How Shrimad Ramayan creator Swastik Productions has found success in mythological genre

BusinessLine Podcasts

Swastik Productions’ Shrimad Ramayan, the Hindi-language mythological TV-series, launched earlier this year, has been a big hit, drawing viewers from all age-groups and garnering a lot of eyeballs. As per Ormax Media, Shrimad Ramayan was among the top ten most-liked Hindi TV shows during the March 30–April 5 period based on audience engagement.

Over the years, the end-to-end production company has been delivering hit shows in the mythological and historical genres. Founded in 2007, the company is known for producing many popular shows such as "Mahabharat," “Shiv Shakti, “RadhaKrishn” and “Porus” among others, building a library of over 1000 hours of content.

In a podcast interaction with businessline, Siddharth Kumar Tewary, Founder, Swastik Products said that the company’s key focus has been to tell these epic stories with authenticity and the right balance. “It is not just about entertainment. These stories have deep impact on our lives. It is also about learning and faith. And when faith is involved as storytellers we need to be conscious of it and stay true to the core emotions,” he added.

The production company has also been focusing sharply on telling these epics in a contemporary manner. According to Tewary, one of the key factors that is also helping draw young viewers to these age-old stories is the fact that there is a lot of curiosity among the younger generation and they want to know more about their culture and their roots. “These stories are timeless. We have to ensure that we tell these stories in a manner that today’s generation can connect with them. This governs various aspects of production of the content and we ensure we focus on contemporary storytelling while keeping the core philosophy intact,” he added.

The company has also made significant investments in back-end infrastructure by setting up Swastik Bhoomi, a production studio in Gujarat spread across 25 acres with 17 shooting floors. Tewary explained that Swastik Bhoomi is enabling the company to make immersive content without any limitations. He added that it is also emerging as a shooting destination for other production companies. Talking about future plans, Tewary said that the company has been focusing on creation of original IP content " Its time that we focus on telling our local stories in a manner that they become relevant for the global audience,” he added

(Host: Meenakshi Verma Ambwani, Producer & Edits: Anjana PV)