Rekha is no ordinary girl. She puts her education to the best use by taking on a local goon and his gang exhorting her basti residents along the way. Similar is the case of Dr. Rajeev Shrivastava who, despite threats to his life, fights to provide justice to girls forced to live like slaves since their family was unable to repay the debt to their zamindars. Another braveheart is Rakesh Singh, who takes on law and order struggles to get justice for his son, a victim of a truck driver’s negligence. Then there is Naseema Khatun, daughter of a sex worker. She runs an organisation working in the red light area in Bihar.
These are real life incidents which many of us may not be aware of. In the midst of several shows and serials catering to the viewers’ entertainment needs, a programme presenting these cases of struggle of people who have a made a mark for themselves stands out.
Tujhse Naaraz Nahin Zindagi (TNNZ) now on &TV is one such programme. Each episode features the trials and tribulations an individual has undergone while fighting the society’s prejudices. What is noteworthy is that despite all the hardships they are happy and optimistic, thus justifying the title of the programme. It also sends a message to viewers to accept the challenges of life and overcome them with a smile on their face.
“These are real life incidents with protagonists from different walks of life who come to the studio to narrate their story and bring to the fore their ability to face all sorts of hardships with a smile and resilience. It is an initiative celebrating such personalities and their lives,” explains Vikram Rai, creative director of TNNZ.
The show features men and women hailing from diverse strata. The inaugural episode presented a self-dependent girl’s interaction with rag-pickers and her endeavour to uplift their lives and educate them. The subsequent ones zeroed in on fight against prostitution, superstitions, terrorism, exploitation of bonded labour, corrupt law and order, ragging, etc. With non-stars relating the truth, it resonateswith the audience. “Our guests are common people just like our viewers. In fact they could be any one of us. What stands out is the truth behind their story – it sounds stranger than fiction. Many may refer to ‘Tujhse Naaraz…’ as non-entertaining but it is delightful as it remains true to life . For this very reason many people have approached us and expressed their keenness to be associated with it because of its intent and objective,” expresses Vikram.
The channel has taken care to ensure authenticity at every level, right from the stage of gathering data and facts in the field which have been verifiedit and cross-verified. “The legal cells of the production house and that of the channel vet all the material. In fact our researchers substantiate what they gather with authentic documents,” apprises the creative director.
The novelty of the programme is that the guest is interviewed by a radio jockey (Ashish Sharma, see box) who facilitates the narration with bare and minimum intervention enabling the persona to express true emotions.
Another creative aspect is the dramatisation of the story. Significantly this is done after the interaction between the host and guest takes place. Vikram explains, “The outline of the episode is chalked out after numerous interactions with the guest which is shared with them. Based on this we shoot the episode. The recreation of the story is done purely on what is shot ensuring verity and reliability.” It is shown to the guest on demand. He goes on to add that dramatisation helps in imparting the information without making it tedious thereby retaining the attention span of the audience. “Enactment ensures sustained and continued interest.”
The episode featuring Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest, is a case in point.
On the selection of the guest, Vikram says it is based on the story which “should be true and verifiable. Besides it has to be heart wrenching to evoke feelings among the audience. We have also attempted to cover a cross-section ofsociety.”
The endeavour is not without challenges and difficulties. As he points out that many a times people have backed out due to varied reasons. There is also reluctance on the part of many, primarily the uneducated, to talk to the media since they feel that it will lead to exploitation. “Also, as the stories emanate from different parts of the country language plays a barrier,” says Vikram.
The 26 episode show winds this month-end with plans afoot for season 2.
(Telecast on &TV every Saturday and Sunday at 10 p.m.)
(Airs on &TV every Saturday and Sunday at 10 p.m.)
