A woman of substance, crime journalist, director and now creative head of two best shows of Indian television namely Veera on Star Plus and Junoon on Life OK (both produced by Beyond Dreams Productions), Baishakhi Banerjee juggles between her personal and professional life like a normal human being with an ultimate aim to make a show on the Life of Buddha in the near future. For our Behind the Lens segment, she speaks on her life and more. Read on… How did your journey commence in this industry? Born and brought up in Kolkata, I pursued a course of journalism from the City of Joy. Having worked as a crime reporter in Kolkata, I came to Mumbai in 2005 and started my television career with direction. I largely belong to the media fraternity as I have been imbibed with those qualities as my parents are from media and the field of direction. Both my parents are from theatre and media background. How has your journey been so far in Mumbai? I must say so far so good. When I came to Mumbai, I started with direction and helmed couple of shows like Left Right Left, Choti Bahu season 1 and many more and believe me every day was a learning experience for me. I must say that direction is a very creative field where one has to deal with actors, channels, producers and many other minute aspects. All these have to be kept in mind. What is your current job profile? Currently, since the from last two months I am with Beyond Dreams Productions as the Creative Head and I must say that both Yash and Mamta Patnaik (founders) are very nice, understanding and creative people. You are handling shows of two different genres. How do you manage? Yes, both Veera and Junoon are shows of different genres. Talking about Junoon, it is more like a love and hate relationship, while Veera is an emotionally strong concept dealing with everyday life; it’s a very sensitive subject. All I can say is that Junoon is more an everyday routine story. Every individual loves and hates. If there is no love, there can’t be hate and vice versa. According to me, Veera is connecting to the audience even more, as I feel from day one, it has touched the life of people. You have worked with various actors. How do you deal with starry tantrums? Well, I feel working with kids and senior actors are similar as they are to be handled very sensitively. In case of a tantrum situation, I first understand the individuality of the person and handle the state carefully. I can say there are always last minute changes in the scripts which actors do understand. That is the reason why they are stressed at times. We, as seniors, should understand them. Tell us about the camera set up of your shows… In Veera, we have a two camera set up as we can’t have retakes again and again. The protagonist being a kid, he usually gives brilliant shots in one take. But, in Junoon, for the fight sequences, we require multi camera angles. Else, we usually work on a two-camera set up. How do you give time to your personal life? Well, I am thankful to my husband Deepak Gawde for he is also from the same field. He is into movie production. He has done films like Sarkar Raj, Dirty Picture, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai and may more. Special Chhabis is one of his upcoming films. My husband understands my work and definitely direction is a full day job. I have to juggle from one set to another but every single day is a learning experience and I have learnt a lot. I am thankful to my husband for being very cooperative. Which shows do you watch? Honestly, I don’t get time to watch any show but I love Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. It’ a fabulous show. Mahadev is one God whom I have loved and worshipped since my childhood. They have not only focused on Mahadev as a God, but have also shown his personal life. Whenever I get time I watch …Mahadev, I love the way Mohit Raina is performing; I get instantly connected to it. Any particular show that you would like to make in near future… Since I am highly inspired by Buddha’s teachings, I would love to direct a show on the Life of Buddha and I am sure audiences will love it. My future plans, as of now, holds more of television as I am not that kind of a person to switch to films and jump onto things one after the other. Any message you would want to give to your audience? Please watch Veera as this show is personally very close to me and Junoon as well. You will get romance, action, drama all in one show. Thanks for everything and keep watching our shows. We promise to give you abundant entertainment.