ITV

Tag: ‘Bandhan

  • The Content Lab launches new campaign – Bandhan

    The Content Lab launches new campaign – Bandhan

    Mumbai: Mumbai-based content studio and digital marketing agency, The Content Lab is all set to launch an exciting new bridal jewellery campaign titled ‘Bandhan’ for the nearly nine-decade-old diamond jewellery brand Kirtilals. The new campaign will throw the spotlight not only on the bride but also on her invaluable support system – her tribe, who play an integral role in her journey towards matrimony be it her mother, sister, grandmothers or other female members.

    The ‘Bandhan’ campaign is meticulously crafted & produced by The Content Lab to help Kirtilals expand its presence beyond the South Indian market where it is very well established, while also making its up-to-date jewellery pieces attractive and relevant to young buyers across India. The campaign seeks to redefine traditional narratives by shifting the spotlight from the singular route of the bride being the anchor alone, to the others who are also an integral part of the wedding journey.

    As a purveyor of exquisite diamond jewellery, Kirtilals has earned a distinguished reputation for its impeccable craftsmanship and timeless designs and is committed to creating heirloom pieces that capture the essence of love and celebration.

    “We are thrilled to collaborate with The Content Lab to unveil this unique bridal jewellery campaign,” said Kirtilals creative director Seema Mehta. “At Kirtilals, we believe that jewellery is more than just adornment – it is a symbol of love, unity, and cherished memories. Through this campaign, we are proud to celebrate not only the bride but also the cherished relationships that form her tribe.”

    “We are excited to partner with Kirtilals yet again to bring this campaign to life.” remarked Karthik Krishnan, Executive Creative Director of The Content Lab that has been the creative partner agency for Kirtilals three years in a row. “The bride feels the most joy and ease when she knows her bride tribe has her back. They play a pivotal role in every wedding, and it is our privilege to shine a spotlight on these unsung heroes.”

    The bridal jewellery campaign is showcased in the form of a film and captivating visuals that highlight Kirtilals’ exquisite diamond jewellery collections. As part of the campaign,

    Kirtilals and The Content Lab will engage with audiences across digital and integrated platforms, inviting them to share their own stories of love and togetherness.

  • Colors Bangla Cinema’s ‘Filmy Fulki’ festival: A resounding success!

    Colors Bangla Cinema’s ‘Filmy Fulki’ festival: A resounding success!

    Mumbai: Launched on 1 December 2023, Filmy Fulki, a month-long extravaganza on Colors Bangla Cinema, has met with overwhelming response from the audience. The festival promised a spectacular journey featuring the biggest stars from Bengal and has lived up to expectations, making it a superhit among viewers.

    Turning Colors Bangla Cinema into the premier hub for Bengali movie enthusiasts, the daily 1:00 PM Dumdar Dupur time slot provides audiences with an exhilarating experience of Filmy Fulki. This festival not only celebrates Bengali cinema but also reinforces the channel’s unwavering dedication to delivering high-quality entertainment.

    Upon receiving overwhelming love and response from the dedicated viewers, Colors Bangla Cinema is excited to announce that Filmy Fulki will now continue to enchant audiences until 14 January 2024. This extension is a testament to the festival’s success and its role in providing TV viewers with an unmatched cinematic experience.

    As the festival moves forward, immerse yourself in the continuous streak of winter thrills with iconic movies such as:

    1.   ‘Le Halua Le’ starring Mithun Chakraborty, Payel Sarkar and Soham Chakraborty

    2.   ‘Mahaguru’ starring Mithun Chakraborty, Jisshu Sengupta and Debashree Roy

    3.   ‘Sangee’ starring Jeet and Priyanka Upendra

    4.   ‘Poran Jaye Joliya Re’ starring Dev and Subhasree Ganguly

    5.   ‘Bandhan’ starring Jeet and Koel Mullick

    The festival has been supported by a robust 360° marketing campaign, captivating audiences through cross-channel promotions, on-ground activations, and engaging social media content.

  • ‘Television has great competition coming from digital:’ Siddharth Kumar Tewary

    ‘Television has great competition coming from digital:’ Siddharth Kumar Tewary

    The man who has taken the mythological and historical concepts on television a notch higher with his creative innovation, Siddharth Kumar Tewary is known for shows like Mahabharat, Razia Sultan and Suryaputra Karn. With exquisite images and content creation Tewary has given a new dimension to shows catering to these popular genres on Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs). Tewary’s production house Swastik Production launched its first show Amber Dhara in 2007 and since then there has been no looking back. 

     

    The production house’s founder and creative director Tewary believes that in the coming times, digital is going to give tough competition to the television broadcast industry.

     

    In conversation with Indiantelevision’s Sonam Saini, Tewary talks about how 2015 has been for Swastik Production, the mythological genre, OTT platforms and more.

     

    Read on… 

     

    How has the year 2015 been for you and your production house?

    It’s been a decent year for us if not a great one. We have done a variety of shows from historical shows like Razia Sultan to dramas like Manmarziyaan. We stretched ourselves to keep us out of the comfort zone. So it’s been a good year for Swastik Production. 

     

    A few things were appreciated by the masses, some have been appreciated by critics, while some others have been liked by the people from the industry as well. As a company, we have always believed in doing something different.

     

    What’s your take on the mythological and historical fare on TV this year?

    I genuinely believe that the mythological and historical genre is really cool. It’s time that such legendary stories with today’s technology and superior presentation take off on television. This is premium content, which is being made on a large scale.

     

    We are making these shows relevant for today’s viewers and it’s really interesting to do mythology. In period dramas, so much needs to be created and you need to transport viewers into that era. And that’s the reason why I am more than happy to do these kinds of shows. 

     

    In the last two years you have taken mythological and historical concepts on TV to a different level with exquisite images and creative innovations. What drives you to experiment in these genres?

    Thanks to Mahabharat, my belief has always been that I need to better myself with everything I do. From whatever work I have done so far, luckily with mythology I got a chance to recreate a world that has not been seen on Indian television. 

     

    I also did the same kind of thing with Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo. People have not seen the village that we created with the story line in the show, which was a different concept altogether. The same goes with Bandhan, which  again had a different concept. So something, which is really interesting and comes with a lot of challenges to recreate is what excites me. 

     

    I don’t do things for the sake of being different. I do it differently with all my creative efforts. The shows we do should appeal to the masses. 

     

    Mythological and historical shows almost cost double of a normal fiction show. Is it a profitable proposition for you?

    Of course, it is. I don’t think we can survive without profit in the industry but yes the cost of making these is much higher than normal fiction shows because we spend so much on everything from set decoration to costume to jewellery to locations. So since the production costs are much higher, it takes longer time to recover unlike regular daily soaps.

     

    Also with such shows the revenue is already fixed in a way, so one needs to keep an eye on expenses, which doesn’t happen initially. Expenses tend to go higher than anticipated and hence it takes time to recover costs.

     

    With your success in this genre, a firm perception is building that Swastik is for mytho and historical content? Do you see that as a challenge because the fact is that you do create content, which does not belong to this genre?

    As a company we do all kinds of shows. If we have done mythological shows, then we have also done shows likeBegusarai and Manmarziyaan. Though we don’t do typical saas bahu dramas but yes we do differentiated content. So our company is perceived for doing different content. I don’t see that as a problem. We believe in doing creative things and right now people are thinking that we do more of mythological shows but the moment we do something different, this perception will change. 

     

    OTT is making a lot of noise. What’s your take on the platform.

    I think it’s good and it is a great time for production houses and people who create content. As a production house, we are conceptualisers and we started this company to create content. We will stick to doing that for every platform.

     

    Netflix is about to set foot in India soon and they have already started talking to production houses. Have you been approached? 

    I don’t want to comment on that. There certain things that makes the digital space very exciting and from a creative point of view, it gives us a platform where we can tell different kind of stories. Initially, the medium will remain niche and by niche I mean it will only cater to the audience, who are online.

     

    In TV, the IP belongs to channel commissioning the content. If you start creating content for OTT, will you follow the same formula or will you keep the IP with you? 

    We have already started working in that direction. So whether it’s television or digital, we need to create value for the company and I think that is the space content creators should move into. And for creating that value, we need to lessen the number of projects we take on. We have to focus more on the limited content that we create, so the industry needs to change to create that value.

     

    If bandwidth issues get sorted and digital advertising takes off in a big way, do you think digital can be a good medium or is 20 minutes of content on mobile devices a little too much?

    Mobile devices are the platform to consume content through internet only. The ecosystem is constantly evolving. Earlier we used to have three-hour movies, now they’ve been cut down to two hours. 

     

    As storytellers and creators, we need to know who we’re talking to. The most important thing is that we are talking to the younger generation today, who want instant gratification. Hence your content cannot be 20 minutes long. Sometimes if your content is that strong and it can hold your viewers’ attention, then it’s absolutely up to the creators.

     

    Recently the TV industry has seen some negativity and the editors strike was one such example. Do you think it’s getting more and more difficult in Mumbai? Shouldn’t there be more collaboration?

    I will be diplomatic if I say that there is no problem. We are facing some issues. We are currently shooting one of our shows in Gujarat. What’s more, during Mahabharat we were shooting half our shows there because of good infrastructure. So we don’t face any issues on the shows that we are shooting out of Bombay. 

     

    In Bombay, the issues that are raised by others are not always one sided. From cable and satellite point of view the Indian television industry is 25 years old now. I think very soon things will fall into place. 

     

    Do you see the quality of content on television getting better?

    It’s already getting better but it needs to raise the bar yet again. I am happy in the way that other channels and producers are investing in content these days. As a team, we need to push the quality of content more. We have great competition coming from digital. Therefore, we need to push more before someone else asks us to improve.

     

    Indian television content is getting somewhat bold. Don’t you think it can kill the family viewing factor, which has been its strength?

    Television is self regulated currently. It depends on the time in which the bold content is being aired. If makers feel that their audience need that kind of content, they put it because the objective is to keep the audience hooked and not let them go away. People are sensible enough to choose what that want to see and what they don’t want. The choice is always in the hands of viewers.

     

    Has BARC rural data impacted the dynamics of content creation?

    My understanding is still limited because everybody is still figuring out the trend. It will need a couple of more months to find out the actual trends. At least now we know that what the whole country is watching. The best part is that in rural India, Zee Anmol is doing well. Till now we didn’t know what was happening. Our show Bandhan is the number three show on an all India basis!

     

    I believe it will have a great impact on content because now we clearly know who we are talking to. So we need sharper content now.

     

    Where is Swastik going from here? And where would you like to see it by the end of 2016?

    I wish I knew but I can say that Swastik will always be around. If there’s one thing that we always knew, it’s that we have to deliver the best quality of work. Our aim is not to always play safe but to try and do something different. Taking on challenges and not being in our comfort zone is what we do.

     

    In 2016, we would like to mix two famous television series together, which will be loved by all.

  • 2014: A year of change for GECs

    2014: A year of change for GECs

    2014 was a year of change and evolution for Zee TV. The game is not over yet, I think we are still evolving everyday and so are our audiences and that is the real excitement. This year, we saw a lot of buzz and excitement on the channel, around the new properties and we are carving our own identity year-on-year in the general entertainment space.

    The channel created some extraordinary concepts in 2014 and now we are seen as a channel that has clutter-breaking ideas within the traditional format. We have launched shows with very different type of protagonists from Jamai Raja to Bandhan.

    We also came up with a weekend block of Zee Super weekends with Maharakshak Aryan and Neeli Chatri Waale and the other non-fiction shows. So, there was an attempt to provide differentiated content to the viewers and yet something that they will be familiar with very easily. This year, we have also observed a very quick traction for all our new shows. Be it for Kumkum Bhagya or Jamai Raja and even Neeli Chatri Waale which has seen strong growth within eight and nine weeks of its launch.  

    We are happy that people are attracted to the differentiated content that we are providing. 2014 was also a year of experiments in the non-fiction category, right from finding talent in India’s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj to Dil Se Naachein Indiawaale. Moreover, we are now coming back to the traditional Zee show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs as we enter the last leg of the year.

    The idea is to be happy with whatever you do because I think from a product and positioning point of view we have changed in the last nine months. We made a conscious shift about how we look and feel. There is certain uniformity in what we are doing and a certain sense of it coming together. The numbers have been good, so satisfied at that level. We are aligned with the legacy of Zee and yet evolving in a direction that we want to take the channel in.

    I see the same evolution being mirrored in the rest of the industry as well. Channels are providing content that is in the familiar zone but with very different types of protagonists and very different propositions. You may feel like you are watching a show which is in a genre that looks familiar but the story, characters, subjects, the way stories are presented are all different. There is a sense of innovation which broadcasters are giving and audiences are accepting. I think this is a beginning of a good phase.

    Not only Zee, but talking about the whole industry, what we as broadcasters will continue doing is living and breathing what our audiences want and giving them that.

    In 2014, we at Zee have started a new journey and it will take us to a very different place from where we were before. I hope the audiences will be with us in the journey.

    (These are purely personal views of Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • Zee TV’s four shows top this year’s fiction launches

    Zee TV’s four shows top this year’s fiction launches

    MUMBAI: There is no dearth of entertainment in the country of 800 plus channels. Every now and then, new channels and shows are launched to keep the momentum going.

    For Zee TV, one of the oldest and leading general entertainment channel (GEC) of the country, launching a number of new shows in a year is nothing new; every channel does so at regular intervals. But what is noteworthy is the fact that the channel has produced top four weekday fiction launches of 2014.

    If one takes a look at the opening week averages of all the fiction launches across GECs for the year, it is very clear from the numbers that who ruled the ratings charts. ‘Jamai Raja’ leads the pack with 5488 TVTs, ‘Satrangi Sasural’ that opened in week 49 with 4970 TVTs stands at number two,  ‘Bandhan’ with 4366 TVTs  and ‘Aur Pyar Ho Gaya’ with 4044 TVTs followed at number three and four, respectively.

    If that wasn’t enough, the channel’s other property, ‘Kumkum Bhagya’, according to TAM data provided by the channel, while a four-week average for the pre-wedding period (starting week 21’14 to week 24’14) stood at 3,263 TVTs, the show has seen a 127 per cent increase in viewership.    

    According to the channel’s business head Pradeep Hejmadi there are two reasons behind this. He explains, “Shows open well when two conditions are served. One, the concept strikes an interesting chord and second, the promotions are well crafted to sound inviting. We have done rigorous work to ensure we fire as desired on both these pre-conditions. Hence, the not-so-surprising, but certainly noteworthy success with our launches.”

    With growth as its top priority, the channel hopes to sustain the upward trend in at least some slots. “A careful assortment of variety across shows, clutter-breaking ideas/concepts, consistency in audience targeting have been the three key corner-stones of our successes,” points out Hejmadi.

    The channel doesn’t believe in rating itself, but rather leaves it to its audiences (current and prospective). “From the numbers, they clearly seem to rate us well, so we are motivated to up the ante on this further,” he says.

    With a strong weekday fiction line up and recently-launched new weekend properties like ‘Maharakshak Aryan’ and ‘Neeli Chhatri Wale’, the channel hopes to continue entertaining its viewers.

    “Interesting and inspiring concepts that will set the tone for the category…” is how Hejmadi wants to see 2015.

     

  • Star Jalsha to wear a new ‘Diamond Star’ logo

    Star Jalsha to wear a new ‘Diamond Star’ logo

    MUMBAI: Star Jalsha will unveil on 17 June a “refreshed” identity with a new diamond Star logo.

    The logo will make its first appearance while airing the one-day fictionalised event, ‘Chalo Paltai‘ (Let’s bring a change). ‘Chalo
    Paltai‘ is also the brand philosophy of the channel.

    Star Jalsha said that this new identity refresh will be backed with programming that reflects and reinforces its brand philosophy to
    further deepen its bond with the viewers.

    The new logo shows the light and energy at the heart of the channel. It is also feminine yet powerful – a symbol of clarity and purity, denoting optimism and aspirations that every woman embraces as an inherent quality. The red swoosh signifies the strength and emotion that binds together. It is the colour of hope, desire, celebration, passion, love, and holiness.

    Star Jalsha, which was launched on 8 September 2008, is soon going to complete four years. Shortly after the launch, it climbed the ratings ladder and is leading the genre with significant lead since then.

    Star India president ad sales and Star Jalsha GM Kevin Vaz said, “Star Jalsha has become synonymous to Bengal with every step taken since its inception. It has embraced Bengal’s sentiments, aspirations, values and traditions in becoming a clear leader in the state’s entertainment scenario.”

    On the new look, Vaz said, “This is about another beginning, of reinventing concepts, stories treatment and packaging, to keep up with changing emotions, societal changes and a fresh take on life and relationships.”

    The brand refresh is being brought alive though a disruptive marketing strategy, both in terms of creativity and scale, covering an eclectic media mix of air, OOH, Print, Activation and Digital.

    Vaz added that it will be for the first time in the history of regional television brands in India that a refresh is happening in such depth of detail, permeating to the core of its business.

    “We have a huge outdoor plan. In a small state like West Bengal, we will have 500 hoardings. Apart from this, there will be branded trains, and all leading newspapers will have full page ads. The new look will also be promoted on the network channels,” he detailed.

    Star Jalsha claims that its key shows like ‘Ekhane Aakash Neel‘, ‘Durga‘ and ‘Bandhan‘ have presented viewers with a myriad range of emotions by presenting a fresh perspective on life and relationships, living up to the brand philosophy and celebrating ”Notun Bangali” (new Bengal).

    Meanwhile, the channel has also incorporated significant changes in the story lines of some of its shows including Maa, Ishtikutum and Tapur Tupur, to keep up with its tag line.

    Additionally, it is also launching two new shows: Aanchal, s story that weaves the tale of a simple village girl who takes life head on and decides to bring justice to her family, and Care Kori Na, a coming of age love story in the backdrop of campus/college life.