ITV

Tag: Shubh Mangal Savadhan

  • Playtime Creation plans new shows across genres

    MUMBAI: Playtime Creation, promoted by actor Hemal Thakkar along with his good friends Bollywood star Paresh Raval and Anand Mundra, is planning a series of new shows.
    The first project conceptualised by the production house namely Shubh Mangal Savadhan premiered on Sahara TV on 15 July 2002; ended as of 31 July 2003 but has reruns in the 11:30 pm slot at present.


    While speaking to indiantelevision.com, Playtime Creations director Hemal Thakkar says: “We are planning several comedy shows that have been conceived by our newly formed creative team. The comedy shows includes titles such as Hamara Bajaj; Kab honge kam yaab!!; Bhagvan Bachaye inse; Kaho na kya hai amongst others. All these comedy shows have plots revolving around situations and extremely lovable characters. I am sure the plots will have Indian TV viewers in splits.”
    Talking about Shubh Mangal Savadhan, Thakkar says: “Currently, the only comedy show on Sahara, Shubh Mangal Savadhan is running in repeats in the 11.30 pm slot from Monday to Thursday. The show, at least to my knowledge, has been truly the first successful daily comedy across all the channels.”
    Playtime is also on the verge of venturing into the children show genre. “We are also planning a kids show called Batuk. This concept revolves around a novel idea; a fantasy one wants to live with. And I am sure the idea hasn’t been exploited on Indian television,” Thakkar adds.
    The production house will also foray into the youth based romantic thriller genre. “Pyaar Mohabbat & All that deals with the youth of today. It examines their new found fears in this developing society; changing relationships in today’s times; it’s a very interesting base with a perfect mix of ordinary characters in extra ordinary circumstances,” Thakkar claims.
    As far as soaps are concerned, Thakkar says: “And of course, we are developing soaps such as Sapne Apne zindagi parayee. The show will be a drama that will have all the ingredients of standing out amongst the plethora of soaps on air. Then there is my personal favourite love story Thoda hamara thoda tumara.”
    Thakkar, however, refused to comment on the channels wherein the shows will be aired.

  • And now, a Net contest from ‘Shubh Mangal Savadhan’

    MUMBAI: First, they came up with the idea of a website dedicated to a television serial. And now, a contest has been launched around Shubh Mangal Savadhan, notching up another first in the quirky world of Indian television.

    The contest requires participants to answer two questions based on the characters of the show, which is currently being aired on Sahara TV.

    “We have launched the contest to make the website more interactive. We want to increase interaction with the youth”, says SMS producer Hemal A Thakkar. “Moreover, the serial which has aired 34 of the 200 episodes scheduled, is very different from the other sitcoms, so we thought of tapping different options to make it more interactive.The winners will be given attractive prizes like DVD players and washing machines,” he adds.

    ” We have received about 1200 messages and 500 hits for the contest so far”, says Pegasus Multitech Pvt Ltd chief executive officer, Pramod Pai. ” Till now 50 per cent of the messages were from the middle East and Pakistan, but now with the launch of the contest, messages have started pouring in from the Indian subcontinent as well. Just today we recorded 200 messages,”he adds

    “Launching a website on a serial is very different from that on films. Movie based websites are actor based whereas sites on serials are more character centric. Unlike a filmi website, we cannot divulge the story of the serial, neither can we give a flashback as it would not interest the user, so the only option is to add games based on the characters of the serials or contests on similar lines”, says Pai commenting on the problems faced in maintaining a serial based website.

    The website conceived , crafted and cared for by Pegasus Multitech Pvt Ltd ,claims to be the first to be launched simultaneously with the serial. It has been created wholly in flash and is quick to access. It provides information on the serial, insights into the cast, the usual freebie downloads and a specially created video game which can be played online.

  • Sahara builds up primetime fare around ‘Har Mod Par’

    MUMBAI: Take a successful show and build programming around it. That is the strategy that Sahara TV appears to be adopting. The show in this case is Har Mod Par, which has made a mark for itself in the 8:00 pm slot. Har Mod Par works as the lead-in for Sahara’s new family soap that launched yesterday in the 8:30 pm plot – Virasat.

     

    With Virasat, it makes four new shows that Sahara has launched in the span of three months between 7 and 9:30 pm, all dailies or at least tri-weeklies.

    Chacha Chaudhary aimed at kids followed by Shubh Mangal Savadhan a sitcom,then the established Har Mod Par followed by the just launched Virasat, after which comes Parchaiyan – a suspense drama – at 9:00 pm tries to tighten the grip, the aim it seems is to provide the viewers with a wholesome package.

    “Along with some new weeklies, the introduction of a fresh bunch of dailies was aimed at satisfying the audience’s need for dailies that have an edge as far as building viewership around a specific time slot is concerned,” says Priya Raj, V-P publicity & promotions, Sahara TV, explaining the thinking behind the new launches.

    Read earlier report
    Sahara TV to take on a new look 15 August; slew of new shows being readied

  • Paresh Rawal’s ‘SMS’ buzzes with interactivity

    Paresh Rawal’s ‘SMS’ buzzes with interactivity

    For acclaimed actor turned debutante producer Paresh Rawal, interactivity is not just a buzzword. He takes it to a whole new level in what is his first production for Sahara TV – Shubh Mangal Savadhan (SMS).

    In what is claimed to be a first, SMS has a website exclusively dedicated to the show. Created wholly in flash, yet quick to access, the website has a mix of information about the serial, insights into the cast, the usual freebie downloads, and a specially created videogame which can be played online. The idea of creating a website like this originally came to producer Hemal Thakkar (partner of Paresh Rawal), says Rawal.

    The tri-weekly serial kicks off on Sahara on 15 July at 7:30 pm with the telecast days being Mondays through to Wednesdays.

  • After ‘SMS’, Paresh Raval has three more shows in the pipeline

    After ‘SMS’, Paresh Raval has three more shows in the pipeline

    , Paresh Rawal has added another feather to his cap. The veteran actor has turned TV producer. His first offering as producer is a tri-weekly laugh riot-Shubh Mangal Savadhan that starts telecast from 15 July on Sahara TV. 

    Apart from this sitcom, Rawal’s Playtime Creation is also working on three other projects – a soap, a religious thriller and another comedy. All these projects are likely to be on air in the next one year, Rawal says. Gradually, the company also plans to foray into tele films and then films. But isn’t the company being overly ambitious, given the state of the industry? “Well turning TV producer was no doubt, a tougher experience than my struggle to make it as an actor,” Rawal says, only half in jest.

    At a press conference called to launch the serial, the veteran actor was at his witty best.

    Asked why he chose marriage as the topic of his first serial, Raval replied: “Shaadi has got maximum spice compared to any other event.” But then why is he cautioning people – Savadhan – against marriage? “Well, I felt it was my responsibility to caution people against treading the path we took and suffered,” Raval replied.

    Raval’s fans will however be disappointed to know that he will not be starring in the serial as he feels his present movie commitments will not allow him sufficient time to act in TV serials. 

    On his choice of Sahara TV, Raval said it was a rapidly growing channel that had been immensely receptive and supportive to them. 

    Playtime also started a trend of sorts by also launching the website devoted exclusively to the serial – www.smsthecomedy.com 

  • “Educated young urbanites are moving to foreign networks” : Hemal Thakkar

    “Educated young urbanites are moving to foreign networks” : Hemal Thakkar

    Actor Hemal Thakkar, along with good friends Paresh Raval and Anand Mundra has recently ventured into TV production under their banner Playtime Creation. Their first project – a rib tickler called 'Shubh Mangal Savadhan' premiered on Sahara TV on 15 July. 

    At a time when veteran TV producers are finding the going tough, Playtime has taken to production with the effortless ease with which Raval churns out his hilarious one-liners on the big screen. Close on the heels of this comedy, are four other serials that the group is working on. That the task is by no means a cakewalk is evident from the Raval's observation that turning producer has been a more arduous struggle than making it as an artiste.

    Excerpts of an interview in which Thakkar discussed his plans with indiantelevision.com correspondent,Amar.

    How did you get into television?
    I've been actively involved with theatre as an actor in my younger days. Later, I worked as creative director with a TV production house called AIN TV. The desire to create quality programmes I enjoy watching was always there. I have wanted to turn producer for some time. In fact some two years ago, I had a pilot shot for a youth series called 'Josh' which never went on air. So, getting a serial on air has been a natural outcome towards which we had been working for some time.
     
    How and when did you team up with Paresh Raval?
    Pareshbhai and I have known each other for years now, right from our theatre days. Pareshbhai and I have a tremendous meeting of minds and we had been thinking on similar lines – that is of producing TV software for sometime. There is an amazing level of mutual trust and respect between us. .
     
    "It's the norm here to put the onus of a project's failure on the writer"
     
    How was 'Shubh Mangal Savadhan' conceived?
    'SMS' was conceived by me almost four years ago. In those days, I had a great deal of difficulty in deciding whom to marry. Whenever I would meet a girl, I would wonder – is she the one for me? Many a time, I would believe that a girl is my type only to be disappointed later. I guess, that is a stage many people go through when they reach marriageable age, are under pressure to settle down and yet have no idea of who would a suitable mate. Marriage is a serious matter and yet the desperation of finding the right person to marry can lead to funny situations. This is the idea on which 'SMS' is based.
     
    What was the criterion in opting for Sahara TV?
    Well, Sahara I believe, is a truly upcoming channel and in future things are only going to get better for it. Besides, they were very comfortable with our creatives and we got along superbly. 'SMS' was approved by another channel also, but Sahara was quicker in taking decisions. We shot the pilot in December last year and it was approved within weeks.
     
    Does having a renowned actor like Paresh Raval help? Don't the channels want to oblige him just in case they might want him to do a show for them?
    Well, Pareshbhai's presence helps, but only in getting a good reception from the channels. Perhaps we are called for meetings more promptly. Besides that, I don't think any channel would want to oblige him because no channel today wants to take even the slightest of risks when it comes to the kind of programmes they want.

    Pareshbhai had himself said in the launch conference that turning producer was a more cumbersome process than his struggle to make it as an actor. Even though he said it in a lighter vein, the fact is we have struggled a lot. We have been working on concepts for nearly two years now. In fact, some of our concepts were shelved after having worked very hard on them. So, having Pareshbhai hasn't really made things that easy.
     
    As a production house, which genres are you looking at?
    I am basically looking at programmes that would appeal to the mass audience. See, as far as the educated young urban population is concerned, they are fast moving over to foreign networks like the Discovery channel and other movie channels because apart from a very few handful of serials, there are no good shows that can keep them rapt. So, we want to tap this audience share and would like to bring out innovative serials appealing to them. Right now, we are also working on four other serials- a never before religious thriller, a detective series, a soap and another comedy.
     
    What exactly do you mean by a religious thriller?
    See, most problems in India have to do with misconceptions relating to religion and the way it is exploited by politicians for their gains. So, the serial will deal with these issues but the story will be presented in a thriller format. Beyond this, I wouldn't like to say anything at this stage.
     
    Do you prefer producing weeklies or dailies?
    At this point of time, I would go for dailies simply because in the last two years or so, the audience has got so used to dailies that weeklies, no matter how good they are, are not being received so well. Besides, channels also tend to market and promote dailies better.
     
    " Pareshbhai's presence helps, but only in getting a good reception from the channels "
     
    At this stage, how many on-air serials do you feel you can handle effectively?
    We wouldn't like to have more than five serials on air at any given time because then we would not be able to maintain a personal supervision on quality.
     
    Do you find channel EPs' interference in your work an impediment?
    I don't know. It's all about hitting it off with them. There have been times when they have raised so many objections and at other times they have solidly backed us. Actually, it's all about their liking the concept. If they like it, things move quite smoothly.
     
    Do you agree with the statement that TV is a writer's medium?
    Absolutely, a writer is like the first Brahmin from whom the process of learning starts and plays the most crucial role in the way a project shapes up.
     
    Why is the contribution of a writer least acknowledged then?
    See, it's the norm here to put the onus of a project's failure on the writer. Ideally, I would like a writer to work only on my projects because that helps him to concentrate fully on a few projects and because you are always interacting with the same team, it leads to better understanding, minimizing the scope of error. But then the budgets that we get don't allow for such a provision.
     
    Who are your favourite directors?
    Anuraag Basu, who shot a pilot for me, was just amazing. Partho Mitra is another of my favourites. The Kulkarni brothers- Sameer and Sachin are also very good.
     
    Between Paresh Raval and you, how do you divide work responsibilities?
    Well, we have a small team with just one project on air right now. So, the need for a strict segregation of workload does not exist at this point. Both of us are involved with all aspects. But it is understood that Pareshbhai will have a final say on creative aspects, whereas I am expected to get head on with the execution part- handling the marketing and production. Both of us are however closely involved with the scripting. In fact, even when Pareshbhai is abroad, we are constantly in touch and whenever possible, Pareshbhai takes time out to personally come for channel meetings.
     
    How do you foresee programming trends in future?
    There will be a greater variety of serials catering to disparate genres without dismantling the TV viewers' staple diet- family drama soaps.
     
    How do you see Playtime Creation evolving in the future?
    We want to develop Playtime into an art corporation. Apart from producing serials and later on films, we plan to extend our services to other areas that involve creative talent. We would like to help market Indian paintings and handicrafts internationally. We would like to help promote Indian folk music.