Television’s much talked about show Jodha Akbar is again in the news. This time, the grapevine has it that it is going off air to make way for a new show. The series started off on a popular note but post the leap, with the shift in focus, the TRPs have fallen. But showmakers are now trying to bring it back on track by introducing an interesting twist. SANGEETA YADAV tells you more
There was a time when Jodha Akbar broke all records and became the No 1 show on Hindi GECs. People watched even the repeat telecasts and would not miss a single episode. If they did, they would rush to YouTube. This historical show grabbed the interest of people of all ages. But then the producers decided it was time for a leap and introduced Salim and Anarkali to the show. The result — the show, which once garnered 9 TVT rating, plummeted to 2.2.
“We’ve realised now that the viewers would like to see more of Jodha and Akbar over Salim and Anarkali. Salim and Anarkali’s track is important and prominent. That was the reason why we took a seven-year leap in December 2014. But unfortunately it didn’t work out the way we had planned. Since then, there has been a continuous fall in TRPs. Hence, we have now shifted our focus back to Jodha-Akbar and will keep them in the forefront with the myriad events in their life,” scriptwriter RM Joshi explains.
To bring in a new twist, the showmakers have introduced the black magic track with the introduction of a new character laboni, who is leaving no stone unturned in her pursuit to get Akbar under her evil spell.
“We have introduced black magic because we read in a historical text that there was a forest 40 km away from Guwahati and at that time Aurangzeb, along with his entire troops, went there. Everybody fell into an evil spell and never returned. This black magic forest is there since Mahabharta time. Even Akbar was a great believer of black magic. We have fictionalised this aspect in such a way that it will make Jodha Akbar more interesting. Since this track went on air, the TRPs have gone up to 3.1,” Joshi tells you.
The buzz, meanwhile, is that Ravi Bhatia who plays Salim will be replaced. Talk has it that Bhatia has not made his mark with the audience and the makers feel that a new face may up the TRPs. The replacement will come after a short leap. Auditions for the new Salim are reportedly on and a new actor will soon be chosen. However, Joshi insists he is unaware of any such development. “Ravi is there. It’s the producer’s call. As of today, nobody is being replaced,” he says.
Amid all this speculation is the big bang theory — sources say that it will soon be curtains for Jodha Akbar. The channel is planning to end the show by July and replace it by another one which is already in the pipeline. But Joshi rubbished these claims and said that while the decision to end a show rested with the channel and the producer, he was doing his best to ensure that it becomes the No 1 show again.
“I have not heard anything about pulling the show off air. We might introduce a season format. But this is decision lies solely with the producers. As a writer, we have penned a lot of interesting plots that will bring back the audience,” Joshi said.