MUMBAI: Pankaj Chauhan, the Doordarshan Ahmedabad (DD 11) employee who won a special recognition award at the second Transmedia Gujarati Screen and Stage awards 2002 held in Mumbai held on 19 March, has several records to his credit.
Chauhan is the director, producer and editor of the most popular serial on DD 11 - Ek Daal Na Panchi. The serial which is telecast every day at 4:30 pm has completed its 375th episode on air. Chauhan's is probably the first instance of a DD employee producing his own serial and organising finances for the same.
Chauhan, who has received technical training from film institutes, conceptualised the story idea; presented the same to his seniors; selected the cast and crew; organised the sets and supervised all aspects of the show right from inception. The show has very high TRP ratings and is amongst the top shows preferred by advertisers due to its popularity among women audiences.
"The serial brings out simple facets of Gujarati culture and family values. There is no negativity or malice anywhere within the plot. Each episode revolves around one particular issue and viewers can catch up with the serial at any point of time even if they miss some episodes. We have used relatively newcomers and stage actors who have performed creditably. The entire shoot happened in the specially created set located within our studio," says Chauhan, while speaking to indiantelevision.com.
Chauhan is also gearing up to shoot a short story series - Vinnie Path - based on the work of famous Indian author Dhumketu. Veteran actor Tom Alter has been roped in for this series which will be aired on DD 11. It will be shot in the premises of Deboi Killa, a heritage fort in Gujarat.
During the recently held Gujarat assembly elections, Chauhan had single-handedly anchored a marathon nine hour Election Special session on DD 11. He shared the dais with several luminaries from the state politics and other political observers - without a single break.
When questioned whether he will consider producing shows for private channels, Chauhan asserts: "I shall always be a Doordarshan loyalist."