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EXCLUSIVE: Sanjivani 2 producer Siddharth opens up about the show & pairing Surbhi Chandna & Namit Khanna
In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, Sanjivani 2 producer Siddharth P Malhotra opened up on when he got the idea to return back to Sanjivani, how he zeroed in on the pairing of Surbhi Chandna and Namit Khanna and how this season will be different from the previous two. Read on.
That Sanjivani: A Medical Boon is returning with its third installment is well known. For those unaware, the first season for the show went on air in 2002 with Mohnish Bahl, Gurdeep Kohli, Rupali Ganguly, Mihir Mishra in the lead roles. The show saw the second season air on Star One which was titled Dill Mill Gayye which was comparatively lighter and funnier. Now, producer Siddharth P Malhotra is all set to bring back the show with its third installment which has been tentatively titled Sanjivani 2. In an exclusive and candid chat with Siddharth, he opened up on when he got an idea to return with the series, how he zeroed in on the pairing of Surbhi Chandna and Namit Khanna and how this season will be different from the previous two.
Excerpts from the interview:
Firstly, is this a sequel to Sanjivani, given the reports going on?
This is not a sequel, this is the third installment. Dill Mill Gayye was more fun, it was very casual because it was more youth-centric at that time, but this has way more soul and gravity. The medical times in 2019, as we talk have changed; so, even the language of cinema and TV has changed. The content will obviously be more matured.
Were Surbhi Chandna and Namit Khanna your original choice for the show?
I think Namit was also there. Surbhi and I have been in touch since the time I saw Ishqbaaaz. At that time, the show was on-air and we always spoke that given a chance, we will work together. I want to work with Nakuul as well at some point of time in life. However, I did not want to repeat Nakuul Mehta and Surbhi in this show. Nakuul is a fantastic actor, but we did not envision him to play the character we had in mind.
How will this Sanjivani be different? You mentioned in an interview that all the characters will be resident doctors and not interns, unlike the previous seasons?
Sanjivani and Dill Mill Gayye were focused on interns. This will be based on resident doctors. Resident doctors can perform surgeries, interns can’t. Also, in times of today’s corruption, people don’t trust doctors so much, I want to bring forth a series which gives hope. Sanjivani always emanates hope. Shashank (played by Mohnish Bahl) resembled hope. We want to give some sort of respite at the end of the tunnel which we will hopefully get from these doctors. Of course, we are not negating that the flip side is there to this that we will show as well, but at the same time, what we will get here is reality and a possible solution maybe.
When did the idea to bring back the brand first come?
It emerged through discussions with the network. It was the first show I created and was credited for as a concept creator, so as a brand, they wanted it back. Of course, this story won’t be similar to Sanjivani or DMG. The characters' journey continues for the characters that I have retained. There are some characters I have retained from Dill Mill Gayye; there are some characters I have retained from Sanjivani as well. But other than that, the story will be different.
What made you zero down on Surbhi and Namit as the lead pair for the show? What did you see in them in terms of making them an on-screen pair?
When I did their test together, I saw freshness in them. Today, it takes hardly any time for stagnation to step in and for the same boredom to step in. With them, I saw energy which hopefully the people will connect to. When we talk about iconic couples, it is the characters and energy that the youth look out for. I am confident about them.
Lastly, your expectations from the show?
My only expectation is that I want to make a good show. If as an audience, I can make you laugh, cry or feel anger, any of these emotions, I am cool. My shows have always been good looking, have good production value and no saas-bahu drama. If you enjoy the experience and want to come back to this show, I feel contented. Honestly, this is the only TV show I am doing, not that I haven’t been approached to do more shows, but I have myself not gone to a single channel because I am myself tired of the rubbish that we are watching on TV. In a time where I have created Kaafir, and I am doing something nice, then why would I fall into the monotony of TV? Sanjivani is a show where at least I won't be running on formula. That's the reason, I thought let's do a medical show; this is the world I know; there is no decent medical shows on TV currently. Whoever tried to do, don’t know the medical world and have mostly failed. Whenever I have tried, in my track record, I have succeeded.
On a concluding note, when asked about the time slot and on-air date of the show, the producer said that the channel is still mulling over it.
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