Feel blessed that I was born in such a spiritual and creative family: Director Shiv Sagar

Shiv Sagar, the creative director and producer at Sagar World Multimedia, calls himself lucky to be born into such an iconic family; however, he shared that it comes with some pressure too. He said, "When I was in school, everyone thought that I owned the restaurant, 'Shiv Sagar,' and still some people save my name as Shiv Sagar and by mistake call me for ordering an idli or dosa. So what is identity but just a label given by humans to make our lives easier? The Sagar legacy can feel like a burden sometimes.

Also, we get a lot of work in this space, and channels are not keen to give us work in other genres." He shared that he wishes to venture into historical and fantasy shows other than mythological as well. He said, "I'm working on a small-budget film, a supernatural murder mystery, to be shot in Uttarakhand. I am also interested in the animation field and love technology." "Sagar is a big umbrella; it all depends on how you can use that to your advantage or then keep crying over the identity crisis. I feel blessed that I was born in such a spiritual and creative family, especially in the backdrop of the darkness of what is the 'film industry' and what it represents," he added.

He also revealed that the production house is working on a few modern-day narratives, which have been inspired by ancient tales and fables. He added, "They are for OTT." Ask him about how he balances traditional narratives with modern sensibilities, especially with the evolving OTT space. He said, "It all boils down to personal sensibilities. I have the scientific temperament and the modernness of today’s youth, and at the same time I am deeply rooted in Indian traditions. I feel that the 'Bollywood' downfall has been that they moved away from their roots and tried to ape the West and act and behave like them." "The South Indian film industry, on the other hand, has always made cinema for the lowest common denominator and stuck to the roots and Indianness of things, resulting in their superiority of content," he added.

Their show Kaamdhenu Gaumata is all set to premiere on Star Bharat on August 11, and he hopes people are entertained by the show, which is very dramatic with a great screenplay. "The cow that we bought for the shoot has done great acting, and she is extremely photogenic. Harleen (Kaur Rekhi)—the lead actor who is from a theater background—and the other cast have done a wonderful job." "I hope that the younger generation can appreciate and know about how the cow became such an integral part of the Indian culture and ethos and the legends and myths and lessons from the show of compassion, protecting Dharma, and keeping one’s ego in check at all times," Shiv concluded.