It is evident that post the advent of saas-bahu dramas, daily soaps have largely deteriorated in terms of content. Now with the onset of digital entertainment, the competition has become tougher. Veteran actor Pankaj Berry believes that his new show, Dil Diyaan Gallaan, is a step in the right direction. “I came on board for the show, because it was starkly different from what I had done in Tenali Rama. I was also [drawn to it] because I found the show rooted in realism,” says the 61-year-old actor.

There was a time when television shows revolved around the common man, had unique subjects and featured stellar actors. Berry believes that Dil Diyaan Gallaan is taking a leaf out of the old book of Doordarshan and DD Metro shows, an era he has been a part of. After ruling the TRP game with their comedy shows, Sony SAB is revamping the channel to introduce more heart-warming stories that touch a chord with the audience — something done quite frequently in the ’90s. “When I heard the story, I realised such characters are there in every home. A few days ago, I was in a village, 100 kms from Kanpur, shooting a wedding sequence. The local crowd had gathered to see the shoot, and I got talking to a 70-year-old man, whose house we were shooting in. When he spoke about his family, it seemed like his life was taken directly from our show. He was a lonely man; both his kids had gone to other cities to work,” he says, adding that while the story isn’t unique, the treatment is. “It is an interesting story, full of emotions. It is not a saas-bahu drama, and doesn’t [subscribe to] concepts like, ‘bhala uski saree mere saree se safed kaise?’ I believe TV is entertainment with a message, which was lost in the last few decades.” Berry promises that the show is “not melodramatic” and the audience will lap it up.