| Flop show! | |||||||||||||
| These were shows that promised to push the envelope in programming in 2005, but flopped miserably and had to be withdrawn in disgrace midway. What went wrong? Was it faulty casting, flawed scripting or simply the absence of the X factor? Far be it from us to sit in judgment upon these shows, which had every chance and potential to succeed; suffice for us and the readers to list their demise and mourn their passing. May better programming prevail in 2006.
Kohinoor Billed as Sahara One's big ticket show of the year, Kohinoor came loaded with a lot of expectations, but unfortunately the uncredited inspiration of The Da Vinci Code didn't help the show. It had a promising storyline, but the pace dragged from day one. Performances were none too spectacular, although Amit Sadh and Manish Wadhwa did try to pump in some energy into the show. The production values of the show, despite being a big ticket show produced by Cinevistaas, were nothing to write home about.
Kasshish An attractive name, Kashish, but the adjective didn't work too long for the serial. Zee's Kashish had an unintended similarity with Aandhi, definitely not in terms of the storyline, but the actors. Simone Singh and Ayub Khan first acted together in Zee's Aandhi. Simone Singh's character in both was that of a sad and depressed soul whose best friends were tears and more tears. Kashish which was also hosted by Zee, started off well, but it didn't catch up on the mass especially because it had an 11 p.m. slot and to fight with the rulers was not their cup of tea.. Other than that, what could have been the reason, the actors like Ayub Khan who has two major flops behind his back (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Karisma-- the Miracles of Destiny). The serial, which seemed to last at least for a year, died down in five months itself.
Batliwala House No 43 Adapted from a British chat show, The Kumars at No. 42, Batliwala House No 43, seemed to be an exact replica of the original show, and that's what it proved to be. It was anticipated to be a first-rate show, as it had been customized from a massive hit. The Batliwala's though did a fair job; the glitch lied in the celebrity guests. As compared to the Kumar's, Batliwala's too had the requisite sense of humour. They kept throwing prompts at their guests, but the guests in turn curved them down. The failure of Batliwala House No 43 is quite a setback as Hats Off productions, known for their wacky brand of humour, that's been a hit so far, otherwise. The exit of Batliwala… gave way to Kudkudiya . Lets see for how long this Gujarati family survives on the Sony block
Dangerous Kamal Sidhu and Sameer Kochar tried their boldest to bring a taboo subject to life, after 11 pm on Zoom. The channel, that had started as a glamour and lifestyle channel, was the ideal vehicle for a show that dealt with the subject of sex, taking calls from viewers and answering them in as frank a manner as possible.
Kya Kahein Irrfan Khan, fresh from his Maqbool success, could have been the saviour of this Balaji stab at a new genre, also on Zoom. But Khan, insipid and unconvincing as the host of a show that dealt with supernatural stories, proved to be the downfall of the show.
Rihhaee Any story on the premature deaths of 2005 would be incomplete without mentioning Rihhaee, the hard hitting show on women's issues that aired on Sony. The show was deftly handled, and Rajeshwari and Nakul Vaid were able anchors, but the production house and the channel locked horns over several issues, resulting in the show turning into a caricature of itself by mid 2005. It limped to an end by the third quarter of the year. |
CID
