Interview with Sony Television’s CID Team Abhijeet, Daya and Director Producer B.P.Singh

C.I.D., one of India’s most loved and longest running TV series aired on Sony Television, unfolds the secret behind the team’s unprecedented 19-year long successful stint on the show and the journey from the silver screen to the hearts of millions. Here are excerpts from the interview with Director-Producer B.P.Singh who plays DCP Chitrole, Dayanand Shetty who plays the team’s hulk Daya and Aditya Srivastava as the keen-eyed Abhijeet.

At a time when most TV shows are incorporating unchaste storylines and promiscuous cameos to fuel their TRPs, CID continues to be an inherent concoction of action, drama, thrill and mystery. The entire family can watch it together without hesitation and even with its ‘crime’ solving episodes, it’s undeniably one of the cleanest crime-related shows on the contemporary Indian TV, expressed Director Producer B.P.Singh, Daya and Abhijeet. To keep it so, has remained one of the biggest challenge for both the Director and the writers.

According to director-producer B.P.Singh, ‘the CID show is designed, scripted and written so carefully that the entire family can watch it together’. ‘We wanted the C.I.D TV series to be for all people – regardless of their age, religion, race or ethnicity. So much to the extent that we decided to omit the surnames of even the lead actors ACP Pradhyuman, Daya and Abhijeet (except for Dr. Salunkhe). You cannot even tell if this character is from South or North, for instance.’

Since its inception in the 90s era, CID has traversed at least two generations of the viewers, yet it remains interesting to both generations. ‘The challenge is to keep it contemporary as we continue to transcend in time. If we don’t do different we will be stale’, affirms the trio.

Each of the four horses drawing a kings chariot shoulder equal responsibility in pulling it forward, making the ride unimaginable without the other. The lead actors of the CID TV series are just the same. There is a significant consensus between the director’s point of view and actors implementation, which makes them effortless and their performance looks natural. Their collective performance fluxed with an impressive storyline drives the show forward.

Even when the show transcended from its hometown Mumbai to shoot episodes in Paris, Switzerland and beyond conveying its ‘evolution’ and growing success with time, much of the core crew of the TV series remains grounded to their original posts. When the TV series debuted in the late 90s, Shivaji Satam played ACP Pradhyuman while Dayanand Shetty debuted as Daya and Aditya Shrivastav as Abhijeet – both senior inspectors. Nineteen years down the line, the show refuses to promote their posts – a rebounding question most loyal viewers have that also became the subject of a few internet memes.

When asked, they recollect ‘it has been a tough journey for 19 years – a duration so long that more than our real names, people now recognize us with our on-screen names.

They admit ‘we don’t want to be promoted. Even though we didn’t get promoted, our characters have changed flavours over time. Freddy, for instance, plays a more comical role and gets dialogues more often these days. Dr. Salunkhe has gone ultra-modern and so on. But as long as we are doing CID, ACP Pradhyuman will not get promotion’, quips B.P.Singh.  ‘There is a strong sense of authenticity with his character. When he’s on screen, people feel that he is prolific enough to solve any kind of case, the director adds.

‘We have never imagined the show would take us this far. We will be completing our 19 years shortly. Nobody has reached this milestone so far and it ensues a greater responsibility. It is difficult to maintain that though’, adds B.P. Singh who has also produced the famous thriller-turned-horror TV series Aahat.

Speaking about the future of the CID TV show, the trio says ‘as long as our viewers continue to love the show, we will continue to make new episodes’. Typically, a director or producer would think of taking the show forward, but with our show, the entire C.I.D. team works and contemplates ways to take this forward. In fact, over time, we have grown accustomed to a sense of social responsibility to do this show. We work 25 days a month, people have expectations and we can’t let them down, adds Daya.

Speaking about the competition from shows like Saavdhan India, Crime Patrol and other related shows, they say ‘competition will always be there, but CID is perhaps the only such show for the entire family. So long as we produce clean content, people will want to see it.’ The trio in a vocal consensus exclaims ‘we have a responsibility towards the society, and no scene must put you through hesitation if your family members were watching it.’

B.P. Singh, who also brought the thriller-turned-horror ‘Áahat’ TV series to the light Reeling out the reason behind this iconic success is the vision to make it a ‘family show’, one that you can watch with you brother, sister, daughter or mother, and not hesitate a bit. Our kids feel proud of what we do, they understand us and our work now.

While several shows of this genre including Pankaj Kapoor starrer Karamchand Jasoos, Adalat, Saboot, Anil Kapoor starrer ‘24’ based on American TV series and others have had decent airtime, B.P.Singh’s C.I.D. continues to be the only show so far to have completed 18 years on air with several special episodes, including a record 111-minute long episode shot in a single take.

The CID TV series has long been the identity of the Sony TV Channel and vice versa. Despite being an investigative TV series – a relatively serious genre until recently for the Indian viewers with an unrestrained love for conventional soap operas, CID reels a mystical charm yet its realistic no-frills outlook is helping it cascade one milestone after the other.

The CID team was speaking exclusively to this journalist for an interview with Gawah Urdu Weekly.

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