Star-zee rivalry gets intensive -chk this

The battle lines are drawn and the war is out in the open as both the channels indulge in a slug-fest over TRPs. Zee TV alleges that Star is copying the format of its prime time serials.

It's has been a steady downhill journey for Star Plus in the last one-and-a half-years. In July 2006 Star Plus was on top of the charts with an impressive 51.1 per cent all-day channel share against Zee's 22.9. Today there is hardly any difference between the two channels' viewership share. For week 5 of 2008 (January 27 to February 2), Star's share stood at 30.2 against Zee's 28. If Star is marginally ahead of Zee in all-day channel share, the picture at prime is no different. In mid-2007, Zee's shows like Dulhan and Sa Re Ga Ma had marched past the super Ks — Kyunki, Kahani and Kasauti — of Star Plus on several occasions. In a neck-to-neck fight Dulhan continues to give Kyunki a run for its money. While the two K shows still deliver 5 plus TVRs for Star, Babul Ka Sapna Bidaai which was launched in October has started notching up similar numbers lately. What's more, four weeks ago Bidaai was Star Plus' top rated show with 5.4 TVRs.

Apparently inspired by Rajshri's film Vivaash, Babul Ka Sapna Bidaai deals with two cousins, one dark and the other fair. But its success hasn't gone down well with Zee which has accused Star of copying the success formula of its show Saath Phere which also deals with the trials and tribulations of a dark complexioned girl. Till last year, Star didn't have music-based shows like Sa Re Ga Ma and Antakshari which were started by Gajendra Singh on Zee. But when Singh quit Zee in December 2006, Star hired Singh's services to make similar shows like Star Voice of India, Antakshari and Chhote Ustaad. At that time Zee had threatened to go to court but dropped the idea. Is Star Plus playing on Zee's successful concepts and formats like Saath Phere, Sa Re Ga Ma and Little Champs to boost its ratings.

"We are not copying anyone's success formula or concepts. Our shows are based on distinct and standalone concepts. If you look there is something or the other similar in every show. That does not mean people are imitating each other. Chhote Ustaad will have similarities with Little Champs because both are talent hunt shows for kids. Bidaai is a story about relationships and there is bound to be some similarity in certain tracks," says Star India's senior creative head Anupama Mandoloi. She says Bidaai has been well received by viewers because the show deals with the insecurities defined by society forcing individuals to find ways of coping with them. "The fairness complex is just one of the means used in the show," adds Anupama. Bidaai's producer-director Rajan Shahi denies that his show is inspired by Saath Phere. "Nobody has a copyright over fair or dark complexions," he says. Talking about the show's popularity, Rajan says, "The emphasis is more on story, dialogues and performances and not fakeness and crazy camera movements."

Saath Phere producer Sunjoy Wadhwa however, feels that similarities are bound to be there when the major issue in both the shows is fair Vs dark complexion.