ITV

Tag: Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai

  • Fox turns match maker

    Fox turns match maker

    MUMBAI: Fox Television Network, that has broken ground in the past with reality shows like Temptation Island (voted off air by Indian viewers) and Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire, now has its sights set on a show that seeks to make matches on the telly.

    While in India, Sony Entertainment Television’s attempt to fix marriages with a Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai fell flat, with production house UTV obliged to stop shooting after the first phase, the Rupert Murdoch owned Fox has apparently decided this is what America needs.

    According to a Reuters report, the network is developing Married by America , a weekly reality series that sets participants up with arranged marriages. The American viewing public will play matchmaker, voting on which couples will get engaged.

    Married by America, is scheduled to go on air by early 2003. The network will search across the US for people tired of trying to find a suitable date and are open to the idea of having a marriage arranged for them,

    In the show, both the man and the woman will be unaware of each other’s identities, balancing the scales of power between them. However they will have at least a few weeks to know one another before taking the final plunge.

    The show starts with four to five people who want to get hitched being chosen. A larger group of men and women are then chosen, who will act as choices for the first group. This happens in the first episode. 

    The next episode sees members of the second group being questioned about their background, personality by family members and friends of people in the first group. Two finalists are chosen and then viewers have to cast their vote as to which of the two finalists should hook up with their potential mates. The finale will have the couples announcing whether they will go ahead or call the whole thing off.

    This is not the only reality theme concept out there at the moment in the US. ABC also plans a show which will see members of a family squabbling to win riches of a wealthy benefactor, CBS is said to be developing a real-life version of The Beverly Hillbillies.

  • “Five months back, we had two programmes in the top 50, today we have 14” ; UTV TV content COO Manish Popat

    “Five months back, we had two programmes in the top 50, today we have 14” ; UTV TV content COO Manish Popat

    Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai may have served up a lemon, but has not dampened the spirits of production house UTV, which is steathily climbing the ratings charts with its shows across channels.

    TV content COO Manish Popat believes that the ratings game is merely a cyclical process and that all that goes up must some day come down. In response to indiantelevision.com’s queries, Popat outlined where UTV is at today and where it’s headed in the days to come.
     
    More of UTV’s shows are currently in the top 50 in the TRPs. Do you believe UTV is on a comeback curve and can seriously challenge Balaji Telefilms?
    Firstly, the figures speak for themselves. Five months back, we had two programmes in the top 50, today we have 14. Five months back, Balaji had 38 programmes in the top 50, today they have 25. I wouldn’t like to comment on the number 1 and number 2 status in the industry. As we all know, this is a cyclical process. It is true that Balaji has a good lead and a large market share, based on their four daily programmes on the number 1 channel i.e. Star. This itself gives them a formidable lead even if it is emanating out of only four shows on a single channel.

    As the TV division of UTV, we continue to remain highly competitive and have got enough programmes in development, as well as negotiations with multiple channels, to see that our present list of 14 programmes in the top 50 goes past the half way mark very soon.
     
    ‘Avinash IPS’ was taken over by UTV in order to bring in more action, and consequently better ratings. It does not, however, seem to have taken the TRPs by storm. What may the reason be, and is there any plan to improvise?
    Avinash is now an action packed serial. The plot lines moved very fast. Soon after we took over, the ratings crossed the 4 TRP mark. It is, at the end of the day, a 11 pm programme. We have many exciting stories in the pipeline and do believe that we will keep the TRPs at a high level as per the benchmark set by Star.
     
    What sets Shaka Laka Boom Boom… apart from the children’s serials currently on air? What is the response it has got thus far?
    We need to all first understand that they aren’t that many ‘children’s serials’ on air. They are sporadic. By and large, children’s viewership has been composed of horror shows and other such dramas. We believe that Shaka Laka Boom Boom appeals to a wide range of audience.

    With a fair amount of research that we have done on this programme, we premiered it on Vijay TV in the south, and it was an instant hit. As you can see from the ratings, in the first three weeks itself, it’s been climbing, week on week and as ratings go, is higher than any or all prime time programmes on Zee and Sony plus higher than many of the 8 pm and 9 pm slots on Star itself.
     
    While UTV shows on Star (‘Kehta Hai Dill’, ‘Shagun’) have done well, those on other channels (‘Sarhadein’, ‘Choti maa…’, ‘K3H’) seem to be suffering from lack of viewer interest. Is there any reason for this?
    Kehta Hai Dil, Shagun and Bhabhi have done extremely well. We need to keep in mind, that Shagun and Bhabhi are both non prime time programmes and in the afternoon band, that makes it an even more challenging task, to establish itself as a hit.

    We are extremely proud of Choti Maa… and Sarhadein on Zee. They were both very different genre programmes, and did receive a lot of acclaim. As programmes go, they will be an excellent library for Zee, even when they run them again and I am sure, with the right buoyancy on the channel, these will display high TRPs as they would have.

    K3H was a new concept. We do believe that some aspects of the concept were before its time. Viewer reaction also indicates that we needed to go a lot more “behind the scenes” and less in the glamour part.

    This was also launched at a time when Sony was re-positioning itself. It would be interesting to note, that from the very first episode itself, the ratings did not stick. I guess, therefore, it is a combination of the concept as well as the overall desire for audiences to try new programming genres at this stage.
     
    “The future of Indian television is and will be a constantly changing landscape. Nothing is written in stone and nothing is carved in gold”
     
    ‘K3H’ was UTV’s big ticket show. With it crashing, has there been a rethink on the kind of shows to be done henceforth? Will UTV stay away from celebrity based shows ?
    At UTV, we have always pioneered new genres and concepts whether it has been the first ever daily soap opera in India with Shanti, and then with a high seas drama in Sea Hawks or in the early 1990s with the first medical hospital series – Lifeline (Jeevan Rekha).

    As mentioned, we believe that K3H faced many challenges and it has been a learning experience. We do not ever shy away from the concept of constantly innovating and pioneering new genres and learning from our mistakes and what research and viewer feedback tell us.
     
    Apart from the mainstream channels, is UTV venturing into shows for other channels like Sahara?
    The TV division of UTV is engaged in making programmes for multiple channels and yes, we have many concepts in development with Sahara also as well as other channels. We also develop multiple programmes for overseas channels in Singapore, Malaysia and just completed a 26 part series The Asian Cuisine Show for PBS in Canada.
     
    UTV was doing a big show on the army helicopter division. How far has it progressed?
    Sea Hawks was a path breaking concept in 1995-96 and did very well for UTV. In line with that, we think the time has come for new path breaking and big budget dramas. Presently, we are developing two concepts :

    One, on the armed forces and another, a spy series set against the backdrop of various cities all over the world.
     
    So, does the future in Indian television belong to daily soaps or weekly shows?
    The future of Indian television is and will be a constantly changing landscape. Nothing is written in stone and nothing is carved in gold.
     
    “We think the time has come for new path breaking and big budget dramas”
     

    Which other genres are you looking at now? As a long term perspective and also in the short term?
    We pursue multiple genres in the fiction and entertainment category on an ongoing basis. Other than soaps and dramas, we have many concepts under development in the children’s programme category, in the high budget action series category, game shows, sitcoms (one of the most difficult categories to develop), as well as in the categories of horror, supernatural and real life drama.
     
    What is your current relationship with Doordarshan? Are there any new shows in the pipeline for the public broadcaster?
    We have had a decade long relationship with Doordarshan. Our relationship with them has always been on-going, cordial and productive. Presently, we have three concepts under development for slotting with Doordarshan in early 2003. Furthermore, we have made very detailed proposals for them for packaging a one hour band of the best of Indian television of the last three to five years. This will give a huge boost to the public broadcaster and we are hopeful that we can move in that direction.
     
    How do you view the current impasse in the clearance of the conditional access system in the country? Is it a boon or a bane for the short term?
    For over a decade, television broadcasting grew without many regulations, and that was a great boon. However, one of the victims of lack of regulation was the unregulated way in which the cable industry grew. We do believe that regulation and legislation is clearly required. If a clear cut, well defined and legitimate pay revenue does not emerge in the very near future, it will set back the entire growth of the broadcasting and content industry for another five years.

    Therefore, any form of regulation, presently in the form of CAS, will be beneficial both in the short and long term. The challenges obviously are the criterion of who will select which channels will be free and which channels will be paid for, and the entire revenue aggregation resulting from that.

    Of course, there will be mixed agendas for everybody. But overall it’s required, it’s urgent to implement and will be beneficial in the short and long term.
     
    What about Tamil language programming? How many shows are you currently making? Is the proportion to Hindi shows increasing?
    We are active in the Tamil language space. We also have an active JV in Vijay TV in content programming and others. Presently, we have one daily soap on air on Vijay which will increase to three dailies by December/ February. With this rise in our Tamil language output, our ratios between Hindi and Tamil will be 80:20. This excludes all our English language programmes for the global market which in itself constitutes 20 per cent of our overall TV content share.
  • SET pitches Madhuri show as next big thing after ‘KBC’

    SET pitches Madhuri show as next big thing after ‘KBC’

    NEW DELHI: In a conference hall which had the festive look of a wedding pandaal, including facilities for girls to put on mehndi and an astrologer, Sony Entertainment Television India today announced in Delhi the launch of four new shows led by what the company hopes will be the small screen’s next BIG blockbuster – the Madhuri Dixit-hosted marriage reality show Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai.

    Such was the hype and excitement around KNKKH, three other big-ticket shows that were announced along with it almost failed to get a nary ripple from the assembled audience. There is the Balaji weekender show – Kya Hadsa Kya Haqeeqat – a thriller series launching 16 August (39 episodes over 13 weeks). Then there is the Indian version of gameshow Russian Roulette – Bachke Rehnaa – with Mohnish Behl in the hot seat. And lastly Kuch Kehti Hai Yeh Dhun – a musical quiz show with Raageshwari hosting.

    KNKKH is launching on 29 July and will air four times a week, Monday through to Thursday. With an estimated Rs 200 million already sunk in and around 40 episodes in the can, there is a whole lot riding on the show, which is produced by the Ronnie Screwvallah-promoted UTV.

    “Yeh sacche logon ke jazbaat or emotions ki kahani hain (this is the story of true people’s emotions),” Madhuri Dixit, filmstar-hostess and probably the best dancer Bollywood has ever seen, said after emerging from a backdoor on the stage amidst artificial “cloud” and a showering of what looked like rose petals.

    As the jampacked hall, full of advertisers, cable operators, corporates and media people, `oohed’ and `aahed’ over the dhak-dhak girl in a crimson red sari, SET India chief executive, Kunal Dasgupta announced that this was not a game show, but India’s biggest reality show.

    It was again Madhuri’s turn and she coyly said, “I hope you people like me on television the same way as you liked and appreciated my work on the big screen.”

    Clapping over, the journalists got down to some questioning which ranged from why Madhuri is not in the family way to her views on the institution of marriage, to the technical and entry aspects of the programme.

    While Madhuri handled even awkward questions with aplomb, Dasgupta added that this was not Sony’s attempt to “commercialise the institution of marriage.”

    “We are not commercialising marriage. It has always been part of our commercial entertainment (like in films),” Dasgupta said to a question on whether Sony was trying to exploit commercially the institution of marriage.

    Dasgupta also announced the three new programmes and aired an audio visual for which very few had time as everybody wanted to see Madhuri on a “jhoola” where she was, again, accompanied by Dasgupta and not her husband Dr Nene, who, however, sat in the audience quietly and went mostly unnoticed.

    Sony’s Madhuri show launching 29 July as ‘Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai’

  • Sony’s Madhuri show launching 29 July as ‘Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai’

    Sony’s Madhuri show launching 29 July as ‘Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai’

    Almost 11 months to the day after Sony Entertainment announced plans to launch Shubh Vivaah with Bollywood queen bee Madhuri Dixit as host, the mega matchmaking show is finally set to have its day on television. 

    Launching on 29 July under a new name, Kahin Naa Kahin Koi Hai, the show will air thrice a week. 

    It has been a long wait mired in litigation for SET and the show’s producer UTV (the original announcement was made on 28 August 2001) and the channel must be hoping the delay does not impact negatively on it. This might well be the reason for the change of name as there are too many “bad vibes” around it.

    Sony’s problems started after Taal Communications, which had earlier announced its own weekly matchmaking show Swayamvar, slated for an October 2001 launch on national broadcaster Doordarshan, went to court charging copyright violation. 

    In its suit, Taal, promoted by Anil Gupta, a former consultant with Zee, and actor politician Vinod Khanna, claimed that the original concept belonged to it and that it had made several presentations to the channel over the past three years without any response after which they approached DD and got approval.

    According to industry sources, Sony and Gupta reached an out-of-court agreement last week to “amicably resolve” the issue. Gupta will be an advisor on KNKKH for the time the show is on air and will get a fee per episode, sources say. 

    With an estimated Rs 200 million sunk in and around 40 episodes in the can, the news comes as a big shot in the arm for Sony which has three other big ticket shows being readied for launch.

    Apart from KNKKH, the next two months is expected to see the launch of Russian Roulette, which is a licenced product from Sony Pictures International. The show has been a huge success wherever it has broadcast. There is also a musical format game show launching soon. Then there is the Balaji weekender series that is set to launch. It will run for thirteen weeks over 39 episodes.