Sequels of off air shows in demand

If the past few months on TV have taught us anything, it's the fact that there are no permanent goodbyes. Though many shows shut shop early, they were given a new lease of life only to be brought back in an all-new avatar.

So, the iconic "Hum Log" made a comeback as "Hum", the popular jodi of Karan Kundra and Kritika Kamra paired up again for "Kitni Mohabbat Hai — Season 2" and talks are on to bring back "Choti Bahu" as well as "Banoo Main Teri Dulhan" in a new avatar to salvage the channels sagging TRPs.
Though the reality rage in the country is yet to die, avid TV watchers still swear by the good old soap operas. While the new crop of shows on TV fail to retain the attention of the audience for a long span of time, the older ones seem to be finding favour once again. Explaining the phenomenon, producer Rajan Shahi says, "These days it's difficult to hold the audience attention for a long time. If the show is not good, they reject it immediately. The recall value too has gone down drastically. Most of them seem like 'been-there-done-that'. Hence the shows that go off air find favour with the audience."

Producer Sudhir Sharma voices a similar opinion. "You need to be on your feet constantly with fresh ideas, twists, etc, to keep the audience attention. The moment you falter, it's over." His shows "12/24 Karol Bagh" wrapped up recently while "Miley Jab Hum Tum" created a furore amongst fans when a popular character, Nupur played by Rati Pandey, was bumped off. Though the show was revamped with new characters and brought back in a new season, it didn't really cut ice.

The concept of a new season, though not new, has found favour only now. Earlier when "Baa Bahoo Aur Baby" came back with a season, they didn't find many takers. "The audience needs to re-connect with the show and characters if the show is off air for long. Then there is also the relevance factor — how relevant is the story now as compared to when it was aired earlier," says actor Rajesh Kumar. Shahi too points out that that one of the challenges of making a comeback is the 'relevance' factor. "The maker has to keep the USP of the show intact. If that means retaining the central characters and changing the others, then so be it. While keeping the story relevant to the current times, the makers have to add that much-needed freshness. It's tough," explains Shahi.

Ask them which show they would like to see make a comeback and they don't batter an eyelid before saying, "I think "Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai" was super. It will still work," says Rakesh who played the character of Rosesh in the show. "For me it would definitely be "Bidaai"," says Rajan, adding, "We pulled the plug on "Bidaai" before the audience rejected it. Hence the recall value too is high."