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| Chaya Unnikrishnan n intense battle for eyeballs was fought between this year's biggest releases Saawariya and Om Shanti Om not only in the theatres but also in our living rooms! Had tuned into any of the reality shows, you would have watched the starcast of the two films being at their sugary best. If the OSO team, especially Deepika Padukone, had the contestants eating out of her hands in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the Saawariya team Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor swayed the crowd in Star Voice Of India. What's more, to support the young stars of Saawariya whose film was pitted against a Shah Rukh Khan film, their parents, Anil Kapoor, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, superstars in their own right, pitched in to promote them by dutifully making apperances on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Star Voice Of India. One of the most awaited films this year was Madhuri Dixit's Aaja Nachle. Initially accused of not promoting her comeback flick, Madhuri made up by not only giving interviews to the media but also by dancing her way into reality shows Nach Baliye and the finale of Star Voice Of India. Something that was unthinkable when Madhuri last worked five years ago. The fact that even the dhak dhak girl had to connect with the viewers to push her film shows the phenomenal reach and importance of TV. In short, the very stars who once looked down upon the small screen are using it extensively to hype their film. Says Ashish Kaul, Executive VP, Zee, "If a producer had to plan a budget for publicising the film on the timeband of Li'l Champs it will be more than what he has spent on the entire film. This way he saves on the money and at the same time gets a wide publicity." |
Agrees Kumar Mangat, producer, Big Screen Entertainment, that is gearing up to release Ajay Devgan's Sunday "It is beneficial to the channel and the film. It is one of the main avenues to promote a film these days." Ravi Chopra who is currently producing Bhootnath, affirms, "Television has a lot of reach and I will use it, in fact any saadhan to promote my film." Do the producers pressurise the stars into going to these shows? "Not really. They realise that it is for the good of the film. It works on mutual understanding," says Mangat.
No wonder then that a Aamir, Salman or Shah Rukh who wouldn't step into a TV set for anything less than probably half-a-crore for a guest appearance are willing to not only let go of their price but are eager be a part of these shows. More the merrier seems to be the mantra. So much so that, it's confusing for the viewers to keep track of who's appearing where and when.
The Goal team John-Bipasha made an appearance on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Nach Baliye 3 and Star Voice Of India. Says Bipasha who also co-judged one episode of Jhalak in place of Shiamak Davar, "It's fun to go on reality shows, because everyone is enthusiastic and you get to interact with them." Soha Ali Khan, in her trademark saree and vintage blouse prior to the release of her period flick Khoya Khoya Chand seemed to enjoy every second on Li'l Champs and Star Voice Of India on which she danced enthusiastically to every song. Last week she appeared with her mother Sharmila Tagore on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. The Dus Kahaniyaan team as a whole or in parts were also spotted on these shows.
Earlier this year, there was superstar Salman Khan on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa promoting his film Partner, while his reel partner Govinda regaled viewers on Indian Idol and Star Voice Of India. Shahid Kapoor performed to Mauja hi mauja from his film Jab We Met on Jhalak Dikhhla Ja. In fact, with Shahid and Kareena breaking up just before the release of the film, speculations as to whether they will appear together or separately added spice to the shows.
And to think, not long ago, the likes of Shilpa Shetty would charge close to Rs 2 lakh just for a two-hour appearance on a show. As one of the PRs, on condition of anonymity, says, "Even the fact whether they will get paid in cash or cheque had a bearing on the decision." The price varied according to the positioning of the channel, the show and the time they were required to spend on it. Star appearances were a novelty, then. Today, it's a different scene altogether. Stars come a dime a dozen on the channels! Their appearances have become so predictable that you only have to look into the date diary to know which film is releasing and you can tell who is going to show up on TV soon!
Even what they say has become a routine act. Like "It is difficult to judge you all because everyone is so good." Then comes the advice to work hard. One of the participants will get the celebrity either to sing or dance on the floor depending on what kind of a talent-hunt it is. Last but not least, the celebrity will shake a leg to a song from his/her forthcoming film.
Aren't the channels in their clamour to lure viewers killing the golden goose? "No," says Prem Kamath, Senior VP. Mktg and Communication, Star India, "Film stars bring a certain level of entertainment and zing to the show. It's upto us how we use them." Kalyan Sundaram, Programming Head, Sahara One, agrees that there can never be an overkill because "People are starved for glamour. Stars add value to the show and give a spike of at least five per cent to it." Kaul points out that the trend is a reflection of what people want.
However, Albert Almeida, Executive VP and Business Head, Sony, feels there is a certain amount of fatigue creeping in. Yet, draws attention to the fact that stars have a fan following, "Which is why they are on these shows in the first place. The kick is in integrating them well into the show." Actress Manini De is of the opinion that this trend is killing the curiosity about a film. "There has to be a certain mystery that will make me go to the theatre. But with stars all over channels, by the time the film is released, your mind is fatigued and you don't want to watch it."
Sundaram cautions that exclusivity is important. That way the channel on which the star appears gets the maximum ratings. For intance, Shah Rukh Khan on Nach Baliye 3 fetched a TRP of 4.04, while his presence in Jjhoom India on Sahara One hardly reached a TRP of 1.
Of course, the fact that Star Plus is the numero uno channel would have caused this difference. Almeida. though, feels that exclusivity is very rare to get. "Film marketing has become aggressive. Just in the way they buy ad spots across channels, they want to push their film and stars on various shows so that they get a incremental viewership that may convert into a good opening for the film." John-Bipasha on Jhalak.... got a TRP of 2.71 while their appearance in Star Voice... had a higher rating with 3.24. As Kaul says, "If I want to watch my favourite star, I will catch him on whichever show he appears." And yet, the episode where Salman exclusively appeared on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa was the highest for that series with 8.4 TRPs while the OSO team got them 6.6.
More than exclusivity, what matters to Kaul is the kind of film he is lending his platform to . "Music is the soul of my show and the film that comes onto it has to have top-end music. For instance, I may not go for a Johnny Gaddaar but opt for Om Shanti Om or Saawariya instead."
Obviously, film stars in reality shows are the flavour of the season. We won't be surprised if shows are launched just to capitalise on this trend. But as Siddhartha Mukerjee, Vice President, TAM, says, "This is not a sure-shot formula for success. With growing competition and enough options for viewers, efforts to increase stickiness (time spent by the viewer watching the show) is but obvious. Use of celebrities is one of the common ways used by TV channels to this effect. However, there are many other dynamics that impact the performance of the programme - like whether enough word of mouth (PR/Promotion) was created about the celebrity participation, actual popularity of the celebrity, word-of-mouth of the show at large, distribution (easy availability/access) of channels and finally competition like attractions in other channels that viewers may be getting drawn to watch."
http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=18298
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