Executive Dossier

‘Turning producer was a logical extension of my career’ : Soni Razdan

Published

25 years ago

October 24, 2001

Soni Razdan, actor, is not new to audiences. Her metamorphosis into a producer and now, a director, however, has not been as talked-about though. Her forays into production have been few, but not run-of-the-mill. Her first venture as producer was Aur Phir Ek Din on Star Plus, directed by Vinta Nanda, starring Kiran Kumar and Soni herself in lead roles.

Next came Hamare Tumhare, a story of two sisters who have a strained relationship, due to some mysterious incidents in the past. A fresh storyline and strong performances ensured that both serials left a strong impact on viewers’ minds. Soni is now ready with her third offering Jo Dil Chahe for Zee, which features the lives of five central female characters based in Delhi; their trials and tribulations. Her first venture as director- a movie based on the novel Difficult Daughters, will also go on the floor shortly.

Soni is placed in a unique position. Neither a big time corporate giant like Balaji Telefilms, nor a struggling producer, she can objectively analyze several issues confronting the industry.

Excerpts of an interview with indiantelevision.com’s correspondent, Amar.

What made you turn producer?
I guess turning producer was a logical extension of my career. I had been an actor for more than 30 years and wanted to give something back to the medium. The most feasible way was to produce the kind of programmes I really liked and which appealed to my sensibilitiesWhat kind of storyline appeals to you?
Stories that have a strong subject with an enormous scope for drama. Ideally, I love stories based on relationships with a strong undercurrent of passion.

‘Ideally, I love stories based on relationships with a strong undercurrent of passion’

How do you choose a director?
I chose Vinta Nanda for Aur Phir Ek Din because I have always admired her capabilties for directing and we share a great rapport and understanding. As for Hamare Tumhare, the story and the treatment were both different and new. Also, apart from the two sisters who were the central characters, there were four children who were very important in the development of the story and to whose characters full justice had to be done. Keeping these factors in mind, I had to take someone who was young and had not got typecast into any category.

On what basis do you choose a channel?
Frankly, as a producer who has just one serial on air at a time, I am a little selfish in my choice of a channel. I prefer Zee for the viewership it gets my serial and also because I find it more receptive to new ideas. But I am open to considering other channels, including Sahara, which I believe has a great vision. As I roll out more serials, I will also consider other channels.

Are you open to producing a daily serial?
Yes, but I will do it only if the budgets are really good. I will not produce a daily just for the sake of producing one.

What are the disadvantages of producing a daily?
There are so many disadvantages. It is very difficult to keep a tab on the quality when shooting is on for 20-25 days of the month. The sheer pressure of shooting so many episodes at one go is not the way most creative people would like to work. Besides, due to budget constraints, it is not possible to get good quality actors either.

Do you like to work with a closed group of actors or do you like to experiment?
I like to experiment. I like to take on new people depending on the requirements of the role. One of my favourite actors on TV, though, is Kiran Kumar.

What is your production set up like?
We have a small set up. I head the creative team, carry out negotiations with the channel, see to the development of the storyline….. I have a team of writers helping me with the story. We have a chief executive producer; with an assistant who oversees the actual organization of the shoots, submission of tapes etc.

‘ I will do it only if the budgets are really good. I will not produce a daily soap just for the sake of producing one’

How does your association with Vishesh Films help?
Vishesh Films is our official financier. Besides, even though he does not like to be involved so much, Mahesh (Bhatt) is always there with his creative inputs. In fact, he had a major role to play in developing Hamare Tumhare.

Are you continuously hassled by the executive producers in channels over the storyline, casting etc.?
No, not at all. I feel the involvement of the executive producers is a very valuable exercise. TV is a business of ideas, though I would maintain there is a difference between making suggestions and being maniacal about them. However, I have been lucky not to be forced to do anything unfeasible.

How often have you been asked to re-shoot an episode ?
Touchwood. Never.

How much of financial and mental insecurity does a producer have to put up with today? Wasn’t Zee’s abrupt ending of your programme a major blow?
There is a huge amount of insecurity no doubt, but that is true of most businesses. With competition warming up, TV has become no different. But as far as the winding up of my serial Hamare Tumhare goes, in all fairness to Zee, we had been asked not to shoot beyond a given number of episodes and we had not exceeded that.

India is probably the only country where producers don’t get a share of the channel revenues even after forfeiting their rights. Your comment?
Yes, that’s really bad. The re-run rights are the bare minimum a producer can ask for, because they serve as an incentive to produce better quality stuff. Till now, we did not even have a body to take up these issues but hopefully the Indian Television Academy (ITA) will take them up now.

Do corporate giants like Balaji and UTV have a monopoly over the best time slots?
Not that I am aware of.

Which are the areas where a Balaji or UTV is able to obtain economies of production and save costs vis-?-vis a producer like you?
A Balaji or UTV is a manufacturing factory. They have their own studios and editing facilities, and this reduces costs drastically. Also, when manpower is employed on a regular basis and optimally utilized, it tends to come cheap compared to when it is hired from time to time.

Are enough issues being tackled in terms of entertainment or have we reached a dead end?
On TV, we can never reach a dead end . Yes, about six months ago, there was a dominance of saas-bahu sagas, but Zee’s new programmes have come as a breath of fresh air. See, when a bomb is dropped, the effects of this are bound to be felt all around. Similarly, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT) and Kahanii Ghar Ghar Kii (KGGK) led to a trend into which all other channels were indirectly getting carried. But luckily that’s no more the case.

Which do you think has been the best phase of programming in Indian TV history?
I feel the best is yet to come. Programming per se is yet to evolve fully. In fact, I would say it is in its infancy stages. The mid-eighties were still a much better phase compared to other phases. We had varied programmes like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Buniyaad, Tamas – all very different from one another and rich in content.

How do you balance your roles as a producer, actress and now director?
(laughs) I don’t balance them. They get balanced. In any case, so many things get stalled over here for several reasons – channel approval, finances etc. So it’s really not as hectic as it seems. In fact, I plan to roll out more programs as producer. I feel I am in a position to do that.

At this point of time, are you really excited about any subject?
I have a vague idea – a story of a family that spans three continents in three different time periods. I can’t say anything more about it at the moment.

Related Topics:Aur Phir Ek Din Balaji and UTV Jo Dil Chahe Jo Dil Chahe for Zee Kiran Kumar KSBKBT Soni Razdan Vinta Nanda Zee

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Executive Dossier

Game on, fame on as Good Game hunts India’s first global gaming star

New reality show puts Rs 1 crore prize and global spotlight on India’s gaming talent.

Published

5 months ago

January 27, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Game faces on, pressure high India’s gaming ambitions are levelling up. Good Game, billed as the world’s first as-live global gaming reality show, has officially launched in India with a bold mission: to crown the country’s first Global Gaming Superstar.

Blending esports with mainstream entertainment, the show brings together competitive gaming, creativity and on-camera performance in a format that tests more than just joystick skills. Contestants will be judged on gameplay, screen presence and their ability to perform under pressure, reflecting how gaming has evolved from pastime to profession and pop culture currency.

Fronting the show are three high-profile ambassadors: actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant, and gaming creator Ujjwal Chaurasia. The winner will take home Rs 1 crore ($100,000) among the largest prize pools for any Indian reality show along with the chance to represent India on a global stage.

Backed by a planned annual investment of up to Rs 100 crore, Good Game is also courting brand partners, promising a minimum reach of 500 million among India’s core youth audience. The creators position the show as a bridge between entertainment and interactive culture, offering long-format content, community engagement and commercial scale.

Auditions are now open to Indian citizens aged 18 and above, inviting amateur and professional gamers, creators and performers alike. Shortlisted candidates will be called for in-person auditions in Mumbai on 14 and 15 February, and in Delhi on 28 February and 1 March 2026.

With big money, big names and even bigger ambition, Good Game signals a shift in how India views gaming not just as play, but as performance, profession and prime-time spectacle.

Digital

SpotDraft hires new CMO and CFO to fuel global push for its AI contract platform

Alon Waks and Amit Sharma join as SpotDraft accelerates growth across key markets

Published

6 months ago

December 3, 2025

indiantelevision.com Team

INDIA: SpotDraft has strengthened its senior ranks as it gears up for faster global expansion, naming Alon Waks as chief marketing officer and Amit Sharma as chief financial officer. The appointments follow the firm’s $54 million Series B round earlier this year and mark a push to scale across the Americas, EMEA and India.

The AI-powered contract-lifecycle-management platform has posted 100 per cent year-on-year growth in customer acquisition, counting Apollo.io, IPSY, Mixpanel, Oyster and Panasonic among its global clients. The firm processes more than one million contracts annually, with volumes up 173 per cent and nearly 50,000 monthly active users.

Waks, a veteran of Kustomer, Bizzabo, CreatorIQ, LivePerson and ZoomInfo, will steer global marketing and category positioning as legal teams adopt AI-driven tools. Sharma, who has led finance across scaling tech firms since 2016, will guide financial strategy, investor relations and market expansion.

Both hires aim to sharpen SpotDraft’s bid for a larger slice of the fast-growing legal-tech market, expected to exceed $63 billion by 2032. Co-founder and chief executive Shashank Bijapur said the company is focused on scaling go-to-market operations in the Americas, deepening leadership in EMEA, and accelerating AI capabilities for general counsels and legal-operations leaders.

Clients report shorter deal cycles and better alignment between legal and business teams. “What used to take weeks now happens in days,” said Abnormal Security senior legal operations manager Susan Koenig. DeepL head of legal operations André Barrow, said SpotDraft has helped reframe legal “from a cost centre to a generator of revenue”.

Executive Dossier

Outdoor Ads Get Smarter as LOC8 Shifts OOH from Visibility to Attention

AI, dwell time and real-world vision are rewriting the rules of what outdoor ads can do.

Published

7 months ago

November 28, 2025

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Out-of-home ads were once the wallflowers of marketing seen by everyone, noticed by few. But in an age where attention has become the world’s most fought-over currency, even billboards are getting a brain upgrade. Enter LOC8, OSMO’s AI-powered attention engine, quietly reshaping the old OOH playbook by measuring not just who could have looked at an ad, but who actually did. The shift is subtle but seismic: impressions are out, impact is in and data, not gut instinct, is calling the shots.

In a landscape where marketers question every rupee spent outdoors, LOC8 is turning lampposts, flyovers and traffic islands into precision-mapped attention laboratories. By crunching dwell time, visibility zones, perceptual size and real-world obstructions, the platform is dragging OOH into a future where creativity meets computer vision and where the best ideas aren’t just eye-catching, but eye-measured. From automotive facelifts to FMCG novelty and real estate trust-building, the message is clear, outdoor has stopped shouting and started listening. Indian Television Dot Com explores more about it in an Interview interview with OSMO co-founder Nipun Arora.

On how OSMO is shifting outdoor advertising from a visibility-led medium to an attention-led one through LOC8.

Traditional OOH has long been measured by visibility and impressions i.e how many people could see an ad. OSMO, through its proprietary AI platform LOC8, is shifting that narrative more towards likelihood of being noticed. Using computer vision and machine learning, LOC8 analyzes real-world video data to measure visibility zones, obstructions, dwell time and perceptual size; bringing precision to how attention is quantified outdoors. It moves the focus from mere impressions to quality of impressions, making OOH a data-verified, attention-led medium comparable to digital in accountability.

On how marketers can use LOC8’s dwell-time, visibility and perception insights to craft more effective, emotionally resonant OOH campaigns.

LOC8 helps brands understand how people truly experience outdoor media how long they look, from what distance, and under what conditions. By quantifying dwell time, visibility duration, and perceptual size; marketers can plan campaigns that align with real human viewing behavior. This empowers creative and strategy teams to design emotionally resonant storytelling where messaging, visual hierarchy and placement are optimized for how people actually notice and process OOH creatives.

About what LOC8 has revealed through campaigns like Renault Triber and Namaste India on how categories such as auto, FMCG and real estate use attention metrics to drive outcomes.

Each category uses attention data differently but all share one common goal: to convert outdoor visibility into measurable engagement.

• Automotive | Renault Triber

For the new Renault Triber facelift, bold creative met data-led planning through LOC8. By analyzing on-ground video data, LOC8 measured real audience attention across placements factoring in visibility zones, obstructions, traffic speed and perceptual size. This enabled Renault to identify corridors that delivered maximum reach, saliency and engagement, optimizing media efficiency and ROI.

• FMCG | Namaste India

In OOH, innovation is the hook and assets are the bait. But bait often hides the hook. With Loc8’s attention metrics, we ensured the bait wasn’t a hurdle, rather it became the perfect stage for innovation to deliver its full impact! The insight proved that creative novelty, when validated by attention data, drives deeper engagement and measurable brand lift.

• Real Estate

For luxury and real estate campaigns targeting HNI/UHNI audiences, attention patterns differ especially between front and rear passengers, who are often the core audience segment for premium sites. LOC8’s ability to distinguish rear vs. front visibility plays a critical role here. It helps identify sites that offer longer viewing windows and stronger perceptual dominance from the rear seat where decision-makers are most likely seated making it a key differentiator for premium and trust-led categories. Together, these insights prove that auto optimizes for impact, FMCG for recall, and real estate for trust visibility showing how attention metrics adapt to category goals while ensuring measurable outcomes.

On how attention analytics will shape the future of brand storytelling and media planning as OOH becomes more digitised and data-driven.

As outdoor digitizes, attention analytics will inform not just where to advertise but how stories are told in public spaces. This evolution transforms OOH from a static broadcast channel into a dynamic attention ecosystem, where creativity is optimized through evidence-based insight.

On how LOC8’s data-led framework helps marketers quantify OOH impact and make outdoor a more accountable, ROI-driven medium.

LOC8 bridges the gap between intuition and evidence. By quantifying metrics like visibility duration, attention opportunity index, and visual saliency rank, it allows brands to benchmark site performance and justify investment. This data-led approach brings transparency, comparability and ROI measurement to a medium historically driven by perception.

On how OSMO ensures AI and computer vision enhance creativity rather than reduce it to numbers.

OSMO believes that technology should enhance creativity, not overshadow it. LOC8’s attention models reveal what naturally draws the human eye helping creative teams refine design cues, contrast, and visual hierarchy for greater impact. By merging art and science, LOC8 empowers creativity with intelligence.

About the creative best practices and design cues LOC8 has uncovered regarding what truly captures consumer attention outdoors.

LOC8’s visual cognition analysis has surfaced clear patterns across campaigns:

• High contrast and minimal messaging outperform cluttered designs.

• Motion cues draw significantly longer dwell times.

• The first two seconds are critical, creatives must establish focus instantly.

• Contextual alignment between the creative and its environment increases attention by over 30%.

These learnings offer a scientific foundation for creative effectiveness helping brands design OOH that’s visually magnetic and emotionally memorable.

On how attention metrics will integrate into omnichannel planning where OOH, digital and social work together for unified brand impact.

Attention can become the unifying KPI across OOH, digital and social to creates seamless storytelling continuity, where outdoor triggers digital engagement. The future of omnichannel planning lies in attention-led integration ensuring that campaigns don’t just reach audiences everywhere but truly capture and hold their focus.