, a channel that’s being hailed for its fresh and youth-centric content. Now, that’s a match made in heaven! Isn’t it? Ved currently has two shows — Nath Zewar Ya Zanjeer and Ishq Ki Dastaan – Naagmani – on air on Dangal TV. About his association with the channel, the producer says, “What sets Dangal TV apart is the fact that despite being a new channel, they are not afraid of trying new things. The team gave us a free hand to narrate the story. They were willing to experiment rather than sticking to the run-of-the-mill ideas.”
He adds, “We chose to explore simple and relatable stories, which struck a chord with the audience, especially women. It’s rare of a channel to not give makers sleepless nights when the ratings aren’t too good but that wasn’t the case with Dangal. They trusted our vision and I am happy that the results and the feedback to our shows have been encouraging.”
Not just as a producer, Ved carved out a niche for himself even as a writer. His journey in showbiz began when he dabbled in writing in his early 20s. He recalls, “I started out as an associate writer working on small projects. Saath Nibhaana Saathiya (SNS) became a turning point in my career as a writer. It went on to become one of the most iconic shows on TV and more when I was still in my 20s. SNS broke many stereotypes associated with daily soaps. Back in the day, the writing for daily soaps was a bit serious but we introduced a fun element by weaving stories around small issues. We broke away from typical saas-bahu sagas by adding a dash of humor and fun to SNS. After that, people started taking me seriously and I bagged what I deserved.”
There was no looking back post that. Success followed him everywhere. After the family drama, he wrote Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?, a love story. Ved says, “I have written more than 50 shows. I got my first break as a producer with Thapki – Pyaar Kii (2015), which was also written by me. My other show, Guddan Tumse Naa Ho Payega, was also loved by the audience.”
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The writer in him gives an extra edge to the producer in him, as his years of writing have sharpened his understanding of subjects. He agrees, “My USP is that I am a writer, who turned producer. Daily soap is a writer’s domain, who has to think of out-of-the-box ideas in order to lend the much-needed freshness to the story, especially when a show runs for years. If your writing is strong, everything else will fall into place. For me, content is king. Solid writing is the foundation of all my shows.”
A secret mantra for his high success rate is also his sharp understanding of casting. He shares, “The most important factor governing the casting is that the actor should be closer to the character. I try to see how similar the actor is to the character, as it makes the process of acting so much easier. They don’t have to then act but just be themselves on the screen.
