'Jamunia' All Set To Hit TV Screens On March 08

'Jamunia' All Set To Hit TV Screens On March 08Launching 'Jamunia' to the TV screen was not simple for makers Yash Patnaik and Ajit Andhare.

From discovering the true actors to shooting in a rural community to combating mosquitoes, they experienced their hands full.

Andhare said, "Before us, nobody dared to come and shoot here." Kawardha is situated 120 km away from Raipur.

The new TV serial, which revolves around the trials and pains of an orphaned girl Jamunia, is ready to hit screens on NDTV Imagine on March 8.

The makers of the show have come to Kawardha with a group of around 125 people for shooting.

The possessor of Kawardha Palace, where the serial is being shot, has given the ground floor to the 'Jamunia' unit on rent.

"I did a recce of 1,100 km here. We needed a palace and a beautiful village and this place suited our purpose. We met the (erstwhile) maharaja and maharani of Kawardha and requested them to allow us to shoot here. Initially, they refused, but later gave permission," Patnaik told.

"I chose the real location because it gives impact and detailing and I have also unbound writers by bringing them to a real location. There are logistical problems, but I have control. I can shoot any time," he added.

Shooting on site has affected their financial plan.

"In Mumbai, when you make a serial, the per day expense of shooting comes to somewhere between Rs. 300,000 to Rs. 400,000. But as we are shooting on real location, our budget has gone up 30 to 35 percent. One needs a budget of Rs. 250-300 million to make a serial like this," said Patnaik.

The cast and crew members, who left the comfortableness of their dwellings to shoot, had adjustment troubles.

Preeta Jain, who plays Jamunia's cousin Chatori in the serial said, "Now we feel at home. All the female artists stay in the campus."

Normally 22 episodes are broadcast in 30 days and actors have to work for 12 hours daily.

Sorting out the shooting was a big task for Amit Bangia, production controller of Jamunia.

Bangia, who also worked as a production assistant on TV Serials including "Kkusum", "Kasturi" and "Maika" said, "Shooting a crowd scene is the toughest job. In Mumbai, it is very easy to gather people to shoot a crowd scene, but not here. There were two more people with me here, but once they went back to Mumbai, they didn't come back. But I am doing it because it's a challenge to shoot in Kawardha."

In end, Andhare added that at present they are not concerned about the TRPs, their main worry being the initial buildup of the story. (With Input from Agencies)