Shailja Kejriwal: We Are Still Lagging Behind With Gender Fluid Representation And Inclusivity In Media

In her almost two-decade-long career in the media and entertainment industry, Shailja Kejriwal’s journey has been equal parts unpredictable and exciting. She dedicates it to her liberal upbringing in Calcutta.  ‘Back in Calcutta, we did not perceive work through a gendered lens. When I came to Bombay, I carried a bank of experience in writing, voice-overs and producing with me. I did not face any gender discrimination in the workplace during the initial years of my career. Honestly, I was genuinely interested in the work and would like to believe that I got the opportunities because of those skills and not because I am a woman’, she said in a telephonic conversation to SheThePeople.

However, after a pause, Kejriwal introspects and admits to having faced a different type of discrimination in recent years.

‘There is a notion in the entertainment industry that women are more suited to creative management rather than business management. I started experiencing this in the last decade when the decision-making in the creative industry has shifted from the content creator to the business manager and therefore from women to men.

In recent times, I have become more preoccupied with the very definition of ‘woman’ both in front of the camera as well as behind it. Are we including and representing the spectrum when we say “woman”? That for me is the bigger question. In this context talking about my own privileged upper-middle class, university-educated, Hindu heterosexual journey seems pretty insignificant."

Kejriwal, is the COO special projects, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zee), and the brainchild behind the Zindagi channel. The channel which launched in 2014 on television, bought in cross-border content and introduced Indian viewers to shows like Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Humsafar.

However, post the 2016 Uri attack, Zindagi had to pull the plug on all Pakistani content. Eventually wrapping up on TV, it went on to become a digital-only channel and began its innings on the OTT platform, Zee5 in 2020. In the same year, Zindagi began its Originals with Asim Abbasi’s web series Churails (2020). It was followed by Ek Jhoothi Love Story – a romantic comedy directed by Mehreen Jabbar, the critically acclaimed series Dhoop Ki Deewar featuring Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly, and most recently Kashif Nisar’s Mrs & Mr Shameem – featuring Saba Qamar and Nauman Ijaz. In May, Zindagi launched back on DTH platforms as a “value-added service” airing other Pakistani shows such as Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain, Aunn Zara and Sadqay Tumhare.

In an interview with SheThePeople, Kejriwal opened up on her constant endeavour to keep her brand alive and thriving through all the challenges.

Excerpts from the telephonic-interview below

Shailja, I was probably one of the first viewers of Zindagi Gulzar Hai back in 2014. Ever since my first viewing, I have constantly recommended the show to many and re-watched it recently again with my mum-in-law in 2021. She absolutely loved the story, and that has probably been the most striking feature for me, that the stories of Zindagi TV have the ability to cater across sensibilities. According to a channel executive, how would you describe the channel’s USP and content strategy?

Yes, absolutely and thank you so much for saying that. What usually gets lost when people talk about Zindagi is that people only focus on how it brings content from Pakistan. The idea behind the brand is simply to tell stories that have a purpose. We have stories representing class, gender biases and other social issues that represent the whole community which is generally underrepresented in our mainstream media.

On one hand, we have Churails which covers the entire spectrum of "womanhood" and on the other hand, we have Zindagi Gulzar Hai, which talks about the class disparity. It speaks about how a woman is an equal partner in a relationship and sheds light on the institution of marriage.

I am very happy that people are liking the shows but I really want them to understand it is just more than bringing stories from the neighbouring country.

Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed in a still from Zindagi Gulzar Hai

Most of your work has been a virtual source, both you and the creator of the shows don’t meet in person. How do you set parameters while creating the show virtually?

I think in any creative process, no matter whether you are present there as a producer or as a channel, the business is largely dependent on trust. We have also seen their earlier work, we talk to them, understand the social intent of their stories, and then move forward. For me apart from the story, the primary parameter is basically how the director, actor, or artist feels for the subject, none of the stories that we do is just for entertainment. I think nothing can go wrong if you are clear on the intent part.

Do you believe that the star system is mildly dwindling in the age of social media advent?

Yes, it is. With the coming in of OTTs, there is a far greater focus on actors rather than stars. The audience is getting exposed to series and films from different parts of the world, along with different actors. Along with this, the stars from the Hindi film industry are so over-exposed because of their social media presence, that their mystique is on the wane. When you see so much of the private lives of stars, it’s difficult to relate to them as characters on screen.
This is also perhaps one reason why the films from the Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam industries are doing so well. There are stars, who are also actors and not as exposed and hence the characters that they play seem more believable.

With diverse storylines and shows like Churails, Dhoop Ki Deewar, Mrs & Mr Shameem being viewed and celebrated, do you think people are gradually shifting their gaze over the quality of content and not just its cast?

I think the audience always goes for content. Good content with an unknown cast will work better for the audience than bad content with a great star cast.  It is the people who fund content, be it the film producers, broadcasters, or OTT players who insist on a star cast, hoping for a minimum risk, maximum profit formula. This leads to lazy overpriced content, which along with the overexposure of stars as mentioned earlier, is a recipe for disaster. Thankfully because of OTT the viewer does get to pick and choose great content from across industries and not be dependent on only their local industry. We are definitely seeing the beginning of a churn, where the laziest content will get weeded out, no matter what the cast.

It’s a good time to introduce all kinds of good content, curated or created. That’s where Zindagi comes in. You love Zindagi Gulzar Hai and so does your mother, with a cast no one knew of a couple of years ago. Amazing times ahead.

Suggested Reading: Not Just For Fawad Khan, Why We Need Shows Like Zindagi Gulzar Hai