Mahesh Bhatt has an old association with TV— he has directed TV films like Janam (1985) and Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Ayee (1993) and co-producer the currently-on-air Udaan. Now he is all set with a new serial Naamkaran.
What attracted you towards the subject of Naamkaran?
Naamkaran is the story of a young girl who lives with a single parent and begins a quest to define herself in this world with its prevalent, hypocritical, tumbling moral structure and she finds herself locking horns with them, adjusting to them, and finally emerging.
You have explored issues of identity earlier too in your TV film Janam and in Zakham.
There is no denying that every work is very close to a writer and comes from a part of his life. But, when you have a TV show which airs for six-days a week with so many characters, it cannot be possible to stay restricted in a space that you have already visited.
How has television evolved over the years?
It has been dumbed down to a very low level. There is no emotional depth at all. That is why Naamkaran is a milestone. This show will bring back the glory of what you have seen in Buniyaad (1986)— where you connected. Arsheen Namdaar is an outstanding child artiste. I have never seen anybody like that in my entire career. She is just eight years old but brilliant.
How did you discover her?
In the way the most beautiful things in life happen to some people (laughs) ... they just happen to you. Suddenly, somebody said one afternoon ‘Look at this girl.’ This girl stared at me and I said she is the girl. Not because of how she performed; but because of her silence. A great performance is in the silence. She is one of the finest discoveries of my career.
What is your take on the way Alia is handling her career?
I am very proud of her. She is a successful girl who has made a path of her own. Alia Bhatt has made Mahesh Bhatt superfluous. My daughters Pooja and Alia will emerge and outshine. They are not dependent on me.
You have teamed up with your Aashiqui (1990) vocalists Kumar Sanu and Anuradha Paudwal for the title song of Naamkaran.
It is the most outstanding song. If you ask me my musical legacy, I will sum it up with this song.