15th February, Mumbai: To be able to sustain and create an impact among viewers for more than three decades is the highlight of producer Jay Mehta’s career. He knows the pulse of the audience and is inclined towards offering them relatable content that they enjoy. His productions include Maddam Sir, Jiji Maa, Gathbandhan and Jeet Gayi Toh Piya Morey.
“I believe in creating content that is both strong, entertaining and has a message. For me, real and relatable stories that are high in quality matter more than quantity. For me, the driving force have been staying ahead of times by exploring ideas which other production houses have not ventured into,” he says.
During the pandemic, the industry faced an enormous crisis. Having survived that, we all have learnt our lessons. “During the lockdown, the OTT platforms really got a huge mileage and it became a challenge for us to create content with far lesser budgets. So the key to sustain was providing fresh and innovative stories to really survive the competition,” he adds.
On whether the OTT boom is a threat to TV, Jay shares, “If you keep reinventing yourself with freshness in your content then there is not going to be any great impact from OTT platforms. Eventually I think, both the mediums are going to merge their programming.” Maddam Sir is winding up on a high note, there is already a lot of buzz about the second season. “Yes it’s been a great run. We always believed in the premise and characters of Maddam Sir tackling current issues with a lot of humour and sensitivity. It feels wonderful when the audience understands the concept and enjoys it too. We are working on the creatives for season 2. Let’s see how things work out and how early,” he says.
About maintaining a low profile over the years in spite of constantly working and getting appreciated for it, Jay smiles before adding, “Have been in the industry for over three decades and it’s taught me that your work should speak for yourself. So the aim is to give my best and take all the appreciation as inspiration and motivation to do better.” He also hints as a surprise that the team will reveal very soon.