Actress-filmmaker Soni Razdan, who has been in the industry for over three decades, feels that Indian films are moving ahead with new ideas but this can't be said about the country's TV shows.
The wife of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and mother of actress Alia Bhatt is returning to the small screen after a long time with the TV show "Love Ka Hai Intezaar", which will also feature Sanjeeda Sheikh and Keith Sequeira.
She says the reason why she kept herself away from TV and did films and web series was she didn't find the right content.
Asked whether there is any change in the ideologies of TV shows, Soni told IANS in an email interview: "Oh yes. Well isn't that obvious? We have regressed so much. What happened to aspirational TV shows or our intelligent shows? So few out there now.
"Today, films are moving ahead with new ideas. TV shows have gotten stuck in a bit of a rut. Earlier it was the opposite. Today in the West, the best writing is happening on TV."
Soni, best known for her roles in shows like "Buniyaad", "Saahil", "Junoon" and "Aur Phir Ek Din", was last seen in "Aisa Des Hai Mera" in 2006.
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"Daily soaps are just not my scene. And it's really hard for me to do things that I don't believe in. The fare on TV was a world that I'm not familiar with.
"It's totally alien to me and I couldn't really imagine myself doing a role that has no depth. So I stayed away till this ('Love Ka Hai Intezaar') came along as it looked interesting."
Talking about her role in the upcoming Star Plus show, Soni said: "I play Rajmata in a very contemporary set up. The good part about her is that she is progressive yet holds a firm ground when it comes to traditional family values. It is a very positive and inspiring character we will get to see on television."
"At this point in life I'm just going with the flow. Sometimes it's just refreshing to do things that you normally don't do. To challenge yourself. To change the air around you. So, that's what I'm doing right now."
Soni admits there have been new content on Indian television, still she feels "we need more of it".
"We need to take more risks and think more out of the box. Once an audience has choices, they will also watch more TV. I think the TRP game has messed up our TV shows more than anything else," she said.
She is also waiting to begin her next directorial venture "Love Affair". She will star in director Danish Renzu's "Pashmina" alongside Suraj Sharma and Aditi Rao Hydari as well.
--IANS
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