Hindistani: Where Saudi Arabia and India meet - Arab News
By RIMA AL-MUKHTAR,
Published: Mar 21, 2012 00:30 Updated: Mar 21, 2012 12:57
Following a very successful first season that was a great hit with audiences from the Middle East and North Africa, "Hindistani" returns back for its second season.
"Hindistani" is an OSN production, which was the beginning of a new era for Arabic drama production in the Gulf and, especially, Saudi Arabia. It was awarded ASBU Broadcast Pro award for Best Arabic Drama and Best Content at the Digital Broadcast Award in 2011.
The series is OSN's first original Arabic drama production and was launched as the flagship series on OSN Yahala! In its first series, "Hindistani" aired 32 episodes in October 2011. This season will be 23 episodes and will also be aired in Ramadan 2012. The storyline is socially relevant to viewers in the Gulf region, as it talks about love, jealousy, family drama and emotions.
Arab News was lucky to be behind the scenes in the shooting of the second season in Mumbai, India.
"OSN wanted to introduce a different style to its audience focusing on the Saudis since they are their main and best market. We really wanted to present to them something new and out of the ordinary, and after seeing the work of the Iraqi director Ows Al Sharqy, I reached out to him and 'Hindistani' was born," said Khulud Abu Homos, senior vice president for programming at OSN and executive producer of the series.
"I have to say that "Glee" has very much attracted me and many people around the world, and I was inspired by them and thought of producing a sing-along series that showcases a selection of catchy musical numbers with Arabic lyrics set against Indian music," she added.
The story in the second season is about a young Saudi textile trader called Bandar who is in love with a beautiful young girl called Hind who were faced with their interfering families. Bandar often escapes his reality and goes into the fields of fantasy through his dreams that take him to India, where the action takes place.
"The idea of this series was born after I looked deep into the Arabic drama and thought it lacks the touch of music and rhythm. I love dancing and singing so that's how I came up with this idea as a new idea for OSN. I was happy that they accepted it and went along with it," said the producer and director for the show, Ows Al Sharqy.
"We chose India because Bollywood movies are known for colors, music and they are full of life, and this is exactly what I wanted in this series. 'Hindistani' is a blend between both. The language is in Arabic with Saudi dialect but the setting, clothing, location and music is Indian," he added.
"Hindistani" gave the Iraqi lead actress, Malayeen, the opportunity to be featured in an international channel. "I had worked so many times in Iraqi TV and I have done many series, movies and even theater, but the problem with Iraqi shows is that no other channel wants to buy our programs or series so we are only known in Iraq," she said. "OSN has given me the opportunity to be famous and to show the world my talent and I'm thankful for that."
"Hindistani" is a challenge for Malayeen, as she is asked to sing, dance and act all at the same time, but she says it is so much fun working with professional dancers who gave her the opportunity to learn how to dance Indian style.
"It's frightening to know I'm the lead dancer and behind me is an army of professionals. I keep thinking that if I screwed it up, I will ruin a whole scene and look stupid in front of them," said Malayeen. "We learn and train in set and it takes us almost 12 hours to do it all and shoot one video clip. I have to memorize the songs, learn the dance moves and act all in these 12 hours."
The second season of "Hindistani" features an all-star Saudi cast with returning favorites and brand new cast members. "It is very interesting for me as a Saudi actor to work outside the box," said lead actor Asad Zahrani. "All my previous work was about social problems, comedy and drama, but I have never worked in a musical series. This change has pushed me to quit smoking and go to the gym to be flexible in Indian dancing because it requires a lot of movement."
"I think our local audience needs to watch something different and something crazy. 'Hindistani' is capable of making people get on their feet and sing along with us and maybe dance with us as well. This show is made to make people happy and excited," added Zahrani.
"Hindistani" has 23 episode and each one has a different story to tell. They all have the same actors but with different scenes, locations and tales. "We shoot every episode like we are shooting a movie. We spend time and energy to make each one of them perfect," said Abo Homos. "The budget for this season is double the first because we wanted it to be flawless and unique. We decided to make them short stories, so if one missed an episode, he/she can still watch the other."
By RIMA AL-MUKHTAR,
Published: Mar 21, 2012 00:30 Updated: Mar 21, 2012 12:57
Following a very successful first season that was a great hit with audiences from the Middle East and North Africa, "Hindistani" returns back for its second season.
"Hindistani" is an OSN production, which was the beginning of a new era for Arabic drama production in the Gulf and, especially, Saudi Arabia. It was awarded ASBU Broadcast Pro award for Best Arabic Drama and Best Content at the Digital Broadcast Award in 2011.
The series is OSN's first original Arabic drama production and was launched as the flagship series on OSN Yahala! In its first series, "Hindistani" aired 32 episodes in October 2011. This season will be 23 episodes and will also be aired in Ramadan 2012. The storyline is socially relevant to viewers in the Gulf region, as it talks about love, jealousy, family drama and emotions.
Arab News was lucky to be behind the scenes in the shooting of the second season in Mumbai, India.
"OSN wanted to introduce a different style to its audience focusing on the Saudis since they are their main and best market. We really wanted to present to them something new and out of the ordinary, and after seeing the work of the Iraqi director Ows Al Sharqy, I reached out to him and 'Hindistani' was born," said Khulud Abu Homos, senior vice president for programming at OSN and executive producer of the series.
"I have to say that "Glee" has very much attracted me and many people around the world, and I was inspired by them and thought of producing a sing-along series that showcases a selection of catchy musical numbers with Arabic lyrics set against Indian music," she added.
The story in the second season is about a young Saudi textile trader called Bandar who is in love with a beautiful young girl called Hind who were faced with their interfering families. Bandar often escapes his reality and goes into the fields of fantasy through his dreams that take him to India, where the action takes place.
"The idea of this series was born after I looked deep into the Arabic drama and thought it lacks the touch of music and rhythm. I love dancing and singing so that's how I came up with this idea as a new idea for OSN. I was happy that they accepted it and went along with it," said the producer and director for the show, Ows Al Sharqy.
"We chose India because Bollywood movies are known for colors, music and they are full of life, and this is exactly what I wanted in this series. 'Hindistani' is a blend between both. The language is in Arabic with Saudi dialect but the setting, clothing, location and music is Indian," he added.
"Hindistani" gave the Iraqi lead actress, Malayeen, the opportunity to be featured in an international channel. "I had worked so many times in Iraqi TV and I have done many series, movies and even theater, but the problem with Iraqi shows is that no other channel wants to buy our programs or series so we are only known in Iraq," she said. "OSN has given me the opportunity to be famous and to show the world my talent and I'm thankful for that."
"Hindistani" is a challenge for Malayeen, as she is asked to sing, dance and act all at the same time, but she says it is so much fun working with professional dancers who gave her the opportunity to learn how to dance Indian style.
"It's frightening to know I'm the lead dancer and behind me is an army of professionals. I keep thinking that if I screwed it up, I will ruin a whole scene and look stupid in front of them," said Malayeen. "We learn and train in set and it takes us almost 12 hours to do it all and shoot one video clip. I have to memorize the songs, learn the dance moves and act all in these 12 hours."
The second season of "Hindistani" features an all-star Saudi cast with returning favorites and brand new cast members. "It is very interesting for me as a Saudi actor to work outside the box," said lead actor Asad Zahrani. "All my previous work was about social problems, comedy and drama, but I have never worked in a musical series. This change has pushed me to quit smoking and go to the gym to be flexible in Indian dancing because it requires a lot of movement."
"I think our local audience needs to watch something different and something crazy. 'Hindistani' is capable of making people get on their feet and sing along with us and maybe dance with us as well. This show is made to make people happy and excited," added Zahrani.
"Hindistani" has 23 episode and each one has a different story to tell. They all have the same actors but with different scenes, locations and tales. "We shoot every episode like we are shooting a movie. We spend time and energy to make each one of them perfect," said Abo Homos. "The budget for this season is double the first because we wanted it to be flawless and unique. We decided to make them short stories, so if one missed an episode, he/she can still watch the other."
