The guys who beat Ekta Kapoor

Marathi soap Char Diwas Sasuche enters the Limca Book of World Records as the longest-running series on Indian television. The producer-director team tells iTALK why their torrid affair with TRPs is far from over

There is a no-nonsense feel to the Tardeo office that Naresh Borde and Khalil Herekar work out of. It takes some stretch of the imagination to acknowledge that the prosaic two, who look like businessmen, have created a record in the television industry.

Yet, the producer-director team agrees that it is modesty and prudence that has resulted in Marathi soap Char Diwas Sasuche running uninterrupted for eight years on ETV Marathi. They have even bagged a place in the Limca Book of World Records for completing 2,000 episodes on May 6 the highest in India, making theirs the longest-running series on Indian television, across all languages.

Success didn't come easy to the two. Before they launched Char Diwas in 2001, they survived a dry spell lasting ten years. A lot of their work did not fit the bill for private channels and when Char Diwas went on air, they couldn't have imagined that it would turn into a record-breaker. "We owe our success to being in touch with what our audience expects from us. And that requires you to have your feet planted firmly on the ground," says Herekar.

The theme isn't a novel one. Centering on the saas-bahu relationship, the serial has sustained audience interest by broadening into a soap that explores human relationships in the wealthy joint family of the Deshmukhs. What then is the recipe for their success? "The fact that we work like a family, on and off the set, and that we stay abreast with the times, both, with our story and our production values," smiles Borde.

With a budget of Rs 75,000 to Rs 80,000 for one episode, a fraction of what is spent on most popular Hindi TV soaps, Char Diwas has turned into a success case study. In an industry infamous for erratic schedules and star tantrums, Borde and Herekar believe it's planning and discipline that keeps the cast and crew together. "We have actors like Rohini Hattangady, Kavita Medhekar and Jayant Ghate working with us. We are aware that we can't afford to pay them as much as Hindi serial producers would. But they've stuck by us. In fact, from actors to spot-boys, a large part of our crew has remained the same from Day 1," explains Herekar.

Veteran actress Rohini Hattangady says, "We don't have a dressing room dedicated to each star. We all get our make-up done in one room. Since most of us come from a theatre background, we don't want it any other way. Sharing our tiffin and our problems on set, has become a way of life."

With a strong focus on drama, the serial also weaves in music and dance, as the first generation Deshmukhs are a singer-poetess pair on screen, while the youngest daughter-in-law is a trained dancer. Often, viewers have come up to the cast and crew with instances on how the serial has changed their lives.

With 20 episodes a month, the team has little time to rest. Yet, the story line has never been changed drastically, and the director would rather find a temporary replacement to accommodate an actor's schedule, than change the script.

With the next 200 episodes planned and unwavering TRPs, Char Diwas is going strong. Yet Herekar and Borde refuse to set unrealistic targets for themselves. "If tomorrow, we feel that the serial cannot deliver the same quality it has, we are ready to let go and start afresh."

What's Char Diwas about?
Centering on the saas-bahu relationship, the serial has sustained audience interest by broadening into a soap that explores human relationships in the wealthy joint family of the Deshmukhs.