The principle of differentiation is important to us! - Ajit Thakur

Ajit Thakur, General Manager of Life OK, recently launched its new show Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye produced by Ekta Kapoor talks about the upcoming show, channel strategy, revamping the channel and much more. Read on!

Life OK is bringing in another show with a fantastic subject - Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye. How nervous or excited you are?

Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye is another show that makes me nervous. It is very different from what Ekta Kapoor has done before. But at the same time, it is a very important story to tell about women's right to economic independence. We will do it and let's see how it goes. I really love the way Ekta has put a lot of comedy in a very serious show and I think Sonali Bendre's casting is fantastic.

There are so many shows on Life OK that have gone unnoticed. So do you think Life OK is lacking behind in promotions?

No, that is not true. I think deliberately the shows like Laut Aao Trisha that we have done which are not for everyone. Life OK had two ways to go - One, to make shows like Star Plus or two, something very different. So when we do shows like Devon Ke Dev. Mahadev and Savdhaan India - India Fights Back, it works well. Shows like Laut Aao Trisha works but for limited urban premium audience. But still people say that Life OK jab bhi aata hai, kuch naya lata hai. So that is very important.

I guess Dare 2 Dance opened higher than Jhalak Dikhhlaa Jaa Season 7. Dare 2 Dance was very important for us but still we preferred bring something different unlike the regular studio set up. That principle of differentiation is important. Because we are different, our chances of failure are higher. Even if niche audience watch our shows, we are happy with that fact.

There are many shows in the pipeline. So is it that you are revamping the entire channel?

Yes! This Diwali we will revamp the channel with six new shows. It is a channel refresh but I believe if there is something big, we should talk about it all together. So we will talk about it together.

A few weeks ago, Life OK had beat Colors. What is your take over it?

For us it was just a validation that even by doing different content, we can be among the top three channels. But for me, it was never the rank of beating them as much as that we are doing it by doing Saavdhan India, Devon Ke Dev. Mahadev, Laut Aao Trisha and now Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye. That is the joy.

Is it the channel strategy to bring in Bollywood faces on television with your shows?

No it is not the strategy; it is just about getting new people. If you see Laut Aao Trisha, there is Bhagyashree Patwardhan but besides there are a lot models. Depending on the story, we will get different people for the show. I think the entire cast are very good looking actors on television but we want to bring them together and make big statements. It is not about Bollywood; it is just about getting a good casting done for all the shows.

Lastly, any message to your audience...

To all the India-Forums fans who are watching Life OK - thank you so much. I know you love some shows but hate some shows too. But no show of Life OK can be ignored. Thank you and keep building us.

We wish Mr. Ajit Thakur all the good luck for his future endeavors.

Upasana Patel