MUMBAI: While Star, Zee and Sahara are looking beyond the soap as far as their blockbuster offerings for the new year are concerned, Sony Entertainment is sticking with the family drama. Kahani Terri Merri, the latest “and biggest” serial from the Balaji Telefilms stable, is ready for launch.
Kahani…, which will commence airing on 20 January in the 9:30 pm slot currently held by another Balaji soap Kutumb, is much larger and far more lavish than any serial currently airing on television, according to a Balaji spokesperson.
Kahani… is said to be Balaji creative inspiration Ektaa Kapoor’s dream project and some industry sources even claim it to be a Devdas on television. What carpers call director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ode to the lavish set, Devdas is the most expensive Indian film ever made and cost producer Bharat Shah a cool Rs 500 million.
The main protagonist of the story is Tara, played by Tina Parekh of Khichdi fame and staring opposite her is Manav Gohil playing Dhruv. The other cast members include Saibalal, Shama Despande, Sumukhi Pendse, Urvashi Dholakia, Manoramaji and Rupa Sengupta.
In true Balaji tradition, it is a story about a rich joint family with many parallel story lines running alongside the central plot. The main one being the love story of the patriarch’s son and a girl from a not so well-to-do family. The twist in the tale is that the male lead has a split personality.
Both Balaji and Sony are tight-lipped about the costs involved in the making of the ‘most lavish’ and ‘extravagant’ show on Indian television.
Tag: Kutumb
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Sony to launch Balaji blockbuster ‘Kahani Terri Merri’ as ‘Kutumb’ replacement
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Balaji takes aim at regional programming
MUMBAI: The next fiscal will belong to more regional programming and a foray into overseas markets for current leader of the production house pack, Balaji Telefilms.
While the rest of the current year is being reserved for consolidations, the production house is eyeing the regional channels for shows that could well go on air in the first quarter of 2003-04. According to COO Rajesh Pavithran, the hit soap factory plans to have at least two more shows on air on south Indian channels before March 2003 itself. It is also negotiating for a slot on Sun TV, while an increased presence on Gemini, where Balaji’s Pavitrabandam has already created quite a splash, cannot be ruled out.
While the Kerala market is what Balaji is targeting for its next foray into the South, currently it is Udaya that has two Balaji shows on air and will have two more shortly. Kannadi, a daily in the 6.30 pm slot that was almost sinking into oblivion five weeks ago, has had a miraculous resurrection with the latest ratings pegging it at a TRP of 11.97 (27 September) making it Udaya’s top rated show. The turnaround, says Pavithran, can be attributed to a drastic change in the storyline.
“We keep re-inventing ourselves every three to four weeks,” says Pavithran, of Balaji’s strategy of keeping pace with viewer demands. Which is why, twists in the tales have been occurring at a faster pace on all Balaji shows of late. While the queen of soaps Kyunkii ‘s 20-year jump helped the plateauing ratings take a proportionate jump, the same has not worked for Kutumb on Sony, where one story has given way to another with the lead characters retained. The ratings are just not what they used to be and Pavithran admits that while they are not what the production house would be happy with, he is confident that the Love Story track that Kutumb is currently following will push up ratings as the plot moves along its tear jerking line.
Among the production house’s new shows lined up are Kaalki for Star (although the official contract has not been drawn up yet, according to Pavithran) and a new show for Sahara, both of which will be up and running in November.The production house is also planning programmes for Punjabi and Bangla regional channels in the next fiscal, says Pavithran.
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Sony’s Kutumb switches to new avatar
MUMBAI:Sony’s ace in the pack has donned new robes.
Kutumb, the love-hate saga that started in late October last year, has relaunched in a fresh format. After the protracted relationship between the chief protagonists Pratham and Gauri came to a happy end last week, the serial started a new story this Monday with the lead actors playing out different roles. Their names however remain the same – Pratham and Gauri.
The idea,” says Sony’s on air programming director Anupama Mandloi, “is to explore different aspects of the man-woman relationship without stretching any one story for too long.” This, the Balaji show attempts to do by retaining the now recognizable faces of the actors but by infusing a fresh storyline – the life of which will be decided by the ratings. Although Kutumb, along with Balaji sibling Kkusum continue to remain channel drivers for Sony helping it to retain a strong presence on the 9 – 10 pm timeband, the channel believes it was time for Kutumb’s family to move on. In the latest ratings released by market research agency AC Nielsen TAM Media, the show in fact ranked number 32 in the top 100 shows across C&S households with a TVR of 3.49, only slightly behind top Sony show Kkusum, which ranked 27 with a TVR of 3.8.
Mandloi is not worried that the loyal following of Kutumb might be weaned away to other channels due to the drastic change in storyline. The scene shifts to college life, with Pratham playing a cheeky teenager who doesn’t much believe in eternal love, while Gauri turns into a bespectacled, conservative girl who thinks its love that makes the world go round. The theme song has been suitably changed although the tune remains the same. Mandloi believes that any show that wants to live a long life will need to re-invent itself to succeed in these trying times.
Kutumb version 2 has however not been marked by much publicity, except for the promos run on the channel for the last two weeks. The publicity is to be built up over the next few weeks, as the viewer catches on to the new story, say channel officials.
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Sony’s Kutumb switches to new avatar
MUMBAI:Sony’s ace in the pack has donned new robes.Kutumb, the love-hate saga that started in late October last year, has relaunched in a fresh format. After the protracted relationship between the chief protagonists Pratham and Gauri came to a happy end last week, the serial started a new story this Monday with the lead actors playing out different roles. Their names however remain the same – Pratham and Gauri.
The idea,” says Sony’s on air programming director Anupama Mandloi, “is to explore different aspects of the man-woman relationship without stretching any one story for too long.” This, the Balaji show attempts to do by retaining the now recognizable faces of the actors but by infusing a fresh storyline – the life of which will be decided by the ratings. Although Kutumb, along with Balaji sibling Kkusum continue to remain channel drivers for Sony helping it to retain a strong presence on the 9 – 10 pm timeband, the channel believes it was time for Kutumb’s family to move on. In the latest ratings released by market research agency AC Nielsen TAM Media, the show in fact ranked number 32 in the top 100 shows across C&S households with a TVR of 3.49, only slightly behind top Sony show Kkusum, which ranked 27 with a TVR of 3.8.
Mandloi is not worried that the loyal following of Kutumb might be weaned away to other channels due to the drastic change in storyline. The scene shifts to college life, with Pratham playing a cheeky teenager who doesn’t much believe in eternal love, while Gauri turns into a bespectacled, conservative girl who thinks its love that makes the world go round. The theme song has been suitably changed although the tune remains the same. Mandloi believes that any show that wants to live a long life will need to re-invent itself to succeed in these trying times.
Kutumb version 2 has however not been marked by much publicity, except for the promos run on the channel for the last two weeks. The publicity is to be built up over the next few weeks, as the viewer catches on to the new story, say channel officials.
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Kkusum scores a perfect 10 in ratings
It seems to be Sony’s turn to ride the crest of the Balaji wave.
Kkusum and Kutumb, both family soaps from the Balaji stable have peaked at all time high TVRs of 10.2 and 8.3 respectively during the week ended 2 February, according to the channel. Quoting TAM figures, Sony says the channel has steadily consolidated its position in the 9 – 10 pm slot from October 2001, when the two serials went on air. The gradual phasing out of the once hugely popular Kaun Banega Crorepati on Star Plus coupled with the mass appeal of the staple Balaji fare seem to have combined to create a winning formula for Sony in the beginning of 2002.
While Kkusum is pitched as the extraordinary story of an ordinary girl and her family, Kutumb is touted as a fiery saga of a couple who get married for revenge. Kkusum goes on air at 9 pm on weekdays while Kutumb is aired Mondays to Thursdays at 9:30 pm. The channel is attempting to strengthen its prime time band by bringing in Dhadkan, a hospital series that airs Mondays to Wednesdays 8:30 pm.
Rivals Star Plus and Zee are mustering up their prime time fare as well. While Star has launched a slew of new shows from the New Year, Zee has also introduced new programmes across genres to bring in the audiences.
Comparative ratings during the week ended 2 February, 2002
9-10 pm TVRs
Sony
Star Plus
Zee
Oct ’01
6.2
7.3
4.3
Nov ’01
7.0
6.6
4.8
Dec ’01
7.5
7.3
4.1
Jan ’02
9.5
8.5
3.4 -
Balaji rides high on Q3 expectations
Jewels in the Balaji crown, Kyunki and Kahaani may have hit a plateau, but its other soaps are keeping the company on a winning growth graph, just ahead of its third quarter results.
Balaji Telefilms’ stock hit an all time high of Rs 414.75 on Wednesday, rising 10.2 per cent over its previous close of Rs 376.25. Impressive third quarter results that are to be announced on 21 January have been instrumental in raising investors’ expectations and pushing the share prices. The market expects the company to post a profit after tax of Rs 76 million, 76 per cent higher than in the same period last year.
The company’s new high budget soaps, Kasauti Zindagi Kay on Star Plus and Kutumb and Kkusum on Sony that launched in October 2001 have also contributed to the strong performance of the Balaji stock. According to a report released by DSP Merrill Lynch, the company is riding high on the success of a slew of serials launched in the first half of the year and price increases of as much as 100 per cent on many of its running serials. In December 2001, the report notes, Balaji accounted for 16 of the top 20 Hindi satellite TV programmes on Indian television, against 9 in March 2000.
Reports that some new serials, and even a telefilm, is expected to be aired from the Balaji stable by March 2002 has further boosted the company’s image.
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Sony’s stakes claim as frontrunner in 9-10 pm band
The soap brigade has elbowed its way into the top position in the 9 to 10 pm band as well. The waning KBC has helped Sony’s Kkusum and Kutumb climb to the top of the charts, even as Star continues to hold sway with two more Balaji soaps in the 10-11 pm slot.
Kkusum, Sony says, has registered a steady rise in ratings, with the TAM ratings for the week ending 1 December, putting Kkusum at 8.6. Kutumb, the saga of a couple who get married for vengeful purposes, has apparently been a consistent favourite with viewers from the first week. The channel claims an ‘incredible high of 6.6 in only the fourth week after its launch’, quoting TAM ratings for the week ended 1 December. The sample covers the north and west (Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Rest of Maharashtra and Rest of Uttar Pradesh).
Kkusum, a daily soap on weekdays, is the only show to have toppled KBC from its perch in the 9 pm slot, claims Sony. Kutumb, which runs Mondays through Thursdays, is the channel’s latest offering, but has already established a lead in its slot at 9:30 pm.
SET needs to ensure that both the soaps hold viewer interest, with Star just having brought in the Neena Gupta hosted Kamzor Kadii Kaun (airing Tuesdays at 9 pm). Star is also introducing another serial Sanjivani, that promises to be quite gripping, based as it is on the US series Chicago Hope. Sanjivani will take the 9 pm slot on Wednesdays from 16 January 2002.
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SET to unveil new look Saturday as ‘Kutumb’ completes week on air
It’s all happening at Sony Entertainment television. Close on the heels of the launch of its new serial Kutumb on Monday, the channel is all set to take on a whole new on-air look from Saturday, 3 November, at 7 am.
All part of the “course correction” exercise underway at Sony, sister channel MAX will also sport a new look soon.
Termed as being linked to the sixth anniversary celebrations of its flagship channels, the new on-air look has been a major project for the SET team. Kacon Sethi, executive V-P, who led the team, says: “From Day One, slick and unique packaging has been one of the strengths of Sony Entertainment Television, and our viewers have always had very high expectations of the channel. Hence the on-air look refreshes every two years, and this time we felt that our sixth anniversary would be the perfect time to make the change happen.”
The new look has been executed by the Hollywood-based award winning design house Belief, which bagged a pitch that was open to seven other design houses from the USA and UK, a company release states.
“We’ve done three sets of designs for the new look,” Sethi reveals, “And you will see it evolve every six months.”
On the programming front, Monday saw the launch at 9:30 pm of Kutumb, the new daily soap from the – you guessed it – Balaji stable,.
Kutumb is the first new serial on Sony after its rightsizing exercise and runs monday to Thursday. It telecasts immediately after Kkusum, the current channel driver, which is on air five days a week at 9 pm.
SET will be watching on tenterhooks as two new Star serials – Aruna Irani’s maiden directorial venture, Des Mein Nikala Hoga Chand takes the 9-10 pm slot on Mondays and another Balaji production, Kasauti Zindagi Kay will beam from Monday to Thursday at 8:30 pm. The launch of the two Star serials coincides with the whittling down of gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepati to twice a week.
With Movers and Shakers gone, and the launch of Shubh Vivaah (a matrimonial show hosted by screen queen Madhuri Dixit) delayed indefinitely, Sony now desperately needs a hit, which it hopes Kutumb, will deliver.
Initial reports of Kutumb appear to be positive though with viewers taking kindly to the “different” plotline.
For related reports on Sony’s new strategies and Kutumb plotline click below:
Sony hopes soaps will do for the near term
Tide has turned for Sony, asserts Dasgupta