COLORS’ new magnum opus ‘Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav’ revolves around two of the revered deities –Shiv and Shakti. It portrays their journey of duty, sacrifice, and separation that leads to tap, tyag, and tandav. Having curated a show in the mythological genre on an extravagant canvas earlier, COLORS and King of Mythology Siddharth Kumar Tewary have teamed up yet again for a visually stunning saga.
Excerpts below:
- Tell us something about the show.
- Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav is a mythological show which depicts the first love story of the universe between Shiv and Shakti. It captures the journey of Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakti’s duty, sacrifice, and separation that leads into tap, tyag, and tandav.
- Please share your thoughts on collaborating with COLORS once again.
- COLORS has been India’s leading GECs in the entertainment business today, thanks to its magnificent line-up of shows. It is one of the top destinations for diverse and entertaining content. Swastik Productions has collaborated with the channel on many occasions for successful shows and we’re thrilled to be canvassing epic storytelling on a gigantic scale for yet another mythological show. I hope that Shiv Shakti will reaffirm the viewers’ faith in the gods we all revere.
- What compelled you to make your rendition of Shiv and Shakti’s saga of love? What are the signature Siddharth Kumar Tewary elements that the viewers will get to see in this show?
- Since my childhood, I have held a deep fascination for Lord Shiva. The stories my parents shared about him captivated me, and I developed a strong admiration and curiosity toward him. As I delved into the texts of our mythology, which I consider our history, I discovered that the romance of Shiv Shakti holds profound teachings about the purpose of life. It is a remarkable love story that deserves to be shared. To accomplish this, we have invested considerable effort into making every aspect of the show exceptionally captivating and flawless. By emphasizing the importance of duty and weaving it into a visually stunning and melodious production, we aspire to create a show that will enchant and inspire the younger generation. I believe that enlivening mythological tales is my dharma, and I thank COLORS for canvassing this offering in the finest way possible.
- What sets Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav apart from other shows?
- Amidst the transient nature of everything that surrounds us, this show brings a timeless love story that transcends all emotions. This show depicts the grandest love story rooted in the themes of divinity, devotion, sacrifice, and duty in the most unique way. Both Shiv and Shakti are the reason why we trust that love is forever. Our objective is to demonstrate how the love story of Shiv Shakti serves as a guiding light, illuminating the path to a meaningful existence.
- What were the challenges you faced while producing Shiv Shakti? Did you ever second-guess your decision to produce given its massive scale?
- Telling stories of this magnitude always takes a lot of time and devotion. It is very challenging, that’s what excites me. I did take my time to understand whether we will be able to do justice to the story of Shiv and Shakti because it is not something a person thinks about overnight and accomplishes the next day. It took us a year to work on every detail of the show from reading every different text to going through the different references for creating an extraordinary world.
- Are there any interesting moments that transpired during the making of Shiv Shakti? Please share them with us.
- Every day is interesting. Now imagine when there are 1000 people working on constructing sets, 100 people working on the VFX and 200 people working in the production team, music department, art department, and costume department. When all these people gather to tell a story, imagine how many moments transpire every day. I’m also initially directing to set up the characters of the show. It is such a challenging experience. A lot of fun moments happen as we keep debating about how something should be conveyed in today’s time.
- Many people know Shiv and Shakti’s saga of love and so there’s no element of surprise in its story. As a creator of the show, how did you deal with this obstacle? What can the viewers look forward to?
- The beauty of such epic tales is that they can be told and retold many times in many ways. I feel the story of Shiv Shakti which we are showing is our interpretation of the grand love story and what primarily is important is its relevance to the viewers. So, for me the obstacle is how I am interpreting it, what we are trying to say through that love story, and for me to crack that was the biggest challenge. It took me 4-5 months to reach a point where I found the grain of the narrative. The biggest obstacle was to create the core pitch of the story. The core pitch of Shiv Shakti is that duty reigns over love.
- Roping an actor to essay the role of a deity is a huge responsibility because the religious sentiments of the viewers are involved. What are the things you keep in mind while picking actors to play such roles?
- It’s a big responsibility as there is a calendar art of Shiva, so for me to imagine Lord Shiva in any other form is very difficult. So, matching up to my own imagery of lord Shiva was the most important thing. It took me months and months of auditioning different people for the role because if the person does not resonate with my imagination of lord Shiva, then it would be very difficult for me to believe he is Lord Shiva. If I can’t believe in him then how will the audience resonate with the character? The second step is performance. We create these divine characters with the amalgamation of looks and character hence the look and performance are of utmost importance.
- Veteran set designer Omung Kumar B. has designed the set for this show, and you have collaborated with him for almost all your shows. How did this association begin?
- I wanted to collaborate with a person who will get my vision of how the different worlds of Kailash and the realm of Daksh should look like. As I have earlier worked with Omung, a veteran in the industry, it was easy for us to work together and create something magnificent.
- 10. What was the inspiration behind the making of the universe of Kailash for Shiv Shakti?
- When I met Omung I told him we need to design Kailash differently as there’s a particular way in which people had seen Kailash until now and I felt that we needed to reinvent that. The reference for Kailash is Mount Kailash which has existed for so many years. We tried to recreate Kailash keeping its core alive in a way people have never seen before.
- Apart from the visually stunning sets, the show features some of the best VFX. Please tell us about the kind of experience you’ve envisioned for the audience.
- VFX is one of the most important things in telling such tales because we are creating a new world altogether and to create this new world, we designed it in a 3D model because it is not something we see today. Visual effects enhance our characters by creating a larger-than-life world around them.
- How opulent is the set? Please share the specifications in terms of area, manpower, and cost involved with us. Can we claim that this is the most expensive show in the history of Indian television?
- Yes, I think we can claim it. We have more than 100,000 sq feet area because most of the show is and will be shot indoors in a controlled environment.
- What will be the key takeaway in Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav?
- These stories of Indian history (mythology) are told for a purpose. When you see a story that happened in Lord Shiva’s life, you understand what happened during that time and the subtext of that tale. The core impact is to entertain the viewer. I believe the core of Indian mythology was written to give viewers a thought. So, the key takeaway is you will see a lot of entertainment with a deeper thought and purpose. We are also doing a section which will be called Shiv Mantra where Shiv will talk about his thoughts and how they can be incorporated into today’s era.
