Aim To Widen Spectrum For Female Characters: Palki Malhotra, Writer-Director

Palki Malhotra is a versatile talent in the entertainment industry, known for her multifaceted roles as a writer, director, producer, creative producer, and dance director. With a career spanning over a decade, she has made significant contributions to both television and OTT platforms.

Malhotra’s impressive portfolio includes popular television shows like Dill Mill Gayye, Dill Dostii Dance, Pavitra Bhagya, MTV Girls On Top, Yeh Teri Galliyan, and many more. Beyond her work in content creation, Malhotra is recognised as the dance director of the celebrated dance crew Desi Hoppers, known for their victory at the 2015 World of Dance championship.

With a rich tapestry of experiences, Malhotra stands as a celebrated creative force in the industry, continually contributing to its vibrant landscape. In a conversation with SheThePeople, Palki Malhotra discussed her diverse career journey, championing diverse female characters, career milestones, and her hopes for the creative industry.

Palki Malhotra's Diverse Career Journey

Palki Malhotra's career journey has been diverse, starting as a production executive in ads, where she learned dedication and hard work. She transitioned to direction, working on shows like Swaraaj and Hip Hip Hurray. Malhotra discovered her writing talent during Kehta Hai Dil in 2004 and became a showrunner.

Malhotra ventured into dance direction with Desi Hoppers but faced challenges due to a lack of recognition in a male-dominated field, despite their international success. Her career spans various genres, with a special affinity for youth shows. She acknowledges the importance of variety in content, which differs from today's trend of defining one's style.

The only reason I actually stood out with my work was because I never said no to anything. I was all up for challenges.

Championing Diverse Women Characters 

Palki Malhotra emphasises the significance of women's representation in shaping society's growth. She believes in exploring a wide range of female characters, celebrating their strengths and imperfections. In today's OTT era, she sees a broader spectrum of female characters compared to the past. 

She challenges the notion that female protagonists must be flawless, advocating for the portrayal of real-life grey areas. She emphasises the importance of understanding the conditioning that leads to characters' actions and believes in celebrating flaws, coining the term "flawsome." In her work, she focuses on strong female characters, avoiding the binary labels of positive and negative. 

What a strong woman on television was five years ago is not necessarily the same as OTT today. I do, in fact, now see that the representation and spectrum have widened. With OTT specifically, we have an opportunity to explore a lot of shades in terms of female characters, which I don't think the target audience of television is ready to watch. In today's day and age, it is not necessarily important for our female protagonist to be someone who does not go wrong. Because honestly, that is not the right way of looking at the world or society. Everybody is in a grey zone in today's day and age.

Career Milestones

Malhotra reflects on several proud moments in her career. She highlights the recognition of Dil Mil Gaye and Dil Dostii Dance as the best youth shows on television. Witnessing the immense fan following for Dil Mill Gayye and the success of dancers-turned-actors from Dil Dostii Dance fills her with pride. She cherishes receiving letters from viewers who pursued dance and medical careers inspired by her shows.

She takes immense pride in Desi Hoppers' international dance triumph, winning a gold medal and becoming world champions in 2015. She also overcame challenges to create her new show, Campus Beats and is proud of Shantanu Maheshwari's achievements. Her personal joy lies in nurturing dancers into actors and providing them with a platform to showcase their talent.

Hopes for the Creative Industry

Further in the conversation, Malhotra acknowledges the unpredictable nature of the entertainment industry and hopes it retains its creative essence rather than becoming solely numbers-driven. She advocates for storytelling with soul, even when data may not support it. Palki appreciates the diversity and representation OTT platforms bring, showcasing various flavours of India. She further aims to create fun, youth-oriented shows.

I want to make shows where the youth sees more concepts than breaking your virginity and sex. Youth is also a lot more like your experience of your first pimple, whether to wax or not and so much more! There are so many things that can be explored with the youth genre.

She concluded by talking about her newly released show, Campus Beats, which is about women's empowerment. She said, "We have two very strong female characters on the show. One is Netra, and the other is Rihana. Netra comes from a lower middle-class background, and Rihana comes from an upper-middle-class background, but both have issues. So, when you do a deep dive into a character, especially a female character, there are nuances to keep in mind. But right now, for me, Campus Beats is definitely a good contribution to a female story."

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