Several filmmakers, including Imtiaz Ali, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Anubhav Sinha, Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap and Rajkumar Hirani, have dabbled with the small screen before making it big in Bollywood. On World Television Day today, we talk to a few of them about what creating for TV meant to them.

TV taught me how to create quality work within budget: Tigmanshu Dhulia

I have directed several times for the television — the serial Hum Bambai Nahi Jayengey (1993), Bhagwati Charan Verma’s novel Naya Daur (1996), the first six episodes of Just Mohabbat and Rajdhani. I also directed 6 episodes of Star Bestsellers which people still remember. Hansal Mehta, Anurag Basu, Rajkumar Hirani, Anurag Kashyap all were directing on TV in that phase. Since, at that time, I was assisting in films as well so I directed those shows in a very filmy-style. TV taught me efficiency, accha aur jaldi, that too on a low budget, which helped me a lot when I turned to films. Thereafter, I started my debut film Haasil (2002).

TV was a great net practice for me: Anubhav Sinha

I went to Mumbai to make films so when I got an opportunity to do TV serials, I created them like a film! I debuted with the show Shikhast (1993), followed by Sea Hawk (1997). It was a pre-daily soap era so I did not make it in a so-called soap format! People used to say ‘bhai tu serial bana raha hai ya picture bana raha hai’, but I did not understand it then. It gave me a lot of recognition, I made money and people in the business knew I could do something. Viewers of that generation, till date talk about it (Sea Hawk) as we never had a show like that. I started getting music videos and made them extensively for three-four years before making Tum Bin (2001).

TV made me a better film writer and director: Karan Razdan

Starting in the industry as a writer-actor with Basu Chatterjee’s TV show Rajani (1985) and venturing into directing with serial Tehkikaat (1994), Razdan says, “TV gave me name, fame and career. While I was writing and acting in TV, I wrote films like Dilwale (1994), Trimurti (1995), Diljale (1996) and more. Due to my quirky writing in Kisse Miya Biwi Ke (1990), I got to meet Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan which was a big thing for me. TV helped venture in films and direct films such as Girlfriend (2004), Hawas (2004), including Hindutva Chapter One (2022) and Saira Khan Case this year. Last week, we came back with Rajani-2 in memory of Basu da and (actor-wife) Priya Tendulkar on Prasar Bharti’s OTT platform which is trending on No 2.”

TV gave me wings to fly: Kamal Pandey

From writing Naa Aana Iss Des Laado (still below; 2009), Gunahon Ka Devta (2010), producing Ruk Jaana Nahi (2011), to debuting with the feature film Jahaan Chaar Yaar (2022), writer-director Kamal Pandey says TV helped him sustain in Mumbai, and get into films.

“Being a writer, it’s very tough to survive in Mumbai and TV helped me sustain and earn well. TV daily soaps helped me write quickly while maintaining the quality, as well as adapting to the TRP game. It helped me write films efficiently and improvise smartly as per big screen format with films like Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns (2013) and Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana (2017). Unfortunately, good work is not happening on TV so I fully switched to films and OTT.”