Are you finding it difficult to locate your favourite shows on TV because it has been shifted to another slotIJ You just blink and a soap went off air to adjust something else in its place. Sangeeta Yadav tells you why programming on TV is in a tizzy and how new formats and concepts are clamouring for prime time space
Have you been taken by surprise with the ‘blink-and-you-will-miss’ soap line up across channels on TVIJ This there today, gone tomorrow gimmick is the latest way channelwallahs want to propel their shows and it seems to be working in their favour. Never mind that the audience is still confused as to why a popular show was suddenly taken off-air to replace it with something drab and boring.
See what happened to Rangrasiya on Colors, for instance. The show was slowly gaining momentum with a minor leap and the audience were waiting in anticipation to see how Rudra and Myra would hit it off. But no. The producers had to fight and the show was hurriedly wrapped up in a few episodes so that Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss 8 could park itself in that spot. Did it sit well with the audiencesIJ “Of course not. We devote a lot of time to warm up with the show’s star and storyline. Just when we are comfortable with it, the show disappears into thin air! It’s damn irritating,” an angry fan vents her frustration on Twitter thus.
“We were told that Rangrasiya had to make way for Bigg Boss Season 8. But we were waiting for the final confirmation. It came as a last-minute decision and it was heartbreaking for all of us at the sets,” Sanaya Irani, who was the protagonist of the show tells you.
Another popular show— Saraswatichandra which was at one point the top TRP getter for Star Plus also had to be ‘sacrificed’ so that Ekta Kapoor’s Ye Hai Mohabbatein could take that time slot. The show which was already on air at 11pm, was given a prime slot of 7:30pm. Mythological show Mahabharat which had an impressive TRP of 8.5 also met with the same fate. It was replaced by Nisha Aur Uske Cousins.
Sony’s take on English Vinglish, Ek Nayi Pehchaan, was moved about like a pendulum till the show’s TRPs fell like nine pins and the producers got an excuse to remove it from their list this September. Fans who were following this show said the reason for the TRP downslide was the show’s awry telecast timings. “When I switched to Sony Entertainement at 9 pm, ENP was already over. The next day, I was glued to the TV at 8 30 pm but the show never came!,” Kamna Devi, a housewife, says.
For people on the other side of the show, everything is still under control. life OK is planning to revamp the line-up of new shows with the launch of big banners like Krishna starring Mohit Raina; Chamak, an adaptation of American TV soap Bold and Beautiful and Maha Kumbh starring Gautam Rode among others. The two new shows —Vipul Shah’s Comedy Classes which will see Krushna Abhishek, Sudesh lahiri, Bharti Singh and Siddharth Sagar in lead roles and Ekta Kapoor’s Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh starring Sonali Bendre and Apurva Agnihotri is all set to go on air from October 7.
“There is an interesting line up of shows for our viewers. The old order has to change someday. On life OK we are ready with our new programming list,” Sushma Rajesh, Head of programming, of this channel tells you.
When the talk is on fresh content on TV, there are a host of new channels which have come up with an interesting portfolio. Sony Pal, for example has launched a new show line-up. Pia Basanti Re, Ek Rishta Aisa Bhi, Hamari Sister Didi, Tum Saath Ho Jab Apne, periodic drama Singhasan Battisi that revolves around the life of Raja Vikramaditya, Khushiyon Ki Gullakh Aashithat and many others have caught the attention of the viewers.
Upcoming shows like Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate-3, dance reality show Dil Se Naache Indiawale with Happy New Year starcast and veteran actor Annu Kapoor’s Family Antaksharik, are called the agents of change on TV.
Yeh Dil Maange MoreIJ There are a number of short series also planned for the benefit of the audience. Be it Ashutosh Gowariker’s dream project— Everest (Star Plus) or Anil Kapoor’s 24 season 2 (Colors), TV has become the hot spot to reach out to the masses with their larger-than-life creation. Unlike saas-bahu dramas these shows have a short format which has started to appeal to the Indian janata.
The impact of finite shows is such that every producer wants to experiment with it. Balika Vadhu, which is on air from the past six years, will have a new chapter under the title of Balika Vadhu version 2. As per sources, this will run in a seasonal format.
“For daily soap, we shoot for 4-5 weeks and we put the show on air. And after a couple of months we have a situation where we are shooting the climax today to telecast tomorrow. It’s a very cut to cut layout that happens in all our shows across India. But things are changing slowly with the entrance of finite shows followed by seasons,” Gaurav Banerjee, General Manager, STAR Plus, tells you.
When it comes to sustainability of a daily soap, the biggest challenge is to give it a progressive theme. This formula has been carried forward in the recent shows as well but not with an aim to stretch the story till eternity.
“In the current scenario, television audiences are fast-evolving and have developed a discerning eye for differentiated content be it male centric shows, saas bahu drama or reality shows. For any show to be a success, the emotions need to be universal, the situations relatable, the characters well-etched out,’ Namit Sharma, Zee TV, Programming Head says.