Her work speaks about culture and traditions

Shailja Kejriwal, known to have taken the road less traveled with utmost flair and ease, is an accomplished name in the Indian media and entertainment industry. Her belief in the power of storytelling as the most significant catalyst for societal evolution has inspired her to develop a repertoire of path-breaking content, including Zindagi and Zeal for Unity which brought India and Pakistan together on a single platform for the first time in over 60 years. Shailja's work speaks volumes about her commitment to showcasing an amalgam of culture, traditions, and society through art.

In an exclusive conversation with The Hans India, Shailja shares some important moments in her journey.

How did the idea of bringing cross-border content to India strike you? Considering the history, what challenges did you face initially in terms of handling cultural diversifications?

As a programming professional one is constantly on the lookout for what might appeal to the viewer. I keep the creative thought process really simple. What appeals to me as a viewer, will appeal to many others, because I don't believe I am unique. Post that the business aspect kicks in, as to the number of people who may be the potential viewer and whether the cost of content is commensurate with that number. This process allows experimentation and moving beyond dominant notions of what works and what doesn't.

Hence when one rainy day in October 2012, I chanced upon a show called Zindagi Gulzar hai and loved it, my search for "more like it" started. At the time I was not bothered about where it came from, just who these incredible people had created it. As I dug deeper, I found many more stories and the idea of bringing them to the Indian viewer started forming. The purpose of Zindagi was to bring content from Pakistan, Turkey, Korea, and other parts of the world that were culturally similar yet not the same.

Creating cross-border content has been challenging and yet extremely rewarding in as much as it exposes you to diverse cultures, social values, and history. It widens your understanding of people and that is what keeps me going as a content creator. It is challenging because of our political conflict which leads to a basic mistrust in the first instance, among both creators as well as businesses. Also, we live in times where rabble-rousing for social media attention is foremost on people's minds which makes it even more difficult to keep people motivated and creative. My personal take on this is that it is difficult to keep track of what hurts whose sentiments anymore. So my team and I simply do what we believe in and leave the rest to what will be, will be.

Tell us about your learnings, challenges, and overall experience with the Zindagi channel

The biggest learning to our relief has been the positive viewer response. It means viewers love content, if it is good, regardless of where it originates. The biggest challenge has been to navigate the political seesaw between the two countries. It is two steps forward one step back and really tests the motivation of everyone involved in Zindagi, both the creative as well as the business side. But it is the conviction that keeps us at it, whether it is launching a channel or moving to OTT, whether it is curating or co-producing. As long as the viewers love it, we will keep at it.

Zindagi extensively promotes women's empowerment content. Do you think it has been able to have the desired impact on society?

As we looked around we saw OTT was championing empowered men and television was championing disempowered women. We felt that there was a space available to tell stories of women wanting to claim their space and voice. So yes, Zindagi does take up stories of women in transition both mentally as well as socially. This makes for great character arcs and deals with issues swept under the carpet within families and in society. Churails, Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam, O Rangreza, and Baaghi are some examples of this that were well received.

I'm not sure that stories are meant to change society, but yes they can give rise to conversations by presenting a point of view that differs from the dominant discourse. It can sow the seeds, yes, and we are happy that Zindagi has put an alternative point of view about Pakistan within every household in India. The fact that the nation swooned over Fawad Khan, without bothering about whether he was an Indian or a Pakistani, makes us believe that we did sow some seeds.

With the launch of Mrs and Mr Shameem, what message Zindagi is aiming to spread? What has been the response till now?

Mrs. & Mr. Shameem is another classic piece of a woman's journey in society but moreover, it focuses on unraveling the new side of a man that is usually hidden behind the stereotypical male image. It's an attempt to disrupt and question common ideas about romantic love, gender roles, and gender manifestations. We are grateful for the positive feedback we have received, and we look forward to the viewers' continued love and support.

How do you keep yourself relevant as a person creating diverse content?

If you have worked long enough in this business as I have, you know that the only right thing to do is be connected to emotions. It is the most precious currency to have and with that comes opinion. Be unafraid to express an opinion. With this lack of fear what is needed is humility. To be humble enough to listen to another opinion and be ready to change. Creating content has the same rules as living life. Be emotional, have an opinion, be unafraid be humble and embrace change!

What are your future plans? What type of content viewers can expect in the coming years?

We have many interesting projects coming up. There is a show by Mehreen Jabbar, which is about three coming-of-age women in their 30s. We wanted a story that depicted how women can be the biggest support of other women by creating a safe space, where each one could express themselves without fear or social sanction! It's a gentle slice of life and a very relatable story. Then there is a show by Asim Abbasi that stars Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed. It's a show that will make you think about the meaning, intensity, and lengths one can go to for love. It examines the notion of right and wrong as we know it and makes us start believing in wonderment again. Other than these there are more projects in development, both in the scripted as well as non-scripted genres.

Viewers can expect content that will make them think, enjoy, evaluate and reassess. I find it difficult to make content only for "Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment"