ITV

Tag: Asit Kumar Modi

  • Are film promotions on TV losing novelty?

    Are film promotions on TV losing novelty?

    MUMBAI: Television has carved a niche for itself in India.  There are many different kinds of shows ranging from fictional, non-fictional, reality and seasonal programmes. While the film fraternity used to earlier view television as a subordinate to movies, today, it is hard for the fraternity to imagine its existence without television. Over the years, television shows have become the most sought after platform when it comes to film promotions. Films are being promoted radically on every show and by doing so, the audience gets a chance to formulate opinions about an upcoming movie. The films get noticed and it builds curiosity amongst the viewers. But is this trend wearing out?

     

    Speaking on how the promotion of films influences the audience, producer of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Asit Kumar Modi says, “Film promotion on television shows is very common. These days, everybody needs media publicity. So, a film will definitely benefit by being on a popular show on TV. At the same time, the TV show will also have celebrities for an episode or two. It’s a win-win situation.”

     

    Having a similar opinion on the impact of film promotions on television, producer of Diya Aur Bati Hum, and Punar Vivah, Sumeet H Mittal opines, “I believe it works to the advantage of both the show as well as the film being promoted. For the television series, it gives the audience a twist to look forward to while in the case of the film being promoted, it helps to reach an assured mass audience.”

     

    With the stupendous success of ‘Happy New Year’ (HNY), one has to agree that marketing strategies are vital for a film to get the right kind of attention. The baadshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan promoted HNY on platforms like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC), ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’ and went a step ahead by even launching a reality show, ‘Dil Se Naachein Indiawaale’ on Zee TV.

    Founder of Director’s Kut Productions and director of many popular hit television shows, Rajan Shahi, expresses, “In terms of film promotions on television, I feel that the novelty has gone away. Few years back, it was a rarity to see a Bollywood celebrity on television. The audience used to look forward to it.  It was something new and generated lots of curiosity. These days, every film is being promoted on every show, on various channels. It is not as exciting as it used to be before. The audience has understood that these are all promotional tactics.”

     

    Well, the fact is – trends are temporary. The audience today is wise enough to understand that a celebrity appearing on a show is just part of the movie’s promotional campaign. Whether or not this promotional mechanism will be equally popular in the next few years would depend on what new marketing strategies film makers come up with.

  • Good writers are hard to find, says the television industry

    Good writers are hard to find, says the television industry

    MUMBAI: The heartbeat of any television programme lies in its story and content. Developing good content through various ideas and imagination is a significant priority for television channels and producers. Story-telling, as they say, is an art and the small screen is constantly looking for compelling scripts that tell stories which entertain, engage and enrich the audience. Over the past few years, the Indian television industry has been exploring new formats and series of programmes in order to give the viewers an excellent TV viewing experience.

    Television director and creator of the unique chat show Satyamev Jayate, Satyajit Bhatkal says, “To be honest, we did not have any preconceived model for content creation or the kind of show we hoped to do. We made 6-7 documentaries on real life people and we realised that there was so much happening in the country. The common man faces so many problems and we needed to address these serious issues and give a 360 degree look to the matter.”

    However, except for a few who are willing to take up the challenge of creating something new, many are still stuck with the tried and tested.  According to Bhatkal, television, today, is way too cautious.  He elaborates, “It is a challenge that we have to cater to people of various education levels and social backgrounds. However, I feel we are not willing to move to a different level of aesthetics.”

    Director of many popular television series like Amanat, Kyunki Saans bhi kabhi bahu thi, and the current hit show Jodha Akbar, Santram Verma believes that there is a division amongst the audiences today as while some of the viewers want to watch fresh content, the older generation wants to stick to the same stories that were showcased years back. As a result, he feels that it is hard for the industry to evolve.

     

    He says, “Everybody is sticking to the safe formula of ‘saas-bahu’. Good writers are hard to find these days. Writers lack the fire in them to come up with fresh concepts. TV is not experimenting with novel ideas.”

    Speaking on the quality of writers, producer of the very popular show, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Asit Kumar Modi says, “There is a lack of good writers. Generally speaking, channels go with writers that they have previously worked with. If we want to encourage new content, channels should have better adaptability for new writers and then, we can produce better content.”

    When asked whether broadcasters give the makers enough support and freedom, Modi informs that Sab played a good role in encouraging fresh content and promoting comedy shows like his on the channel.

     

    Bhatkal expresses that Star has been an extraordinary and participative partner for his show, “Star allowed us to feature the show on a Sunday morning instead of an evening prime time slot as we wanted the whole family to watch. Since it did not have a Telugu channel, the network gave the broadcast rights to its Telugu competitor as we wanted the programme to air in every Indian language. Star even permitted SMJ to be aired simultaneously on Doordarshan on the same day and at the same time, at the expense of its own traffic. What more could I ask for?”

    Talking about the concept of seasonal shows, Verma says, “Seasonal shows are the best. If implemented fully on Indian television, it will have a better emotional connect with the audience.”

    According to Modi, it is a good idea to have seasonal shows as after a point even the audience gets bored. However he is quick to point out that channels should also be convinced of the format.

    Channels need to have more confidence in seasonal formats and help in the distribution of the same. Modi emphasises that irrespective of ratings, losses and profits, one needs to constantly experiment on Indian television.

    To discuss more about the content on television, Indiantelevision.com is organising the ‘Content Hub’ that brings together writers, creators, producers, artistes and broadcast executives, both for TV and digital, all under one roof. This initiative is meant for all professionals, newbies and anyone who is keen to know about writing, producing and creating content for television and the digital space.

     

  • Your content should be good, it will attract people anyway: Asit Modi

    Your content should be good, it will attract people anyway: Asit Modi

    MUMBAI: At a time when daily soaps the likes of Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki ruled the small screen, one man dared to differ. Asit Kumar Modi of Neela Telefilms nurtured a dream – to produce a daily comedy based on Taarak Mehta’s column ‘Duniya ne oondha chashmah’ in the popular Gujarati weekly, Chitralekha. Friends found the idea ridiculous while general entertainment channels (GECs) simply trashed it. However, Modi stuck to his guns and finally found a taker for his show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah! in Sab TV. Today, the sitcom has not only completed five years but has acquired sort of cult status, maintaining its position among the top ten TV shows of all time. In a heart-to-heart with Disha Shah of indiantelevision.com, Modi casts a long and close look at the journey thus far…

    If there was one thing Modi knew he would have to face is repeated rejections. Indeed, it took eight long years for his show to come on-air. “In between 2000-2008, no GEC was ready to accept comedy. Every channel wanted to focus on saas-bahu and drama soaps because that was the trend at the time. However, I through that ‘if a daily drama can run, then why not a daily comedy?’” he says. Modi was also aware that writing a daily comedy was a huge challenge as one had to churn out something new every day to keep viewers hooked.

    His friends laughed at him when he told them about his plans. “They de-motivated me and said that viewers are not going to accept a daily comedy; a genre like this will be accepted only over the weekends. But somehow, I had the confidence in me that channels would have to accept a daily comedy,” he recalls.

    The show had to convey the harshest truths in the funniest possible way. Also, when he purchased column rights in 2001, all characters were Gujarati. He faced the uphill task of bringing in characters from different communities to appeal to a universal audience. “I wanted to showcase the lives of middle class families; how they live, eat, sleep, and even go through stress laughingly. Moreover, I wanted to showcase different cultures living together in one society; how they celebrate festivals together, the bond between them and so on in a simple but humorous way,” he remembers.

    So, he researched each and every character he had in mind for the show and considering Mumbai’s cosmopolitan background, created mixed combinations like a Parsi and Punjabi family, a Tamil and Bengali family etc.

    Armed with a concept, Modi approached channels including Star Plus and Sony (four times) but in vain. At the time, Sony had just taken over Sab TV, and NP Singh invited Modi and asked him to produce the show for Sab TV. That’s how Modi finally got a platform to showcase his talent. Apparently, Disney too had approached Modi but the channel wanted to feature only children, which is why Modi had to turn them away.

    Casting was most difficult and took Modi over two months to finalise, what with each artist being auditioned five times to ensure the right fit. “I wanted faces with which people can identify. Dilip Doshi (Jetha) was always my first priority when it comes to comedy. Daya’s role was suggested by Doshi and a few other artists; I had watched her plays but wasn’t sure because she hadn’t really dabbled in comedy. I was a little confused, but when she mimicked a few personalities, she was excellent,” says Modi. He would often take the actors to the sets to familiarise them with their characters. “Whenever the set was in a developing stage, I used to take the actors and tell them that this was their society where they would stay and so on. In the beginning, I had to mould each of the actors personally.  While it took time, at the end of the day, the whole team worked equally hard,” he says.

    Working within budgets was the other big constraint, considering Sab’s budgets were very low at the time the show was launched. “For the first six months, I incurred heavy losses. I had to create a huge society. Usually, a daily soap demands one set- either a house or a haveli or other methods of living. I had to create two sets – Gokhuldam exterior sets and interiors showcasing everyone’s houses,” reveals Modi. The one thing that kept Modi going was his belief that if your show is good, you can build the slot and become the slot leader as well. Besides, he had an understanding of the ways of TV, having been associated with it since the days of Buniyaad and Hum Log. “There was a time when people did not consider afternoon slots. But shows like Shanti, Bhabhi and Swabhiman on Star Plus made people watch TV during the afternoon as well. There was also a time when shows like Mahabharat and Ramayan made people watch TV on Sunday mornings,” he explains. “Your content should be good; it will anyway attract people. I believed that if I made a good show, there would be a loyal audience for Sab TV as well. With lots of households having just one TV set, we decided to cater to the entire family.”

    Putting a team in place was the third challenge. “The writers who came to me for work were all new; they didn’t have any experience in writing. So with my kind of experience, I had to train them and utilize their talents in the best possible manner. I have designed this show, so it is in my blood,” says Modi, adding, “We get our reward when we manage to make people smile at the end of a hard day.” Currently, Modi has about seven to eight people in direction, and around 10 people in editing. “I have an in-house editing studio and three to four writers. I am always aware of what’s happening in terms of the screenplay. I don’t want those ‘yes, sir’ type of people, otherwise how will I grow? In the creative field, one has to constantly grow and reinvent. And for this, you need people who can pinpoint your weaknesses,” he says. As it is a daily comedy, editing happens 24×7. “We do it shift-wise. Compared to daily soaps, comedies need much more editing. One needs to understand that comedy is more dynamic and hence, there is more work,” says Modi. The staff strength including directors, script writers, technicians and laborers is nearly 150. “What is wonderful is that my whole team has remained with me through these years. About 98 per cent of crew members have stuck with me. We all work as a team, a big family,” he adds with pride.

    Looking back, Modi feels he has succeeded in making it a one-of-a-kind show. “In television, you work for the audience. One needs to be aggressive. You will lose the audience, if even one or two episodes are not up to their expectations. It will leave your target audience disheartened. They then have options of switching to other channels. So, for the stickiness of the show, I made the show as real and as simple possible. With daily soaps taking tons of leaps, in my show, I have taken no leap. No double meaning comedy jokes, it’s all about simplicity. The show is different and unique in its own way and that is the reason it is running strong for years,” he elaborates.

    Anooj Kapoor, Senior EVP and Business Head, SAB TV

    While media experts observe that Sab TV’s reach would be lower than say, that of a Star Plus or Colors, the higher TVTs enjoyed by Taarak Mehta… mean that the show is watched more intently by viewers as compared to other offerings in the same time band. Thus, great content on Sab TV has translated into stickiness for the channel. Sab TV executive vice-president and business head Anooj Kapoor could not agree more on this. “When we defined our brand promise of ‘Asli Maza, Sab ke saath ata hai’, the idea was to showcase light-hearted entertainment that the entire family can sit together and watch. So, that was our brand promise. Modi interpreted our brand promise in a very nice manner by showing people of different communities living together in a fun sort of way.” Kapoor feels casting is the best thing to ever happen to the show, with the characters of Daya and Jetha becoming extremely popular.

    Ask Kapoor the reason for Taarak’s success and he says: “In Taarak, because there are so many characters from such diverse backgrounds and different communities, that they are able to create a wide array of plots and keep the show robust and that is the reason why it continues to be successful.”

    He informs that in the last six years, Sab TV has grown 600 per cent in terms of ratings despite a reach of 40 and a budget which is one fourth of the total. “That has been possible firstly, because of our unique decision taken as a channel and secondly, because of successful shows like Taarak and so on. “

    Elaborating on Sab TV’s strategy as a channel, Kapoor says: “Our strategy was differentiation through innovation. We tried to create several different brands with each having a very distinctive kind of an image. So, the entire bouquet fell together very nicely which was ably led by the success of TMKOC.”

    Going by industry experts, the stickiness has enabled Sab TV to rake a premium for its leading show. A 10-second ad spot on the channel goes for Rs 50,000. Its popular show commands a premium of 15 to 20 per cent. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah sees its ad slots being sold for Rs 80,000.