Janani - AI Ki Kahani ends after a two-and-a-half-month run; producer Abhigyan Jha says, ‘Indian television is generally behind in terms of storytelling’

The final episode of the show Janani - AI Ki Kahani, which hit the tube on April 15 this year, was telecast last evening. The show, featuring Mouli Ganguly, Sumit Kaul and Prapti Shukla, ran for two and a half months. Producers Mrinal and Abhigyan Jha’s Janani garnered attention for its unique concept, exploring the world of AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Expressing surprise at the channel’s decision to pull the plug on the show, Abhigyan says, “We don’t understand the reasoning behind this decision, especially since it’s rare for a show with good ratings to close. This is a new experience for us.”
With the audience still hooked on supernatural show and typical family sagas, it indeed becomes a challenge to strike a chord with the viewers through a clutter-breaking show. Abhigyan agrees and shares, “Indian television is generally behind in terms of storytelling. It’s not a criticism of our colleagues, but our TV shows often don’t reflect the modern world. It feels like we’re ahead of our time because Indian TV is lagging, but topics like AI are already being discussed by today’s kids. They are familiar with these concepts, and our show resonates with them and their families. So, we’re not ahead of the audience; we’re just keeping up with them. This has been declared the year of AI. The audience is familiar with concepts like clones, robots, and AI.”

He adds, “We always aim to create unique shows, regardless of the genre. It’s about creating something distinctive and not run-of-the-mill. Janani is the first Hindi TV show exploring the subject of AI. During its 66 episodes, we covered a vast amount of content. Towards the end, we even delved into the ethics of AI, discussing how a robot, once intelligent enough to act on its own, faces ethical dilemmas. Just as humans are guided by ethics, not laws, AI too needs a moral compass. These complex topics were presented in a way that even children could understand, through action-packed sequences like gunfights, laser battles, and drone scenes. Our goal was to make it both entertaining and thought-provoking.”