Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2 fame Harsh Nagar on mounting pressures of television production; says 'It’s like making 3 Dhurandhar -level films every single month'

Actor Harsh Nagar, who rose to popularity as Anant Desai in Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2 and is currently seen as Police Inspector Akash Singh in Pati Brahmachari, has opened up about the mounting pressures of television production and the shifting entertainment landscape.

Speaking candidly about the scale and speed of daily soaps, Harsh pointed out the sheer volume of content Indian TV churns out and compared it to global benchmarks.

“In TV, we have to produce a 30-minute show every day, Monday to Saturday. That means making nearly 13 hours of content in a month. It’s like making 3 Dhurandhar -level films every single month,” he said.

Drawing a comparison with Hollywood, he added, “In Hollywood, they make 26 episodes in 6 months. Here, we make 150+ episodes in 6 months. The quantity is so massive that maintaining quality becomes extremely difficult.”

The audience battle has changed. According to the actor, the biggest challenge today is holding onto viewers in an era of endless options.

“Earlier, TV was the easiest form of entertainment. But now, in that same 1-2 hours of free time, people have OTT, web series, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp status, and creators’ content. TV itself has become smart, so OTT and YouTube run on the same TV,” he explained.

He noted that the financial stakes are directly tied to ratings. “If TRP drops, money drops. The channel gets less, the producer gets less, and the budget for sets and actors gets cut. That makes making the show even harder.”

Harsh believes television’s real competition is now digital platforms, since both are vying for the same personal time on phones and smart TVs.

“Right now, TV’s real competition is OTT. Both are on the phone, both are fighting for your personal time,” he said.

“People are now watching anime, foreign shows, OTT content. TV has to deliver international-level quality, but the budget is extremely limited. It feels like a whole ocean has entered another ocean.”

Despite the challenges, he stressed that television still commands deep audience investment when a show connects. Citing his own show, he said, “When a show actually hits, people still invest deeply in the story and characters. The show I’m in has 312 episodes with 6 billion views on YouTube.”

Reflecting on the industry’s trajectory, Harsh said this is the first time TV is facing real competition from other mediums.

“Earlier, even a bad show would run for 2-3 years. Now, even a good show ends in 2-3 years. From 1980 till now, TV’s TRP only kept rising. This is the first time it’s facing competition from other mediums,” he observed.

Yet, he remains proud of the resilience of Indian television. “The point is, even while fighting against Indian content worth crores and Hollywood content worth hundreds of crores, we’re still able to entertain the audience. That shows the artistry and skill of the Indian TV industry. Where this balance will settle, nobody knows yet.”

Harsh has also featured in shows like Kyunkii Tum Hi Ho, Kartik Purnima and Akoori.