Exclusive | Palki Malhotra: Dill Mill Gayye was antidote to saas-bahu shows, would love to have season 2

Pic/Instagram

Palki Malhotra is the name behind several popular youth-based shows. The creative producer and writer, who has worked on cult classics like Hip Hip Hurray, Dill Mill Gayye, and Dil Dosti Dance to name a few, has sensed the pulse of the audience throughout her illustrious career. Be it breaking the mould with youth-based shows or giving the industry some of the finest talents, she knows the trade better than most.

In an exclusive interview with Mid-Day.com, Palki extensively spoke about the birth of Dill Mill Gayye. The creative producer and writer shed light on the making of the show as well as attaining popularity. Here are the excerpts from the interview:

'Had no expectations from Dill Mill Gayye'

Who doesn't remember the impact created by Dill Mill Gayye? An audience favourite, the show gained cult status for breaking the monotony caused on television by soap operas. Did Palki, who was the creative mind behind Karan Singh Grover-Shilpa Anand/Sukirti Kandpal/Jennifer Winget's Dill Mill Gayye, sense the success while making it? She revealed, "When we were making Dill Mill Gayye, we went ahead with no expectations. Even the platform took it casually. The initial plan was to wrap up in a couple of episodes. 3 weeks into the show's launch, we were performing well. I changed the narrative on Indian television by introducing a casanova hero who flirts with women. Nobody had seen such a hero in that space back then. Since we started with no expectations, we pushed our boundaries. I took creative liberties with their looks and styling. My team was my backbone and believed in my idea. In just 3 weeks, the show became popular."

Recalling an incident, she said, "In the 3rd week of Dill Mill Gayye, the response we received was overwhelming. One day, we were having a brainstorming session at a café when 2-3 people turned to us and asked, "Aap voh show mein kaam karte ho jismein red dupatta udta rehta hai? I assumed they spoke about Kasautii Zindagii Kay. They recalled the title of Dill Mill Gayye and praised it." She added, "There were times, we never had scripts. The actors improvised on the set."

'Dill Mill Gayye was an antidote to saas-bahu dramas'

Dill Mill Gayye came at a time when saas-bahu shows were the primary source of entertainment. Credit goes to Palki for breaking the template and creating a blend of genres that served as an inspiration to the newer crop of creative minds. Calling Dill Mll Gayye, Dil Dosti Dance and Hip Hip Hurray antidotes to melodramatic shows, she shared, "Dill Mill Gayye was an antidote to saas-bahu dramas and it was a conscious decision to break the monotony. While working on various shows in my career, I realised people love watching romance. A relatable romance in an unrelatable scenario. It was a conscious decision to make Dill Mill Gayye a different show. It was a big risk but that was required to make a difference. I was an assistant director on Hip Hip Hurray which was a big hit. It did wonders but too early for the industry. Agar thoda late aata toh aur bada hit hota. Dill Mill Gayye was perfectly timed. The industry needed a change. The first promo introduced only Shilpa Anand as Riddhima. Karan Singh Grover was yet to be cast, hence we used another person's shadow. The impact it left was amazing. While Shilpa was locked, Karan came on board later. I saw potential in him and knew he was going to rule television as Armaan. Over the weeks, we made our writing cooler and unpredictable."

'Want to bring Dill Mill Gayye back with season 2'

Resonating with her audience's sentiments, Palki expressed her desire to bring the second season of Dill Mill Gayye. "I want to bring Dill Mill Gayye back. I have been wanting to make a second season for a long time. Let's hope it gets materialised either on TV or OTT."