ITV

Tag: Frames Productions

  • Zee TV’s India’s Best Dramebaaz bids adieu; Kapil Sharma hosts the grand finale

    Zee TV’s India’s Best Dramebaaz bids adieu; Kapil Sharma hosts the grand finale

    MUMBAI: Comedian Kapil Sharma brought to close season two of India’s Best Drameebaz (IBD) on Sunday, March 6 by hosting its grand finale. Produced by Frames Productions, season two completed its 26 episode journey. On 12 December 2015 Zee TV had once again brought back the second season of this home grown laughter dose which had children in the age group of 5 to13 years. . 

    Zee Enterprises Entertainment Ltd (ZEEL)’s flagship channel Zee TV has always provided platforms that have contributed talented performers to the entertainment industry. Being a pioneer in making its own home grown reality shows, Zee has always given some of the best entertaining reality shows. After producing a series of talent reality shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Dance India Dance, Dance India Dance Li’l champs, India’s Best Cinestar Ki Khoj, the channel had launched India’s Best Dramebaaz (IBD) in 2013.  

    Zee TV roped in a number of brands for the season 2 of IBD. These included Surf Excel as the title sponsor and Patanjali Atta Noodles as co-powered by sponsor. Besides, the channel also had other brands including Britannia Tiger Crunch, Yamaha Fascino, Epson, Vistaprint.in and Dabur Chawanprash as associate sponsors. 

    A source informed indiantelevision.com that the production cost for the show was Rs 70-80 lakh per episode, and the ad rate for a 10 second slot was Rs 1.5 lakh.

    Zee marketed IDB season 2 aggressively. The campaign posed a distinctive challenge because it had kids at the forefront and hence would have been perceived as a kids show and would not appeal to the other audiences.

    To specifically counter the unique challenge that IBD faced, a unique strategy was devised. All communication on IBD was contextual via customized communication for TGs and specific markets which was carried across all media vehicles including TV, radio and cinema.

    Special promos resonating with various genres of TV audiences were created and run across different mediums including cinema, music, news and kids channels. Clutter-breaking and entertaining radio spots were specifically created for each market highlighting issues. A special print innovation was carried across key publications.

    On the digital front, various innovations were a part of this campaign. Zee TV tied up with Facebook and conducted a Facebook bus activity wherein fun content was generated with the judges and participants and populated across social media.

    As the show approached the finale week, Zee TV tied up with Twitter to provide a unique social media experience to its fans. The Twitter Challenger App was a unique initiative that brought forth the fun side of its participants through various challenges. The judges, anchors and the top 6 finalists created pictures and videos that were funny, topical and fresh. The same were populated across social media during the finale week.

    The efforts put in by Zee TV to market the show seem to have paid off handsomely. In week 6 of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), IBD emerged as the number one non-fiction show in Hindi GEC space with 8148 TVTs while in week 7 the show continued to be the number one non-fiction show with 7057 Impressions’ 000. In week 8 IBD remained at the top with an increase in viewership from 7057 to 7382 Impressions ‘000. 

    Frames Production’s Ranjit Thakur said, “India’s Best Dramebaaz has really won the heart of Indian audiences. The kids were fabulous and fantastic, also all the three judges Sonali Bendre, Vivek Oberoi and Sajid Khan, we all are like a big family now. Also working with Zee after a couple of years was amazing. I am happy that we have delivered this beautiful show.”

     

  • Zee TV’s India’s Best Dramebaaz bids adieu; Kapil Sharma hosts the grand finale

    Zee TV’s India’s Best Dramebaaz bids adieu; Kapil Sharma hosts the grand finale

    MUMBAI: Comedian Kapil Sharma brought to close season two of India’s Best Drameebaz (IBD) on Sunday, March 6 by hosting its grand finale. Produced by Frames Productions, season two completed its 26 episode journey. On 12 December 2015 Zee TV had once again brought back the second season of this home grown laughter dose which had children in the age group of 5 to13 years. . 

    Zee Enterprises Entertainment Ltd (ZEEL)’s flagship channel Zee TV has always provided platforms that have contributed talented performers to the entertainment industry. Being a pioneer in making its own home grown reality shows, Zee has always given some of the best entertaining reality shows. After producing a series of talent reality shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Dance India Dance, Dance India Dance Li’l champs, India’s Best Cinestar Ki Khoj, the channel had launched India’s Best Dramebaaz (IBD) in 2013.  

    Zee TV roped in a number of brands for the season 2 of IBD. These included Surf Excel as the title sponsor and Patanjali Atta Noodles as co-powered by sponsor. Besides, the channel also had other brands including Britannia Tiger Crunch, Yamaha Fascino, Epson, Vistaprint.in and Dabur Chawanprash as associate sponsors. 

    A source informed indiantelevision.com that the production cost for the show was Rs 70-80 lakh per episode, and the ad rate for a 10 second slot was Rs 1.5 lakh.

    Zee marketed IDB season 2 aggressively. The campaign posed a distinctive challenge because it had kids at the forefront and hence would have been perceived as a kids show and would not appeal to the other audiences.

    To specifically counter the unique challenge that IBD faced, a unique strategy was devised. All communication on IBD was contextual via customized communication for TGs and specific markets which was carried across all media vehicles including TV, radio and cinema.

    Special promos resonating with various genres of TV audiences were created and run across different mediums including cinema, music, news and kids channels. Clutter-breaking and entertaining radio spots were specifically created for each market highlighting issues. A special print innovation was carried across key publications.

    On the digital front, various innovations were a part of this campaign. Zee TV tied up with Facebook and conducted a Facebook bus activity wherein fun content was generated with the judges and participants and populated across social media.

    As the show approached the finale week, Zee TV tied up with Twitter to provide a unique social media experience to its fans. The Twitter Challenger App was a unique initiative that brought forth the fun side of its participants through various challenges. The judges, anchors and the top 6 finalists created pictures and videos that were funny, topical and fresh. The same were populated across social media during the finale week.

    The efforts put in by Zee TV to market the show seem to have paid off handsomely. In week 6 of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), IBD emerged as the number one non-fiction show in Hindi GEC space with 8148 TVTs while in week 7 the show continued to be the number one non-fiction show with 7057 Impressions’ 000. In week 8 IBD remained at the top with an increase in viewership from 7057 to 7382 Impressions ‘000. 

    Frames Production’s Ranjit Thakur said, “India’s Best Dramebaaz has really won the heart of Indian audiences. The kids were fabulous and fantastic, also all the three judges Sonali Bendre, Vivek Oberoi and Sajid Khan, we all are like a big family now. Also working with Zee after a couple of years was amazing. I am happy that we have delivered this beautiful show.”

     

  • Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

    Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

    MUMBAI: Speculations about actor – comedian Kapil Sharma joining hands with Sony Entertainment Television can finally be laid to rest. It’s official now! Sharma, who had a rather acrimonious fallout with Colors recently, is all set to join hands with Sony to launch a comedy show.

    Confirming the news to Indiantelevision.com, Sony Pictures Networks India CEO NP Singh said, “You will see Kapil soon on Sony TV in a few months’ time.”

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the weekend show is slated to launch in May. 

    A source close to development informed that Sharma’s new show on Sony will be produced by Frames Productions and Sharma’s K9. 

    It may be recalled that before hopping on to Colors with Comedy Nights With Kapil, he was onboard one of Sony’s most popular comedy reality shows – Comedy Circus and has also been a winner of six seasons.

    That apart, in a bid to grab eyeballs, Sony Entertainment Television is also gearing up to regale its audience with the launch of two new shows namely Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi and EK Duje Ke Vaste on 29 February.  

    Produced by Beyond Dreams Productions, Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of a talented star cast comprising Supriya Pilgaonkar, Shaheer Sheikh and Erica Fernandes in lead roles. It is a new age love story that deals with modern day intricacies of romantic relationships. The show will be aired at 9:30 pm from Monday – Friday. 

    On the other hand, Ek Duje Ke Vaste produced by Bindu Productions is a story of Shravan played by Namik Paul and Suman played by Nikita Dutta that explores the conflict between love and self-respect. It will be aired at 10 pm from Monday to Friday. 

    Sony Entertainment Television EVP & business head Danish Khan said, “Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi and Ek Duje Ke Vaste are based on real life insights and their soul lies in the story and narration. While Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of outstanding writers Mitali & Raghuveer, Ek Duje Ke Vasteis is being written by Dilip Jha, who is known for the classic Bade Acche Lagte Hain. We are thrilled to associate with Yash Patnaik & Dilip Jha for these two shows respectively.”

  • Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

    Kapil Sharma set to make a comeback on Sony with comedy show in May

    MUMBAI: Speculations about actor – comedian Kapil Sharma joining hands with Sony Entertainment Television can finally be laid to rest. It’s official now! Sharma, who had a rather acrimonious fallout with Colors recently, is all set to join hands with Sony to launch a comedy show.

    Confirming the news to Indiantelevision.com, Sony Pictures Networks India CEO NP Singh said, “You will see Kapil soon on Sony TV in a few months’ time.”

    According to information available with Indiantelevision.com, the weekend show is slated to launch in May. 

    A source close to development informed that Sharma’s new show on Sony will be produced by Frames Productions and Sharma’s K9. 

    It may be recalled that before hopping on to Colors with Comedy Nights With Kapil, he was onboard one of Sony’s most popular comedy reality shows – Comedy Circus and has also been a winner of six seasons.

    That apart, in a bid to grab eyeballs, Sony Entertainment Television is also gearing up to regale its audience with the launch of two new shows namely Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi and EK Duje Ke Vaste on 29 February.  

    Produced by Beyond Dreams Productions, Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of a talented star cast comprising Supriya Pilgaonkar, Shaheer Sheikh and Erica Fernandes in lead roles. It is a new age love story that deals with modern day intricacies of romantic relationships. The show will be aired at 9:30 pm from Monday – Friday. 

    On the other hand, Ek Duje Ke Vaste produced by Bindu Productions is a story of Shravan played by Namik Paul and Suman played by Nikita Dutta that explores the conflict between love and self-respect. It will be aired at 10 pm from Monday to Friday. 

    Sony Entertainment Television EVP & business head Danish Khan said, “Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi and Ek Duje Ke Vaste are based on real life insights and their soul lies in the story and narration. While Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi boasts of outstanding writers Mitali & Raghuveer, Ek Duje Ke Vasteis is being written by Dilip Jha, who is known for the classic Bade Acche Lagte Hain. We are thrilled to associate with Yash Patnaik & Dilip Jha for these two shows respectively.”

  • Star Plus targets common man with ‘Dance +’

    Star Plus targets common man with ‘Dance +’

    MUMBAI: From dance battles to face-offs, Star Plus is all set to find new dancing stars across the country. An open stage forum for solo, couple and group performers, Dance + (Dance Plus) aims to be a hard core dance reality show.

     

    The new talent hunt is produced by Frames Productions.

     

    According to Frames Productions founder Ranjeet Thakur, dance is a much loved genre in India for everybody. After the star studded dance show Nach Baliye (currently on-air), the channel wanted to target the common man. It can be recalled that in the year 2013, the channel had tried its hands with a common man’s dance programme in India’s Dancing Superstar (IDS).

     

    “After IDS, Star wanted to re-format a little, jazz it up in a different style and this is how Dance + was born. We came up with the idea of doing the show wherein solos, duo’s and groups will be performing with mentorship,” explains Thakur.

     

    The makers have roped in talented choreographer Remo D’Souza who will don the hat of a super judge. Moreover, the show will have three mentors Dharmesh Yelande, Shakti Mohan and Sumeet Nagdev who will be guiding and teaching the contestants and choreographing the act. “The idea was to have a dance show which would blend the dancing talent of a common man with the expertise of the mentor,” asserts Thakur.

     

    Just Dance

     

    The makers have been working on the show for the past one year. “Considering all factors like understanding the market, developing it, understanding the kind of dancers and talent that we can get etc, it has taken us over a year,” informs Thakur.

     

    Thakur believes that it is very important to get talent from across India on a show like this. The talent hunt has traveled to 18 odd cities and reached out to maximum people. This apart, the show also travelled to smaller towns, conducting silent auditions for six months to get the best of talent.

     

    Auditions started from 3 June in Guwahati followed by Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Vadodara, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Mumbai being the last destination on 28 June.

     

    To top it all, digital auditions were conducted by Frames in-house. “Because we have our own network also for finding talent, we knew our own talent, co-coordinators and people across India. Many people are sending us their dance videos even now,” he says.

     

    The 12-week series will have the channel first airing audition episodes followed by the mega audition episodes. The grand premier will have top 12 contestants divided into three teams (four in each) who will then battle it out for the title.

     

    The show will go on floors in July and will be shot at Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai. It plans to go on-air by end of July or first week of August. 

  • Star packs a punch to celebrate 15 years of ‘Star Parivaar Awards’

    Star packs a punch to celebrate 15 years of ‘Star Parivaar Awards’

    MUMBAI: Star India is leaving no stones unturned to celebrate 15 years of its in-house award ceremony – Star Parivaar Awards.

     

    Fifteen years ago, the network started telling a story, which has until now spun many wonders. Star Plus’ successful awards property Star Parivaar Awards is like a sumptuous platter served for viewers where one gets to watch different forms of entertainment and see their favorite stars sizzle on stage.

     

    This year, the channel is packing a punch to its lineup with a new producer on board for the gala event. Unlike last year, where Cineyug had produced the awards for the channel, this year Frames Productions has donned the production hat.

     

    To celebrate 15 years of the awards, the set design this time round is going to be different from the usual sets seen at multiple award shows.

     

    Frames Productions founder Ranjeet Thakur tells Indiantelevision.com that the sets this time round for the Star Parivaar Awards will be interactive.

     

    Thakur says, “There won’t be a fixed set this year. We are going to change the look, feel and dynamics of the set depending on the demands of the act that will be performed. This year, projection will play a key role in enhancing the entire look and feel of the awards ceremony.”

     

    With almost 45 graphic artists from UK and India working on the awards, the network will be doling out oodles of cash to ensure that top quality graphics are used throughout the show. “It is not a structured or a fixed set like we are used to watching in award shows. Special attention is being paid to the graphics this time round and that costs money,” laughs Thakur.

     

    From shooting the graphics to portraying it on screen, the process took almost four months. “We wanted to ensure that our vision for the look of the show was being realised by each and every one who was working on the Star Parivaar Awards,” states Thakur.

     

    On the content front, Frames Productions has created multiple small gimmicks that will keep the entertainment quotient high. “For the first time ever, we are stringing the show via musical acts. What we are looking at is an interactive LED digital space,” explains Thakur.

     

    Unlike previous years, where set designer Omung Kumar worked on the awards, this year the design is being provided by Kunal Bandola.

     

    A new award category has also been added this year, with the introduction of the special ‘Five Scroll of Honors’ (big achievement of each show).

     

    Moreover, to celebrate the 15 glorious years, Star India has invited some iconic faces, who have been associated with India’s leading GEC over the past 15 years. Some of them include the likes of Smriti Irani, Sakshi Tanwar, Shweta Tiwari and Ronit Roy amongst others.

     

    “To bring alive the magic of 15 years, we are getting popular faces on-board. However, confirmation is still awaited from them,” informs Thakur.

     

    The network also had a jury meeting today in Mumbai to decide 11 categories. Senior Bollywood journalist, writer and film critic Bhawana Somaaya,  Indiantelevision.com group founder, CEO & editor in chief Anil Wanvari, ABP News executive editor Vibha Kaul Bhat, and Cinevistaas writer, producer & creative head Siddharth Malhotra.

     

    Star India SVP network programming and events head Anil Jha (he has been behind the hugely successful awards show every year) took to twitter to thank the jury. “Love the opportunity to meet this August body (the Star Parivaar Awards jury) every year,” he tweeted.   

     

    The Star Parivaar Awards 2015 will be held on 17 May at The National Sports Club of India (NSCI) in Mumbai. The awards will be aired on Star Plus in June.

  • Colors Bangla to launch ‘Great Music Gurukul’ from 13 Apri

    Colors Bangla to launch ‘Great Music Gurukul’ from 13 Apri

    KOLKATA: Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors Bangla (erstwhile ETV Bangla) is all set to launch a non-fiction musical show called Great Music Gurukul. Premiering on 13 April, the show will air every Monday to Wednesday from 9-10 pm.

     

    The development comes in light of the ETV regional general entertainment channels being re-branded as Colors by Viacom18.

     

    On the day of the show’s launch, 32 contestants, who have already proved their mettle, will come together for the year’s biggest musical face-off. Four renowned singers have been roped in as mentors to guide the contestants in their battle to win the show.

     

    The mentors including Hariharan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Javed Ali and Bengal’s music composer and singer Jeet Ganguly will guide 24 singers, who will make it to the main rounds.

     

    The show has been produced by Frames.

     

    The top 24 will then be selected by the mentors to represent their respective ‘Gharanas’. With elimination each week, the top 10 contestants will be then vying for public votes for the winning title. 

     

    Colors Bangla and Colors Odiya channel head Sujay Kutty said, “A musical show that resonates with Bengali music lovers is an apt marker to flag off this journey. Great Music Gurukul is sure to strike a chord amongst Bengali viewers of all ages.”

  • With live audience, Sab sets another landmark

    With live audience, Sab sets another landmark

    MUMBAI: In a country which loves melodrama, comedy had little space until Sab came along. The family channel from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable, which can be credited to the rise in the comedy genre with its popular shows Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Lapataganj and Chidya Ghar, is setting new level with Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai.

    The new sitcom isn’t like any other. What is different this time around is the people. The cast will act in front of a live audience which the channel says will be the USP of the show as it will add an element of spontaneity to the entire humorous offering.

    A first from a general entertainment channel (GEC), its makers didn’t hesitate once before making it a reality. “This is how American sitcoms are shot, and we wanted to go the same way. No one in the GEC space has done this before, like always we wanted to start a trend,” says Frames Productions producer Ranjeet Thakur who is debuting in the genre with the show.

    The star cast will perform in front of 100-150 live audience “without any prompting unlike other comedy shows where audiences are told when to laugh and clap,” adds Thakur who believes that the script is strong enough to get the desired reactions.

    Sab’s latest offering Badi Dooooor Se Aaye Hai broke records, when it opened with 1.8 TVTs highest for any new show across channels. The channel believes that the same can be achieved with the yet-to-go on air show.

    Sab senior EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor says, “Sab’s policy has always been differentiation through innovation.” The fictional comedy series will replace FIR, which will go bi-weekly and will be aired every Saturday-Sunday at 9pm for an hour. With this move, the channel plans to scale up its programming line-up for seven days.

    The channel which showcases the positives in the society also propagates joint family issues and has delivered hits after hits.  The newest entrant will revolve around the lives of the owners and the tenants living under the same roof of Bungalow no. 5.

    The star cast includes actor Alok Nath who will have his first trysts with comedy TV series on the small screen. The rest comprises Rajesh Kumar, Shweta Gulati, Apara Mehta, Ami Trivedi, Samir Shah, Sugandha Mishra, Dhaval, Abhishek Awasthi, Monica Castelino and Sukesh. It will also see actress Supriya Pathak back on television after ‘Khichdi.’

    The channel’s business head has been vocal about the late development of the genre in the country and limited pool of talent in the industry. However, he is thankful to theater which has produced many talented actors. “Be it Hindi or regional theatre, we are getting a lot of talented actors from there,” he says.

    Agreeing with him, Thakur adds, “Casting sometimes does get difficult because you want people with a certain flare and not just comedians on the show. It was a bit of a hassle at the initial stage, but then eventually we managed to get the right people on board.”

    It took six months for the makers’ from planning the show to its execution. As of now, 20 episodes have been canned with the set being located at SJ Studio, Andheri.

    The show will be promoted through a 360 degree marketing campaign. The pan-India OOH campaign comprises hoardings across 50 HSM towns, bus shelters etc. The channel will also leverage multiplex audiences by branding at key touch points.

    Apart from that, a three-week long campaign is being planned for news, youth and movies channels. A national print campaign with leading publications will be seen for over these weeks and more than 15+ regional publications will have daily inserts.

    There are also plans for tying up with major radio stations. The recent popularity of Alok Nath in the social media will be used on mobile and digital platforms to promote the show. The channel also plans to undertake a multi-city tour with the stars.

    Media planners believe that comedy as a genre is increasing and broadcasters are cashing heavily from the space. “Broadcasters are not shying to spend on the genre anymore as it has become a trend. Sab owns the genre, but hope the new show gets good numbers for the channel.”

  • Nach Baliye 6 partners with Twitter to engage audience

    Nach Baliye 6 partners with Twitter to engage audience

    MUMBAI: Keeping up with its legacy of introducing innovative digital initiatives, Star Plus has got into an exclusive association with Twitter India to introduce the Nach Baliye Twitter Mirror.

    The Twitter Mirror is a high engagement tool which has been used for some of the biggest global television events like the Academy Awards and the Grammys. Now, Nach Baliye will become the first ever TV show for which the Twitter Mirror will be used.

    The Nach Baliye Twitter Mirror is going to be a permanent installation on the sets of Nach Baliye that will be aired from tomorrow on Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm on Star Plus, and will give all the celebrities of the show a chance to get clicked through the Twitter Mirror, and then automatically tweet that picture. 

    With this, the fans will get a chance to sneak in to the lives of the celebrity contestants who are participating in the show. The Mirror will capture some of the candid and interesting moments between the real life celebrity couples and also the judges on the show. In order to make the entire experience seamless and complete, the celebrities will also be shown getting them clicked on the Mirror during few episodes of the show Nach Baliye – Parde Ke Peechey.

    Talking about this initiative, Star India SVP marketing and programming strategy Nikhil Madhok said: “Over the last couple of years one has seen the emergence of the second screen as an important platform for television content. Star Plus realises the great engagement possibilities this offers, and also understands how a differentiated offering for the second screen can help deepen bonds with our viewers. The Nach Baliye Twitter Mirror comes from this philosophy, and we are extremely happy to work with Twitter India to bring this great innovation for the first time for a television show.”

    India market for Twitter head Rishi Jaitly added: “Twitter is the world’s leading real-time information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. In India, Twitter brings audiences closer to the people and organisations they care about, including television shows, stars and moments. We are pleased to see Star Plus embracing Twitter and the Twitter Mirror during Nach Baliye to engage and grow its audience in authentic ways.”

    Produced by Frames Productions, Nach Baliye 6 is hosted by Gautam Rode and Karan Wahi. It brings together 11 celebrity jodis in a season that is touted to be the boldest and edgiest ever.

  • Nach Baliye 6 to take a bold turn this season

    Nach Baliye 6 to take a bold turn this season

    MUMBAI: Come 9 November, Star Plus’ viewers are going to get to witness the flavours of love, passion and romance amongst reel and real life TV star couples once again as the channel flags off Nach Baliye Season 6. The 13-week long series will air every weekend at 9.00 pm, coming in as a replacement for Junior Masterchef which is coming to a close.

    With a brand new season, the channel, says it plans to make Nach Baliye bigger, better and bolder this year, though with the same format and the seductive campaign line “Hadh se badhega romance…is bar hoga Aisa dance.”

    Produced by Frames Productions, Nach Baliye season six brings together 11 celebrity couples that include: Raju and Shikha Shrivastava, Rakesh Vashisht and Ridhi Dogra, Kanika Maheshwari Ghai and Ankur Ghai, Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee, Ripu Daman Handa and Shivangi Verma, Yash Sinha and Amrapali Gupta, Kiku and Priyanka Sharda, Bruna Abdalah and Omar Farooque, Sanjeev and Lataa Seth, Rithvik Dhanjani and Asha Negi and last but not the least Vinod and Raksha Thakur.

    “After making successful seasons of four and five, this season, we plan to take it to the next level. Our endeavour is to sustain this legacy of success achieved so far and bring viewers much closer to their favourite stars. Behind every couple there is a unique story not known to the public. We will strive to bring out each of their unique stories to engage Nach Baliye fans,” says Frames Production producer Hemant Ruprell.

    “Normally, these TV couples are so busy with their day to day schedules they may not give each other so much time. Participating in the show enables them to come together and explore more than what they know about each other over three months of competition. Nach Baliye is based on the principle that dancing together will bring you closer and it serves to reignite romance between couples,” Star Plus non-fiction head Ashish Golwalkar exults. “And of course on top of this there is a strong layer of entertainment in terms of comedy and moments that get played out on TV. People sitting at home will enjoy the journey.”

    The channel has retained the judges this season. Viewers will get to see Bollywood’s yummy mummy and dancing diva Shilpa Shetty, celebrated choreographer Terrence Lewis and director Sajid Khan. Hosts Gautam Rode and Karan Wahi are expected to add their brand of humour and banter to this drama filled dance show. Interestingly, the shooting has already begun with two episodes been canned in Filmistan Studio, Mumbai even as this story is being penned.

    “There is nothing subtle about this season,” asserts Star India EVP content strategy Gaurav Banerjee. “Each act will be conceived to show you a vibrant and exciting expression of love.”

    The Star Plus programming team is quite sanguine that Nach Baliye 6 will have no problems in getting in the TVTs once again.

    “Last year our content was pure and because of that purity of content, we were the No 1 show from the launch day till the end,” asserts Golwalkar. “There is going to be competition in any slot and at any given point of time on TV. But viewers have really appreciated and supported us. We have done our bit, and have really worked hard to put it together and it will be bigger, different and better than any other show.”

    Even though an announcement of the presenting sponsor was not made at the time of writing, the show’s season 6 facebook page, has Vaseline associated as presenting sponsor once again with Babool being the powered-by sponsor. Last year, LR Active Oil was the powered-by sponsor.

    The channel is really pressing hard on the marketing pedal in a bid to get the viewership numbers it hopes to achieve. For starters, there’s TV. A series of promos revealing the main contestants, Gurmeet and Deblina, and Raqesh and Riddhi Vashist has already hit the Star Network channels. Secondly, its facebook page has attracted around 6,500 likes, a fortnight before launch.

    Then the various couples’ online fan clubs have been encouraged to talk about them on twitter, apart from the handle #NachBaliye6 being flashed on its @StarPlus account to generate the buzz.

    Thirdly, activities revolving around traditional media (hoardings, television spots, radio, cinema) are already being rolled out. According to an estimate, close to Rs 2 crore has been set aside as marketing spend for the show.

    With that kind of muscle being put behind Nach Baliye 6, it is quite likely that it could well match its main rival Dance India Dance Season 4 step for step on the performance front.