ITV

Tag: Life OK

  • Star Plus and Colors only two to gain in week 49

    Star Plus and Colors only two to gain in week 49

    MUMBAI: The week 49 of TAM TV ratings saw Star Plus and Colors gain while other channels saw a downward trend.

     

    Star Plus, continued to reign the ratings charts with 642101 GVTs, up from 625440 GVTs.

     

    The channel’s chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum gained a few numbers and registered 13109 TVTs, up from 12858 TVTs, Saathiya Saath too saw a jump and scored 9216 TVTs, up from 8170 TVTs and Nisha Aur Uske Cousins reported 4631 TVTs, down from 4865 TVTs.

     

    At the second place stood Colors with 475969 GVTs up from 466969 GVTs. Udaan leads the chart with 6396 TVTs, up from 6123 TVTs followed by Sasural Simar Ka at 6372 TVTs, down from 6512 TVTs and Balika Vadhu with 4882 TVTs, up from 4692 TVTs.

     

    Zee TV, which has been dislodged from its second position for a while now, dropped to 418920 GVTs from 434988 GVTs, it registered last week. Kumkum Bhagya tops the chart with 7701 TVTs, down from 8326 TVTs, Jodha Akbar at number two garnered 6915 TVTs, down from 7422 TVTs and Qubool Hai notched up and stood at 6800 TVTs, up from 6721 TVTs.

     

    Life OK, at number four, witnessed 296175 GVTs a drop from last week’s 324376 GVTs. Comedy Classes stood at 2527 TVTs, up from 2417 TVTs and Savdhan India scored 2392 TVTs, down from 2556 TVTs.

     

    MSM’s Sab and Sony too witnessed a drop. The comedy channel scored 281028 GVTs down from 298804 GVTs while Sony fell from last week’s 230238 GVTs to 226307 GVTs, this week.

     

    Sab’s chart leader Taarek Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continued getting eyeballs and reported 8380 TVTs, up from 8255 TVTs. Chidiya Ghar lost some numbers and registered 2904 TVTs, down from 3151 TVTs and Family Antakshari observed 1302 TVTs, down from 1535 TVTs.

     

    Sony’s crime property Crime Patrol saw a drop in the viewership and recorded 2112 TVTs, down from 2386 TVTs, Adaalat too saw a drop in the ratings with 1590 TVTs, down from 2124 TVTs and Maharana Veer Pratap grew with 2718 TVTs, up from 2630 TVTs.

     

    Big Magic dropped to 60843 GVTs from 61809 GVTs; Zindagi to 30630 GVTs from 31344 GVTs and Sony Pal witnessed 32834 GVTs down from 32914 GVTs.

     

    Epic continued its upward trend as it gained 3693 GVTs up from 2926 GVTs.

  • Epic leaves its mark at TAM TV ratings

    Epic leaves its mark at TAM TV ratings

    MUMBAI: After a long time, it is time to rejoice for MSM as week 48 of TAM TV ratings saw the network channels observing a growth in the viewership.

    Sab at number five witnessed 298,804 GVTs, up from 275,600 GVTs. Its chart leader Taarek Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continued getting eyeballs and reported 8,255 TVTs, up from 7,175 TVTs. Chidiya Ghar too added some numbers and registered 3,151 TVTs, up from 2,785 TVTs and Family Antakshari observed 1,536 TVTs, up from 1,190 TVTs.

    Despite a rise, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) stood at number six with 230,238 GVTs, up from 206,513 GVTs. The channel’s crime property Crime Patrol saw a significant rise in the viewership and recorded 2,386 TVTs, up from 1,521 TVTs, Adaalat too saw a hike in the ratings with 2,124 TVTs, up from 1,567 TVTs and Maharan Veer Pratap remained almost stable with 2,630 TVTs, up from 2,628 TVTs.

    Talking about the rest, the ranking order remained unchanged. Despite a drop, Star Plus continued to be the leader with 625,440 GVTs, down from 630,817 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum lost some numbers and registered 12,858 TVTs, down from 13,400 TVTs, Saathiya Saath too saw a drop and scored 8,170 TVTs, down from 8,763 TVTs and Nisha Aur Uske Cousins reported 4,865 TVTs, down from 4,904 TVTs.

    Colors stayed happy at number two with 466,969 GVTs, down from 481,802 GVTs. Sasural Simar Ka leads the chart with 6,512 TVTs, down from 7,260 TVTs followed by Udaan at 6,123 TVTs, down from 6,797 TVTs and Balika Vadhu delivered 4,692 TVTs, down from 4,804 TVTs.

    At number three, Zee TV was the gainer and scored 434,988 GVTs, up from 433,251 GVTs. Kumkum Bhagya tops the chart with 8,326 TVTs, up from 8,021 TVTs, Jodha Akbar at number two garnered 7,422 TVTs, up from 7,336 TVTs and Qubool Hai notched up and stood at 6,722 TVTs, up from 6,457 TVTs.

    Life OK remained at number four with 324,376 GVTs, down from 325,953 GVTs. Its new offering Pukar saw a decent start with 1,382 TVTs. Comedy Classes stood at 2,418 TVTs, up from 2,234 TVTs and Savdhan India scored 2,557 TVTs, up from 2,577 TVTs.

    On the other hand, Big Magic saw a dip in the viewership and recorded 61,809 GVTs, down from 68,667 GVTs. Sony Pal witnessed a rise in the ratings and observed 32,914 GVTs, up from 30,457 GVTs and Zindagi tracked 31,344 GVTs, up from 30,125 GVTs. The newest entrant, Epic observed a significant rise and noted 2,926 GVTs, up from 1,240 GVTs.

     

  • Hathway’s googly; comes up with new Star packaging

    Hathway’s googly; comes up with new Star packaging

    MUMBAI: A month after Star India’s reference interconnect offer (RIO) deals came into effect in the DAS areas, multi system operator (MSO) Hathway Cable & Datacom has come out with its new pricing and packaging system.

     

    Hathway has been conducting meetings with operators in various areas, the last ones being in Aurangabad, Pune and Pimpri. As per cable operators, who were a part of the meetings, Hathway has said that it will be empowering and training the operators to run the business of collection from subscribers.

     

    Four new packs have been introduced. The first is the ‘Basic Pack’ for Rs 230 that will, along with other channels, have seven Star channels. These are: Star Plus, Life OK, Star Gold, Movies OK, Channel V, NGC and Star Pravah, for Marathi regions and Star Jalsha in Bengal. This will depend on the stronghold of Hathway in the states.

     

    The second pack is for Rs 289 and called ‘Popular Pack’. This will have, in addition to the above, a choice of one out of the two sports channels from Star Sports 1 or Star Sports 3. Both these channels show the same content in English and Hindi respectively.

     

    The third pack will be for Rs 349 and will have Star Movies, Star World, Movies Action and FX while the last ‘Premium Pack’ for Rs 419 will consist of an addition of its other niche channels such as Fox Crime, Nat Geo Music, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo People, Fox Life etc.

     

    Regional channels such as Asianet, Asianet Suvarna and Star Vijay have been kept out of packs and will be available on a-la-carte while all of Star’s channels will be available on a-la-carte as well.

     

    Hathway will embark on a big marketing campaign to inform viewers about this and viewers can immediately switch over to new packs. For now, the MSO is not disconnecting signals to its subscribers. 

     

  • Zee TV, Life OK and SET gain big: TAM TV ratings

    Zee TV, Life OK and SET gain big: TAM TV ratings

    MUMBAI: The ranking order of the six topmost Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) remained the same in the week 47 of TAM TV ratings. The channel’s to gain this week are Zee TV, Life OK and Sony Entertainment Television (SET).

     

    Zee TV at number three reported 433,251 GVTs, up from 418,880 GVTs. The biggest highlight for the channel was KumKum Bhagya which witnessed a huge viewership and observed 8,021 TVTs, up from 6,837 TVTs. Jamai Raja too saw a rise in the ratings and stood at 7,133 TVTs, up from 6,583 TVTs and Aur pyar Ho Gaya noted 5,676 TVTs, up from 4,894 TVTs.

     

    Life OK continued to have a strong run at number four with 325,955 GVTs, up from 312,543 GVTs. The shows that grew were Savdhan India which reported 2,577 TVTs, up from 2,328 TVTs, Comedy Classes garnered 2,234 TVTs, up from 2,132 TVTs and Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali scored 1,510 TVTs.

     

    SET at number six registered 206,514 GVTs, up from 189,679 GVTs. The channel’s new series Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar saw a decent start and scored 1,440 TVTs. Its crime property CID observed 3,562 TVTs, up from 3,098 TVTs and Maharan Veer Pratap tracked 2,628 TVTs, up from 2,546 TVTs.

     

    Talking about the losers this week, the numero uno Star Plus scored 630,854 GVTs, down from 657,629 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum saw a drop in the viewership and garnered 13,400 TVTs, down from 13,962 TVTs, Saathiya Saath recorded 8,763 TVTs, down from 9,647 TVTs and Ye Hai Mohababtein scored 9,316 TVTs, down from 9,599 TVTs.

     

    Colors at number two recorded 481,803 GVTs, down from 483,364 GVTs. Despite a drop, Sasural Simar Ka continued to be the chart topper with 7,260 TVTs, down from 7,717 TVTs, Udaan too lost some eyeballs as it garnered 6,797 TVTs, down from 7,253 TVTs and Balika Vadhu reported 4,804 TVTs, down from 5,182 TVTs.

     

    At number five stood Sab with 275,597 GVTs, down from 295,904 GVTs. Its chart leader Taarek Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah reported 7,175 TVTs, up from 7,120 TVTs, Family Antakshari observed 1,190 TVTs, down from 1,466 TVTs and Badi Door se Aaye Hai tracked 2,322 TVTs, down from 2,474 TVTs.

     

    Big Magic viewership has grown by 12 per cent this week on the back of artist specials and faces in key show. It recorded 68,667 GVTs, up from 61,220 GVTs. On the other hand, Zindagi gained and recorded 30,125 GVTs, up from 29,324 GVTs and Sony Pal registered 30,457 GVTs, down from 32,126 GVTs. 

  • “The biggest idea can come from somebody you are not looking at”: Ajit Thakur

    “The biggest idea can come from somebody you are not looking at”: Ajit Thakur

    MUMBAI: It is the only channel, which has never shied away from experimenting; from mythology to drama, from thriller to comedy, it has done it all. The soon-to-be three-year-old channel from the Star Network’s stable, Life OK, has always been riding high on success.

    For ‘The Content Hub’, indiantelevision.com spoke to the channel’s EVP and GM Ajit Thakur to understand his views on how Indian content has shifted its paradigm and challenges that he faces while spotting new talents.

    According to Thakur, more than the concepts the channel is always looking out for fresher talent. “We are looking at people from Bollywood and advertising to come to us with different concepts. Also, we want to explore more genres. Currently, with Pukaar we are not only exploring action genre but also have got on board film director Vipul A Shah. In the future, we would love to do a lot more of comedy, thrillers, spy stories and a mythology.”

    He believes that with both television and Bollywood growing at a tremendous speed, the demand for the same writers has increased over the years, making the task different. “We can all either wait for those people to come on board or can develop our own talent. Therefore, we have hired a lot of new writers.”

    For shows like Mahadev and Savdhaan India, the channel has in-house writers. According to him talent spotting and retaining that talent is a big challenge as well. “One might be available today but he/she will get busy after six months. Plus, one cannot depend on established talent. So, we have to develop our own talent,” says Thakur.

    He goes on to say that though Indian content has the ability to travel abroad; it will take some time because currently, the industry is not investing enough on production to scale it up. “Production quality will take another five to seven years to enter international market. But the interesting concepts will take lesser amount of time,” he says while adding that our shows are currently travelling to the Middle East and South Asia because of Indian diaspora, but for a show to have the scale for it to be sub-titled and aired in America, it will take time.

    Is Indian content shifting its paradigm? According to Thakur, it is but slower than one would like it to. “Our viewers are evolving fast but at the end of it our cultural context is important too. As a country we are very different, so it’s not that our viewers are not evolving but they are evolving within the paradigm of Indian society where families are important and cultural values are important.”

    He adds, “I think we have to take pride in the kind of stories we tell, but we need to produce them at the scale, which the international markets can look up to.”

    Thakur has two best practices when it comes to sparking off changes in the thought and creation process of content. One, it is very important to have the right insights on which one wants to work on. “One should know who your target is whether you are a TV channel, filmmaker or a digital platform. I think very often we are making a mistake of not looking at who we want to target at, carefully. Who is your core TG? Is it urban India or rural India? Is it men or women? Is it young families or joint families? It is an important factor which many a times we overlook.”

    Second, once you are clear about the TG then instead of trying to do many things, one must focus on one thing they are good at. “If you are developing one genre, develop a number of dramas, be the best at it rather than trying to do everything. And once you know that this is the target group and this is the kind of audience you want to target, then go ahead and find multiple story tellers. Never think that the current best lot is the one that will take it to the next level. Probably the biggest idea will come from somebody you are not looking at,” concludes Thakur.

     

  • Sony observes a huge drop in week 46

    Sony observes a huge drop in week 46

    MUMBAI: It was a bad week for Sony Entertainment Television (SET), which saw a significant drop in its viewership. In the week 46 of TAM TV ratings, it recorded 189,679 GVTs, down from 245,413 GVTs.

    The shows that saw a massive drop were Crime Petrol which tracked 1,404 TVTs, down from 2,049 TVTs, the newly launched series Tum Eise Hi Rehana got 843 TVTs, down from 2,648 TVTs and Adaalat noted 1,456 TVTs, down from 1,760 TVTs.

    On the other hand, despite a drop, Colors continued its strong run at number two with 483,364 GVTs, down from 485,940 GVTs. The channel’s most famous reality show Bigg Boss 8 saw a fall in the viewership as it reported 4,947 TVTs, down from 5,073 TVTs, Comedy Nights with Kapil too lost a few eyeballs as it noted 6,094 TVTs, down from 6,379 TVTs and Uttaran stood at 2,686 TVTs, down from, 2,993 TVTs.

    Star Plus continued to be the number one with 657,629 GVTs, up from 609,924 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum climbed new heights as it witnessed 13,962 TVTs, up from 11,552 TVTs; its new series Everest scored 3,144 TVTs, up from 2,824 TVTs. The channel’s talk show Satyamev Jayate too saw a significant rise in the ratings and observed 3,375 TVTs, up from 2,180 TVTs.

    Zee TV ranked at number three with 418,880 GVTs, up from 393,540 GVTs. Jodha Akbar topped the chart with 7,649TVTs, down from 7,689 TVTs, Jamai Raja at number two scored 6,583 TVTs, up from 6,515 TVTs and at number three stood Kumkum Bhagya with 6,837 TVTs, up from 6,383 TVTs. The channel’s stint with comedy Neeli Chhatri Wale also worked wonders for it as it witnessed 4,153 TVTs, up from 3,388 TVTs.

    Meanwhile, Life OK remained stable at number four with 312,543 GVTs, up from 305,403 GVTs. The shows that grew were Comedy Classes, which registered 2,132 TVTs, up from 2,079 TVTs, Ajeeb Daastan Hai with 1,501 TVTs, up from 1,323 TVTs and Laut Aao Trisha which stood at 1,060 TVTs, up from 909 TVTs.

    Sab retained its position at number five with 295,904 GVTs, up from 284,515 GVTs. Its chart leader Taarek Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah reported 7,120 TVTs, up from 6,076 TVTs, Badi Door se Aaye Hai noted 2,474 TVTs, up from 2,121 TVTs and Gutar Goon scored 1,015 TVTs, up from 907 TVTs.

    Big Magic observed a drop in the viewership and noted 61,220 GVTs, down from 68,547 GVTs. On the other hand, Sony Pal witnessed a rise and recorded 32,126 GVTs, up from 30,710 GVTs and Zindagi lost a few numbers and scored 29,324 GVTs, down from 31,475 GVTs.

     

     

  • “Channel V’s biggest competition is Life OK and Star Plus”: Ajit Thakur

    “Channel V’s biggest competition is Life OK and Star Plus”: Ajit Thakur

    Three years ago when Star India decided to re-launch one of its redundant channel, Star One, as Life OK with new and fresh content, nobody expected that the channel, in a short span of time, would make a strong hold at number four at the ratings chart.

     

    Taking the responsibility on his young shoulders was none other than Ajit Thakur, who didn’t succumb to the temptation of doing the usual general entertainment channel (GEC) saas-bahu soaps, to create its own identity in the clustered market.

     

    With the channel creating new heights with its unique and poignant stories, the network handed additional responsibility to Life OK EVP and GM to head one of its sister youth entertainment channel, Channel V.

     

    In his first interview, after taking the charge at Channel V, Thakur chats with indiantelevision.com’s Disha Shah about his new role, challenges that he has to face and how he handles the two channels. 

      

    Excerpts:

     

    Life OK and Channel V are two very different entities, so how are you coping with the two properties?

     

    Life OK is my baby. I launched the channel so my attachment to it will never fade away. Also, the channel is in a very competitive category so it requires a lot more attention from me.

     

    On the other hand, Channel V holds a strong position in its genre and has a strong team. The brand thinking is sorted. The way I am seeing my role is that on Channel V my job is more like a mentor and on Life OK, I am the doer.

     

    And in both channels, the biggest challenge is how to build a great second line. Channel V has Nipa Asharam and Vaishali Lavania , who are very strong marketing and programming heads, respectively and on Life OK, we have Sushma Rajesh and Yuvraj Bhattacharya. I need to build these teams and move towards chief mentoring role so that I can think about how to grow the two channels. It’s tough; I have to add four hours more to my work day (laughs).

     

    Was it a difficult decision to head Channel V? How has the year been for the channel?

     

    I have loved the Channel V brand. The kind of content we get to do on the youth channel, we can’t do that on a regular general entertainment channel (GEC). I was excited about it. And since, Sanjay Gupta thought it was right for the company, so I took it up.

     

    Channel V is in a great place because it has been number one for 52 weeks in a row, all thanks to it, sticking to the brand positioning, ‘Correct Hai’. As a brand it is testimony to the fact that in the youth space if you get the brand and the positioning right, the youth will come to television.

     

    My aim for Channel V is that it should give Life OK and Star Plus a run for the money. In terms of programming, at Channel V we should create content that changes and creates a revolution.

     

    What is going to be your strategy in terms of programming, marketing or digital so that the youth channel can create a revolution? How are you going to achieve that?

     

    In terms of the brand, no changes, I am very happy with it. But in terms of programming, we can do a lot more. Today it is the leader with 40-45 GRPs, why can’t it be 100 GRPs is the question I ask myself. The youth is watching content and in that context we have a lot of opportunities thrown at us.

     

    We have few daily shows like Sadaa Haq, D3, P.S I Hate You and Gumraah is twice a week. We plan to add more original hours of content. In the coming months, we are launching some very interesting new shows. One of them is called ‘Friends’.

     

    We are exploring ways of how we can grow the channel faster. It could be with more shows and more platforms. It could be either or both.

     

    What kind of platforms?

     

    Platforms like IndiaFest. It is one of the biggest youth festivals in the country, can that be made bigger? Are there ways to take the footprints of the brand beyond just TV and on TV what can we do more? The brand is good, the team is good, and my task is to grow the footprint of the brand.

     

    Do creative talent understand the youth programming today? Are there enough production houses which understand the youth content?

     

    Yes. And the younger they are the better they understand. We have a very young people as interns, who work in the team and they come up with some really good creative ideas. Answering second part of the question, there are enough writers. There is writing talent, the task is to find that talent and get them to work for us.

     

    You have to find a different set of story tellers, if you will take the same GEC story tellers, they will write it like a GEC. So, the challenge is how to find those new people. At Channel V, we are always looking for new writers and producers.

     

    Youth is a fickle audience with a very short attention span, so how do you plan to keep them engaged?

     

    Early days, don’t know, yet. But the channel will have a very big role to play in the life of the youth in India and that is what we are preparing for. We don’t know the answers yet whether it will be events or on-ground or digital or television.

     

    How do you see current competition coming from other channels?

     

    Channel V’s biggest competition is GECs; it’s not the youth channels. Because a lot of youth are watching GECs, so how do we convert them to watch Channel V. Channel V’s biggest competition is Life OK and Star Plus.

     

    It’s been a year since the revamp. How has it helped the channel, so far?

     

    We have seen almost 30-40 per cent growth in terms of viewership in across markets and it’s been growing steadily. It went up to a high of 50 plus TRPs, so I believe it is in a good space.

     

    How has been the advertisers’ response towards the channel?

     

    They are very happy with it. In fact our advertisers’ base has been growing; more brands are coming on to the channel. IndiaFest is happening is February and we have already sold it, so people are seeing the power. Everybody wants a pie of the youth and within that this is by far the number one platform.

     

    And how is the licensing and the merchandising business doing?

    Not very big right now. I am not very sure what to do with it. It’s an extension of the brand, but currently not on the radar.

     

  • Colors, Life OK and Big Magic the only gainers in week 45

    Colors, Life OK and Big Magic the only gainers in week 45

    MUMBAI: After a good show in week 44, where all the general entertainment channels (GECs) witnessed a rise in the viewership, week 45 of TAM TV ratings had a different story to tell. Most of the GECs observed a fall in the ratings.

     

    The only channels which grew were Colors, Life OK and Big Magic. Colors continued its strong hold at number two with 485,940 GVTs, up from 456,890 GVTs. Sasural Simar Ka reported number one position with 7,129 TVTs, up from 6,447 TVTs. At number two was Udaan with 6,416 TVTs, up from 6,021 TVTs. On the non-fiction front, Comedy Nights with Kapil saw a significant growth with 6,379 TVTs, up from 5,863 TVTs.

     

    Big Magic saw a growth of 22 per cent with 68,547 GVTs, up from 56,061 GVTs.

     

    Meanwhile, Life OK remained stable with 305,403 GVTs, up from 305,165 GVTs. The channel’s two crime properties, Savdhan India and Shapath, scored 2,320 TVTs, up from 2,189 TVTs and 1,932 TVTs, up from 1,737 TVTs, respectively. Its stint with comedy, Comedy Classes saw a significant growth and registered 2,079 TVTs, up from 1,790 TVTs.

     

    Amongst the losers, the numero uno Star Plus observed a significant fall and reported 609,924 GVTs, down from 655,032 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper, Diya Aur Baati Hum is reaching new heights every week as it garnered 11,552 TVTs, up from 10,796 TVTs. Second placed Ye Hai Mohababtein scores 8,874 TVTs, down from 8,908 TVTs and at number three stood Saathiya Saath with 8,831 TVTs, down from 9,301 TVTs.

     

    Zee TV at number three attained 393,540 GVTs, down from 404,572 GVTs. Jodha Akbar tops the chart with 7,689 TVTs, down from 8,234 TVTs, Jamai Raja at number two scored 6,515 TVTs, down from 6,744 TVTs and at number three observed Kumkum Bhagya with 6,383 TVTs, down from 7,080 TVTs. Dil Se Nache Indiawale witnessed a rise in the viewership with 2,715 TVTs, up from 2,374 TVTs.

     

    Despite a drop, Sab retained its position at number four with 284,515 GVTs, down from 306,985 GVTs. Its chart leader Taarek Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah reported 6,076 TVTs, down from 6,317 TVTs and at number two stood Balveer which observed a rise in the viewership and garnered 2,365 TVTs, up from 2,300 TVTs.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television (SET) delivered 245,413 GVTs, down from 285,159 GVTs. CID continues to be the number one show for the channel with 3,360 TVTs, up from 3,218 TVTs. KBC ranks second with 2,648 TVTs, down from 3,040 TVTs.

     

    Zindagi observed 31,500 GVTs, up from 31,325 GVTs and Sony Pal tracked 30,695 GVTs, down from 31,402 GVTs.

  • “Mini-series is the way forward”: Vipul A Shah

    “Mini-series is the way forward”: Vipul A Shah

    MUMBAI: He started his career as a director with a soap opera called Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka on Sony Entertainment Television (SET) in the year 1999. It was the first Hindi fiction series to reach the landmark of 1000 episodes and is considered as one of the longest-running television serials of Indian television.

     

    After that, there was no looking back for Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who has given the film industry hit movies like Aankhen (2002), Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005), Namastey London (2007), London Dreams (2009) and Action Replay (2010) as a director. He has also produced movies like Singh Is King, Force, Commando and Holiday.  

     

    The producer cum director is back to the small screen, and this time with an action series Pukaar – Call for the Hero on Life OK.

     

    In the second of the Content Hub series, Indiantelevision.com had a quick chat with Vipul Shah to understand his views on the growth of content over the years and what the audience expects from a director/producer.

     

    According to Shah, the larger issue with television content is that it is static. “We have got stuck into the rut where we feel that the audience just wants to see the saas-bahu soaps and that is the only way forward. I don’t think that is right,” he says.

     

    He believes that audiences are not stagnant and they move forward even before the creators of the show realise. “There was a time when daily soaps would clock a TRP of 20 plus. Today the number one show is five or a little more than that. This only suggests that the number of viewers watching the series is no longer the same.”

     

    With most television content packed with saas-bahu soaps, Shah feels that somewhere the television audience is losing interest. “And largely, producers are to be blamed for not creating different content. I think the time has come where channels and producers need to realise and give a new dimension to the work we are doing.”

     

    He wants the television industry to evolve and think beyond saas-bahu soaps. With its new series being a bi-weekly and a finite one (slated for 24 episodes), he says that the audience is looking out for something new always. According to Shah, mini-series is the way forward. “Internationally, it is the way. We are going to move forward with mini-series,” he adds.

     

    He strongly believes that Indian content has the ability to travel abroad. Shah informs that his directorial debut Aankhen was going to be made in Hollywood as well. “We had almost sold our rights to a Hollywood studio. My producer messed up the deal; otherwise Aankhen would have been the first film to travel to Hollywood.”

     

    Shah states that we should not worry too much about what Hollywood wants and should concentrate on the Indian market. “If we are able to satisfy the 125 crore people in India, the whole world will come to us,” he opines.

     

    Talking about creative freedom from the broadcasters end, Shah says that he has always been given absolute freedom. “Nobody has ever told me anything in terms of how I should write or direct.”

     

    As a maker, Shah is open to look at concepts which are new, dynamic, challenging and fun to execute.

     

    For the background, Content Hub brings together writers, creators, producers, artistes and broadcast executives, both for TV and digital on one platter. The initiative is aimed at established professionals, newbies and anyone who is keen on taking the plunge into the fascinating world of writing, producing and creating for television and the digital space.

  • Life OK gets bolder with action series ‘Pukaar – Call for the Hero’

    Life OK gets bolder with action series ‘Pukaar – Call for the Hero’

    MUMBAI: Off lately, Life OK, has been on an experimenting mode. After experimenting with different genres, the channel is set to introduce an action thriller series christened Pukaar – Call for the Hero.

    A tribute to the Indian army, viewers will get to see a different style of action rarely explored on small screen. Produced by the one who masters in the genre, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who has made films like Force, Commando and Holiday, which were based on ‘Men in Uniform’.

    With this show, Shah intends to raise the bar of action ever experienced on the small screen. According to him, viewers can expect a 70mm big screen feel while watching the show.

    The show has many firsts. It marks the debut of Rannvijay Singh and Adah Sharma in fictional space. The comedian actor, Devan Bhojani, enters the action genre as the co-director and legendary actor Raj Babaar returns to the television. Talking about action, the show gets its might right from Allan Amin, who is the action director.

    Currently the channel runs Tumhari Paakhi at 8.30 pm and Laut Aao Trisha at 9pm. With the new series on-board, the channel for the first time is putting a male centric show on weekdays (Mon and Tues). The hour-long show will see curtains down on Tumahri Paakhi.

    Life OK EVP and general manager Ajit Thakur say, “We were actually thinking of doing it on Saturdays and Sundays till three weeks back, but then we thought it will be lost somewhere as on weekends there are too many things happening.”

    Thakur states the decision of putting it up on Monday-Tuesday’s might stand out or fail, but it will not be lost. “Women may still not sample it all. That’s a risk. Weekends would not have been as much of novelty.”

    Talking about the theme, Thakur says that the channel wanted to create larger than life heroes which it started with Mahadev and Hatim, and it wanted to get Bollywood creative talent on television.

    Shah and Thakur met five months and after brainstorming, the duo locked on the final concept for two reasons. “If we talk about home grown action series there are shows like Shapath and CID. 24 was more of a thriller. We wanted something which was far more on local issues,” reasons Thakur.

    Also, the channel wanted to explore a new relationship between a father and a son. “While for me action is the main USP of the show, the bigger USP of the show is the father and son relationship that has been rarely been exploded on TV.”

    Isn’t it going in the same lines of Everest where the show talks about a father-daughter relationship? Thakur denies the fact and says that Everest is still centred around Star Plus’s belief on the female protagonist and her journey. “We wanted to continue doing more male centric shows and from that point of view it is his journey and in the context of to win over his father’s love. To that level there is a similarity and of course these are both very proficient Bollywood movie talent, but the similarity ends there.”

    The story is of a soldier (Singh) whose responsibility does not only limit to his country and his family but also to the common man, for it is he who rises above all odds to be recognised as people’s hero and a saviour against a tyrant ruling a city.

    One of the things that Thakur was very keen on doing was that can it not be just chases and explosions, but more than it. Shah completely agreed and came up with hand comb act. The show has used the best of technicians, cameras gadgets and locations for the show.

    Almost 10 episodes have been canned in various locales like Manali and Mumbai. Talking about the marketing strategies, Thakur believes the PR of the show is most interesting. The channel along with the cast will be travelling to the Lucknow and Kanpur Army cantonment and will be showing previews there. Moreover, the channel is aiming at putting longer promos and not restricted to 10-20 seconds. “It is very different type of content, so people will take time to get used to it.”

    The show has got LIC as its powered by sponsor and the channel is hunting for two presenting sponsors for the show.