Rajan Waghdhare is one name in the world of entertainment that has weaved some of the finest comic sequences on the small screen. He comes across as a simple man who lacks the air and aura of a successful director, but when it comes to reading the minds of the Indian audiences, he is the master of all. A true craftsman and a director to reckon with, Rajan has mastered the art of lending his own unique touch to the most mundane of situations. In an exclusive interview with TellyChakkar, Rajan shares some of his finest memories as a director in the TV industry. When did you decide to become a director? I started my career as a film editor and then moved into video editing. I stuck to the profession for four years, but then started getting bored and saturated. I wanted to do something more creative. Then I got a chance to direct a Marathi serial called Abhas. People recognised my talent and I was offered to direct three episodes of Commander. But my real exposure as a director happened with Shriman Shrimati. I loved doing the show and it is really close to my heart. Which show gave you recognition as a director? I would say Shriman Shrimati. The show was special as it revolved around an extra-marital affair but there was nothing vulgar about it. I was appreciated a lot by the masses and also by artists from the TV fraternity. I still meet people who come and talk about the episodes they have seen and liked. Furthermore, the cast and crew was the best. How difficult is it to direct a comedy show? It is very difficult. When you direct comedies you can’t really adhere to the script. It is all about improvisation. As they say, it is easy to make people cry than laugh. Dialogues and performances of the actors should be impeccable to tickle Indian audiences. And the moment you can’t achieve that level of perfection, TRPs of the show will go down and you have to wrap it up. So a lot of effort goes into making a comedy show successful. Which is your current favourite comedy show? I like to watch Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. Personally I like loud comedy and Taarak… falls in that genre. The show also deals with social issues in a mode of entertainment. Furthermore, Dilip Joshi has a class of his own and his comic timing is truly unmatchable. I think currently it is one of the best comedy shows on air. What is the genre that is still unexplored in comedy? Well, there are many actually. Whenever I talk to the young kids they say they would love to see the Indian version of How I Met Your Mother or Two and Half Men. But it is difficult to make such shows in our country as majority of TV viewers like loud comedy. I absolutely loved watching Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, but that kind of comedy was aimed at a niche audience. It was critically accepted but didn’t gain much TRP. Producers today are not willing to put money on shows that are meant for classes. Everything is governed by TRPs. But personally I think the country must get exposed to satires, and in the future I will enter this genre. Your take on Indian viewers… Indian viewers ko bus spoon feeding chahiye. Be it comedy or any other show, they simply don’t want to apply logic. They just want to laugh or cry out loud. Subtle comedies or satires are something that our masses are yet to accept. But the scenario has changed over the years and hopefully will get better in the future. What has been the most memorable incident till date? Yes, I would definitely like to mention it. My inspiration in life has been the great Hrishikesh Mukherjee. I remember when I was directing Yes Boss he called me up and said that he loved the show and after watching the episodes it gave him relief from pain. I was overjoyed to receive a compliment from a man who taught us everything about comedy. And it didn’t end there. He invited me to his residence and then he talked in length about the episodes that he liked. I was amazed to learn that he had watched almost all the episodes. He said it is really difficult to churn out one comic episode after another in such a short span of time. I can never forget the moment when I met him in person. He was truly a stalwart and a great human being. You have also directed films. How different is this as against TV soaps? I love films. I would say that TV soaps are like newspapers and films are like novels. TV soaps are primarily governed by TRPs and as a director you have limited creative freedom. But in films you have to employ a lot of time and effort and it is entirely a director’s vision. I did direct films but those didn’t do well at the box office. As they say, every film has its own destiny. I directed a film called Bevdadaas, which is a spoof on Devdas, but the film got stuck due to technical reasons. I also directed a Bollywood comedy flick Love Ka Tadka which bombed at the box office due to terrible marketing. However, I am working on a Marathi movie called Aamdar Niwas which will basically revolve around a secretary of a MLA who knows all the secrets but has his own problems in life. It is basically a satire on the current political scenario. I shall start shooting in December. How has been the experience directing CID? CID has been one of the most successful shows in the history of Indian television. People thought that I cannot handle crime thrillers after directing so many comedies. But when I got the offer I grabbed it and proved everyone wrong. I love directing CID as it gives me the opportunity to explore. Comedy is all about dialogues and performances, but when you are directing a crime thriller you have to improvise with the camera angles in order to make the visuals appealing. I am glad that I have handled both comedy and thriller. What are your future projects? Well, the film is on the cards. Other than that I am working on a show titled Khalbali which is a political satire. I cannot comment any further as I am yet to complete the script.