Effervescent, bubbly, accessible and always on the ball. Over the years, it's always been fun talking to Shobhaa De, who is often referred to as the Jackie Collins of India. One of India's most commercially successful English author, De who's known for her multitasking abilities is currently busy scripting her fourth show for the small screen, Siddhant Cinevision's How's That.

Ironically, for years De has written racy thrillers with shocking sex scenes, and also carved out strong female protagonists for her chart busting shows on the small screen; but this time around she enters the male bastion with a script woven around our nation's obsessive sport, cricket.

Seema Pherwani gets this high profile celebrity with a keen pen to talk about her new show, television and the craft of scriptwriting.

Swabhimaan, Sarrkar, Kittie Party… all dealt with strong female characters. But this time around you've chosen a rather male oriented off beat concept to script… How's that?
Most of these shows had very strong female leads but we also had some very strong male characters. Like in Sarrkar, Divya Seth's role was powerful but so was Rohit Roy's character of Karan Pratap Singh. Same was the case with the character of Rishabh in Swabhimaan. But, yes this time around the idea is offbeat in the sense that it's a cricket based show, woven around strong male characters.

Tell us more How's That - its treatment and characterisation?
The plot revolves around Karan and Aditya, who are passionate about the game of cricket. But while the two boys eat, breathe and sleep cricket, there are obstacles in the pursuit of their dream of being part of the Indian cricket team - family opposition in Adi's life, and circumstances in case of Shiva's. The story revolves around this quest. The show explores the relationship between both the friends, with shades of brotherhood and immense male bonding. They are ambitious and passionate about the game, as both compete with each other at one level. I find that male friendships are very different from female friendships.

Explain…..
It's like; in the long run male friendships can endure all the ups and downs in However female friendships are very fragile in that sense.

Have far are you clued to cricket? Any research done on the subject?
Oh, I love the game and even my husband who happens to be a Bengali swears by cricket. We also have experts on the show so that we don't go wrong with the details.

What has been your involvement in terms of casting, ideation and overall treatment of the show?
I am very much involved in the ideation process. In fact, I can only work on a script when it's my own idea and concept. I need to completely identify myself with it. Also, its nice if one gets to work around newer concepts. Like, here, we start off with gali cricket, which is a part of our cultural landscape. As far as casting goes, I think Manish Goswami has a keen eye for it and does a great job at it.

This is your fourth show with Siddhant Cinevision. Is it intentional? What about other production houses?
For me compatibility is a very important factor while working with people. Somehow I am very comfortable with Manish and his style of functioning. Not just that, what I like about him is that he's willing to experiment. And if he believes in the project he's even ready to take a risk with a new subject, even if the project doesn't appear too commercially viable or profitable initially. Working with another production house would mean getting used to another set up which I'd rather not take up at this stage.

TV characters should be credible.

But are you looking at other projects too?
I am working on two other scripts, but it's too early to talk about them.

How is penning a novel different from scripting a show?
I don't really compartmentalise my writing. In a novel, one is trying to create characters which the reader tries to understand and internalise as they read on. There are a lot of things unsaid which are left to the reader's imagination. Whereas TV characters have to be completely credible and authentic which people can identify with. Not just this, but one has to be careful with the dialogues and the body language. It's a sheer pleasure to see your characters come alive on the small screen.

Do you find television a scriptwriter's medium?
Yes, it is definitely proving to be so. I find in very many ways television is pushing the envelope further.

How would you define your area of work?
My concepts and shows are contemporary and urban, they don't confirm to the current trend of television shows.

Your take on the genre of saas bahu sagas?
I am not at all into it. But, I am sure they are doing something right which has clicked with the masses. Otherwise they wouldn't get such a huge response and sustain for so long. We definitely cannot undermine the efforts of the people involved; after all with more than 200 channels, it's proving to be very difficult to hold the viewers attention.

So, what do you keep you in mind while writing each episode of your show?

I would say it's all about getting the craft right In about 23 minutes, incorporate ten scenes and make sure holds the viewer interest! If the first few episodes don't hold the viewer, then you've lost the game.

What are the key ingredients that will sure shot make a script rock?
Pace is the key. Also, it's important to remember that it's just not the urban educated audience that we meet on a day to day basis who's watching the shows. TV is a universal language and there are many viewers from villages and towns.Last but not the least, the actors and the casting has to be good because if they don't deliver then no matter how good a script is, it won't work.

After Sahara One's Power Trip we haven't seen you on the small screen again?
Well, I loved the experience and I am open to it in case somebody has another bright idea for me.

Would you like to produce a show?
Produce a show? No, not at all. Right now I'm busy with my new book.

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