ITV

Category: Comedy

  • This April, Romedy Now presents the God of Laughter – Charlie Chaplin!

    This April, Romedy Now presents the God of Laughter – Charlie Chaplin!

    MUMBAI: This April get ready to laugh your pants off as Romedy NOW, India’s exclusive destination for Love and Laughter, presents the Best of Charlie Chaplin all this month.  

    Charlie Chaplin, the ‘God’ of laughter, once said “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” So, it’s time to double up, split your sides and guffaw! Romedy NOW brings the antics of The Little Tramp in a month long Chaplin Series titled ‘Jolly Good Chaplin’ for a daily dose of nostalgic laughter every Monday through Thursday.

    It’s Charlie’s day out in A Day’s Pleasure as he goes on an excursion with his wife and kids. But one trouble after the other like traffic jam and car break-down play party poopers for them! Watch hilarious antics like Charlie walking across a fat woman’s back to get on to the boat and many more in this one. The Tramp falls in love with a visually-impaired flower girl in City Lights and makes friends with a drunkard millionaire after saving him from a suicide attempt. Funny situations like the scrawny Charlie getting into a tournament with a brawny boxer to help the impoverished girl financially make this film cute and hilarious at the same time.

    Pay Day has Charlie playing a bricklayer whose bully of a wife is like the national bank that takes away his pay as soon as he gets it. But he hides money to enjoy a night out drinking. Missing his last transportation on the rainy night, he gets back home just in time to pretend that he is leaving for work again! From a tramp to a war hero, Charlie makes it to the boot camp in Shoulder Arms where he “surrounds” and captures 13 Germans alone and pretends to be a tree trunk and goes behind the enemy lines! But is it a victory parade or a charade?

    A farm hand who milks a cow into his coffee, fries eggs by holding the chicken over the frying pan and dances with nymphs in his dreams, Charlie is in love with his neighbour’s daughter but despised by her father in Sunny Side. As he tries to woo her, an injured city slicker has designs on the same girl. So who will win her? The Tramp finds himself employed in a circus and in love with the ringmaster’s stepdaughter in The Circus. A tightrope walk dodging escaped monkeys and many funny acts make this one a riot!

    Charlie gets adventurous in The Gold Rush as he goes to the Yukon to participate in the Klondike Gold Rush. Watch him play a persecuted Jewish barber as well as a Nazi dictator Hynkel, a spoof of Hitler in The Great Dictator. There’s too much to laugh about as the Tramp plays the double role of a hobo and a wealthy man in The Idle Class and the comedy of errors at a masquerade ball because of the doppelgangers. Get ready for love and laughter as Charlie plays an adoptive father in The Kid. A momentary parting and then uniting this huge hit has funny and tender moments galore. And then check out his comic capers in The Pilgrim where he plays a convict on the run who is mistaken for a pastor in a small town.

  • The character of a channel

    The character of a channel

    Producing a television programme in India is strange business these days. A channel’s research and development team comes up with an idea/concept and asks a producer to develop it further into a show which can be put on air. The production house’s creative directors and writers then do a lot of brainstorming and pitch the developed idea to the channel’s creative and commissioning team. The latter then give inputs to the producer and his team, who then go on to further fine-tune it to what the channel wants. There’s a lot of give and take of creative ideas between the two teams before the show goes on air.

    It gets even more interesting after the show starts airing: more often than not, the channel’s creative folks start directing the producer’s team to make changes based on what is working with viewers based on TRPs. Frequently, the production house ends up being a glorified line producer with the title of producer. Normally, he or she surrenders all the rights and IPR inherent (read: copyright) in the programme to the channel for a fixed one time per episode production fee. This is unlike in other more mature television markets where creation or co-creation entitles you to some royalties of fees – often times in perpetuity. 

    With this background in mind, let us take a look at the recent case of involving Viacom18’s Colors. It issued a public notice in the newspapers earlier this week saying whosoever attempts to launch or be associated with its show, Comedy Nights with Kapil’s comic character ‘Gutthi’ will be taken to court.

    Sources say Sunil decided to part ways because of creative differences and his remuneration, because he thought he deserved more. And another channel was willing to give him what he wanted. Colors took this extreme step because there were rumours, nay even talks going on between Sunil Grover and another rival Hindi channel to develop a show with a similar character as the comedian portrayed in Comedy Nights with Kapil. Produced by Kapil’s K9 Productions along with the Fazilla Allan-Kamna Menezes run SOL Productions, the comedy with its fresh feel and look and gaff lines had taken the nation by storm. In fact, it had given Colors a powerful shot of TVTs, and made both Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover who plays Gutthi household names. 

    Not surprisingly, Colors’ fired a notice in the newspapers. It read: “A certain artiste and a stand-up comedian associated with the programme Comedy Nights with Kapil aired on Colors television channel is planning to launch or be associated with other shows, wherein the said artiste is likely to perform the character of ‘Gutthi’ or use the mannerisms and characteristic features of ‘Gutthi’ or any other character played by the artiste in the said programme.”

    Ever since, many in the industry have been drawing parallels with numerous instances wherein television channels, particularly entertainment, have been overtly possessive about their actors when moving from one channel to the other or quitting a show mid-way.For instance, when actor Giaa Manek, who rose to popularity with her portrayal of Gopi bahu in Star Plus’s Saath Nibhana Saathiya, decided to participate in a reality dance show on Colors, Star Plus revoked her contract and replaced her with another actor.

    Ditto with Ratan Rajput, who made it big as Laali in Zee TV’s Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo. She decided to be part of Imagine’s reality show Ratan Ka Rishtaa even before Agle Janamwrapped-up. While the producers of Agle Janam, Swastik Pictures, had extended the series for a few months, Rajput landed in trouble as she had already accepted the proposal for Ratan Ka Rishtaa. It snowballed into a fight with Zee TV threatening to slap a case against Rajput if she left Agle Janam before it ended as she had signed a contract with the channel.

    Most of the time, the law comes into play much later but channels and production houses prevent their popular characters/actors from venturing into any other show. Like Mohit Raina, who plays the titular character in Life OK’s Mahadev, is not allowed to act in any other series as ‘the audience would lose interest in his character’. Even Karan Singh Grover, who plays Asad Khan in Qubool Hai, is given an exclusivity fee by Zee TV to discourage him from bolting to any other channel. 

    TV channels also resort to prohibiting their actors from revealing their true identity in public. For example, Mona Singh, who played Jassi in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, for months made public appearances in braces and a pair of obsolete spectacles just to keep audience interest in ‘Jassi’ alive and ticking. In a similar vein, there were reports about actor Gurmeet Choudhary’s early ouster from a dance reality show in 2012 as he wasn’t performing too well and prolonged participation would have hampered his popularity on another fictional show.Then again, there have been instances in the past where popular characters have reprised their acts in other shows across channels without anyone taking exception. For example, Bharti Singh, who rose to fame with her Lalli act in Star One’s Laughter Challenge, has frequently revisited her character on other shows and no one’s made a noise about it.

    Ditto for child comic Saloni Daini, who has repeated her Gangubai act on various platforms. For that matter, even Kapil Sharma, who has reprised Shamsher Singh from Sony’s Comedy Circus on Colors’ Comedy Nights with Kapil. 

    As far as specialised events like awards airing on a rival channel go, at times the Hindi GECs have insisted that actors go dressed in the character garb that they wear on screen. On other occasions, they have simply refused to let any of their actors even be seen on the awards show, thinking they would increase the TVTs of a rival channel.

    Clearly, broadcasters and creators have sent out mixed signals: at times they have been firm about how much they are willing to yield; at others they have not done anything and watched mutedly as actors have gone about doing as they please. 

    Hence, the Colors vs Sunil ‘Gutthi’ Grover case could end being a landmark one. That is if Colors pursues what it believes in to the end.

  • Will the new Gutthi work?

    Will the new Gutthi work?

    Even as Sunil ‘Gutthi’ Grover’s recent exit from Colors’ popular show, Comedy Nights with Kapil, continues to be grist for rumour mills, the latest development flies in the face of all speculation that ‘Gutthi’ will no longer be part of the series.

    Promos doing the rounds since last week on the channel show Palak, Gutthi’s on-screen sister, searching high and low for the missing Gutthi didi, leading us at indiantelevision.com to believe that while Grover is out, Gutthi may return, with some other actor playing the part.

    This wouldn’t be the first such instance when a popular TV character has been replaced. But examples from the past such as Smriti ‘Tulsi’ Irani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kavita ‘Inspector Chandramukhi Chautala’ Kaushik in FIR go to show that whenever actors who play important characters walk out from the show, they are either brought back on public demand or the show’s popularity dips because they are no longer part of it.

    With this background in mind, we spoke to a cross-section of industry to understand whether the new ‘Gutthi’ would fill the void left by Grover’s ouster.

     Said Big Synergy director Anita Kaul Basu: “The original is the original. You might do variations to it, but it is actually the original that stays. It is how a person as an actor plays that character. He brings in his own individuality. One can bring ten other people with the same name, but it is this guy who has made the difference with a personal and intimate approach. There is only one ‘Gutthi’ and that is Sunil Grover. You can get 10 other ‘Gutthi’s’ but that is not going to cut ice.”

    On the other hand, media planners are of the view that the show is more important than its characters. They spoke of actress Ketki Dave, best known for her turn as Daksha ‘a ra ra ra’ Virani and how Kyunki… survived for eight long years even after she quit the soap.

    Madison Media COO Karthik Lakhsminarayan echoed similar views. “This kind of female character never lasts long. Lots of cases keep on happening but consumers keep such cases aside and move on. Finally, the show is larger than any individual. People do not worry about all this; of course, they are affected for some time, but that is not the end of the story. It is the show that holds audiences and not the character,” he said.

    But won’t Comedy Nights with Kapil, currently clocking 7,000-8,000 TVTs, lose its charm without Grover? “It all depends on who the new actor is. You cannot predict it at all. But it is not even impossible; anybody can take anybody’s place. It definitely depends on who’s doing it and how he plays with the character. Of course, nobody can copy him; nobody can do whatever he has done. By contrast, you never know the one who comes might be better than him or as good as him. In the past too, we have seen a lot of characters being replaced – all established performers,” reasoned Sunshine Productions producer Sudhir Sharma.

    Drawing a parallel to another chart-leading Colors’ show,Baalika Vadhu, he said: “In Baalika Vadhu, when Anandi was replaced, people thought the show might go off-air, but if you look at the show now, it is doing extremely well. It is the chart-topper. Add to that, Ganga too has now been replaced so it all depends on a case-to-case basis.”

    Comedy Circus, producer Vipul D Shah exults: “I always believe that it is the combination of an actor and the character. The show can get somebody better than Sunil. I am confident that the new actor will also be able to take ‘Gutthi’ to another level. Sunil has played this kind of role even Comedy Circus and he is fantastic. At the end of the day we are talking about mannerism, dialogue delivery and characterization. If the new character has all these elements, it will grow as popular as Sunil. You know that nobody can do better than ‘Gutthi’, but suddenly you realise that there is a replacement to the character and as an audience you have to accept whatever comes along our way.”

    According to sources, Grover, who charmed his way into audiences’ hearts as the original ‘Gutthi’ of Comedy Nights with Kapil, quit the show over creative differences and Colors’ refusal to give him the remuneration hike he felt he deserved. When rumours surfaced that he was planning to launch a show on a rival Hindi GEC woven round ‘Gutthi’, Colors’ panicked and fired a public notice in leading newspapers saying whosoever attempted to launch or be associated in any way with ‘Gutthi’ would be dragged to court. The channel’s claim over a character from one of its shows attracted much debate till Grover went public saying he had every right over the character as he had created it in the first place.

    While we cannot comment on whether Colors is right or Grover, we can certainly wait and watch to see who fits into Grover’s rather large ‘Gutthi’ shoes…

  • Colors’ Kapil comedy turns to tragedy

    Colors’ Kapil comedy turns to tragedy

    MUMBAI: He’s been making waves with his unique brand of comedy on Colors and has emerged as an incomparable standup comic ever since his show Comedy Nights with Kapil broke on Colors a couple of months ago. But Kapil Sharma made news of a different kind on 25 September: the set on which his show was being filmed was burned to ashes on the Filmcity lots in Goregaon, Mumbai. As reports of the disaster spread, it sent chills down TV producers, directors’, actors’ and fans’ spines.

    Sharma is co-producing the series which has been generating substantial TVTs for Colors under his banner K9 Productions along with Zodiak group firm SOL Productions.

    Says the Indian Film and Television Producers Council co-chairman JD Majethia: “For the most part, we at the council have been urging our TV producer members to have adequate safety measures on the sets on which they are filming. Taking an insurance cover is essential, which I believe was taken in this case. We have also been telling our members that electric wiring should be done properly and checked periodically, right from the main switchboard, so that chances of sparking and any fire hazards are reduced. The unit has to ensure that there are adequate functional fire extinguishers in place. Thirdly, the electric cabin has to be very well-guarded. Fourthly, the light and the electric boys who are dealing with all this should be well-trained and extremely alert.”

    Adds Swastik Productions promoter and maker of one of India’s most expensive TV shows currently airing on Star Plus Mahabharat Siddharth Tewary: “When we make a set, lot of things are at stake and we firstly insure all the people who are working, we also insure the whole set in its entirety. We have to take care of all this sensitive things because we shoot on generators; we have to keep a check if it does not over-heat. Also keep a check at the security guards who are monitoring those things.”

    In the case of the fire on the Comedy Nights with Kapil set, only one of the two fire extinguishers was functional, which made all efforts by the filming crew to douse it pretty futile, reports say. By the time the fire engines and fire fighting crew arrived, the set was burnt to cinders. It was not the first time that a TV show’s sets have been destroyed in the whirlwind TV production that Mumbai has become. Recently, the sets of Zee TV’s Housewife Hai Sab Jaanti Hai were totaled thanks to a blaze.

    Estimates are that the Comedy Nights with Kapil calamity could lead to a production loss of anywhere from Rs 1 crore to as much as Rs 8-10 crore, depending on what was standing on the set when the fire broke out. The lower estimate takes into consideration that only the stage, set, wiring, cabling, costumes and long-used par-cans and moving head lights and other light fixtures were affected. But the losses number would climb if it emerges that HD cameras, the TV control room, and other fixtures were damaged in the fire. 

    Says a TV non-fiction producer: “Anyway the cameras would have been insured by Prime Focus or whosoever else they rented the cameras from. Even the lights and fixtures would have been similarly insured.”

    Adds a media expert: “TV producers have recently taken time to insure their productions for sums ranging from Rs 2 crore to as much as Rs 15-20 crore too. Premia for such insurance, ranges from as low as Rs 1 lakh to high as Rs 10 lakh depending on how high the insurance is going and for how long. Now the producers, the vendors and suppliers will have to put their claims before the insurance companies and cross their fingers hoping their claims will be honoured and they will get their dues. The insurance companies will investigate the accident thoroughly through their investigators, before coughing up.”

    The very popular Kapil seems to have taken the mishap in his stride. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com he says: “Jo Bhagwan ki marzi...(It is God’s wish) I was in Kolkata for a show on Tuesday. I was supposed to report for shooting for Comedy Nights with Kapil at noon on Wednesday. I decided to drive straight from the airport to the sets to avoid delay. Socha gaadi mein shooting ke beech mein sow loonga…Lekin yahan to maamla hi kuch aur tha. (I thought I would catch forty winks in on the drive to the sets…But fate decreed otherwise) . We will work harder and we’ll make sure we don’t miss a single episode.”

    What makes life easier for Kapil and SOL is that the episodes for this weekend are already in the can, thanks to the bank that the duo and the channel have been building. And what’s helping is that the number of episodes per week for the show have been halved to make way for the Anil Kapoor blockbuster 24.

    Both the SOL and Colors teams will have to quickly find an alternative set on which they can start filming for the weeks ahead. Or build a new one. Hectic times lie ahead for them. As they say there’s no business like show business!