MUMBAI: In the last three seasons, it has tapped the audience’s heart with jaw dropping performances by the contestants. From introducing the Indian audience to dance forms like locking and popping, hip hop moves to “slo-mo” style, to making dance popular among all age-groups, dance reality show Dance India Dance has done it all. Now, the show is back with its season 4 with a bang. Come 26 October, it will celebrate the passion of dancing every Saturday-Sunday at 9:00 pm only on Zee TV.
While Maruti continues to be its title sponsor, the channel has also signed a deal with WeChat and eight other associate sponsors have been roped in.
The new slogan, “Dance It Out” is refreshing and sends out a strong message to its viewers that nothing is impossible to learn, dancing definitely not!
Talking at the launch, Zeel content head Ajay Bhalwankar says: “DID brings in raw talent from every nook and corner of the country. You don’t need to be a star, your talent and passion for dance will say it all.”
Produced by Essel Vision, the show will follow the format similar to the original season where 18 contestants are divided into three teams led by three masters. The masters will groom and mentor their respective teams in every episode to face the “Dance ka Tashan”.
The show will be hosted by Jay Bhanushali and actor Mithun Chakraborty will continue as the grandmaster.
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You don’t need to be a star, your talent and passion for dance will say it all, says Ajay Bhalwankar
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However, what’s new this season is that besides the original three judges – Geeta Kapoor, Remo D’souza and Terence Lewis, who are an inseparable part of the DID family – the show has roped in three young choreographers in its panel of judges – Mudassar Khan, who has choreographed films like Bodyguard, Dabangg 2 and Ready; Shruti Merchant, comes from a family of choreographers and began her career as an assistant choreographer in films like Dhoom, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi among others; and Feroz Khan, started his career assisting Farah Khan and has made a name for himself with hit dance moves in songs like Maa da ladla.. and Johnny Gaddaar.
The judges think that this time it’s not just going to be a challenge for the contestants but even them, who will have to prove their worth.
alking about the change in format of the show, Zeel chief sales officer Ashish Sehgal says: “Change is the sign of growth. We are proud of our choices for the fresh panel of mentors this season. At Zee, we always believe in making celebrities out of deserving talent. New judges will bring new fans, making the show better and different.”
Essel Vision Productions, producer Nitin Keni agrees and says: “Each of them come with an impressive body of work in the field of dance. Moreover, it is their passion for dance that has landed them on our panel of judges.”
The channel is confident that the new trio will drive millions of dance enthusiasts across the country.
The dancing fever has already gripped the enthusiasts, as the auditions that are being conducted on a large scale in 16 major cities, have received an overwhelming response from the dance lovers. And it is not just going to be a television show this time. Zeel marketing head Akash Chawla says: “We are bringing the show parallel online. Just saying, Dance it Out won’t make sense till the time you actually bring it out in a complete manner.”
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The entire marketing strategy behind this is that ‘Dance it Out’ should not just be a slogan but a movement, says Akash Chawla
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Throughout the series, every week, the masters will give out a theme and the audience can make a video with that particular theme and submit it online. After being selected by the judges, the best videos will go on air. Adds Chawla: “The main objective is to give a platform to as many people possible in the most convenient manner. Everybody cannot qualify the auditions, but you have to do something for the people who are talented and are passionate about dancing.”
On its marketing side, to expand its foothold, the channel is also concentrating on on-ground activities. The channel is expanding its presence majorly in ten cities, giving them a particular theme which is relevant to that city at that particular time. It will encourage people to come out and dance. “The entire marketing strategy behind this is that ‘Dance it Out’ should not just be a slogan but a movement. Since it is no longer only a television show, we need to exemplify it in a manner that people connect with it.”
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At Zee, we always believe in making celebrities out of deserving talent, says Ashish Sehgal
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So has it attracted the advertisers? Sehgal confidently says: “DID has been the darling of all advertisers. They were very excited when we told them about our plans, as it would give them an opportunity to reach out to more people. With this new platform, advertisers have another way to reach the consumers. At the end of the day, advertisers are looking to reach out to the consumers’ doors.”
We are aware of the numerous shows on all the channels, will DID occupying the 9:00 pm slot, affect the ratings of other famous shows on other GECs? Answers Chawla: “It is not for the first time that we have battling with the biggest shows. GEC is all about different channels launching different shows. It’s a competitive world. People who don’t like competition should retire very soon.”
He further adds: “We love competition. We respect our competitors and if the show is good and if the communication is clear, viewers will find time to watch all the good shows. And they chose to watch the show which at that time they love the most.”
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We are confident that the new trio will drive millions of dance enthusiasts across the country, says Nitin Keni
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Since the channel is already following the ad cap rule, have the reality shows been affected? “In most of the reality shows, you always kind of adhere to ad cap, we have never over run inventory because they are high priced shows. Moreover, there are high stake sponsors involved, you cannot dilute inventory on these shows. So ad cap is not going to affect us in any manner as far as reality shows are concerned,” signs off Sehgal.
So, what are you waiting for! Pull up your socks and be ready for the spectacular dancing talent with a renewed vigor in the latest season.
