TOI: FAN-tastic demands - DMG/KaSh

Fan-tastic demands

More and more fans are taking their roles seriously and getting closely involved with script changes on shows

Shruti Jambhekar and Amrita Mulchandani


Know whats common between Amar Upadhaya,Karan Singh Grover-Shilpa Anand,Rati Pandey,Karan Kundra-Kritika Kamra,Avinash Sachdev-Rubina Dalik and Mishal Raheja Well besides the fact that they are small screen superstars.So immense is their star power and popularity that the minute their characters are bumped off or the shows go off air,thousands of fans deluge production houses/channels et al demanding their return.Amar was the first star who had generated hysteria and heartbreak among fans in 2001 when his screen character and tellys favourite son,Mihir Virani (Kyunki... Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) was killed.Predictably Mihir was naturally brought back from the dead,setting a trend of characters walking back into the show,by popular demand.Last year audiences demanded and got back their favourite stars Karan Singh Grover and Shilpa Anand in new,revamped roles in Dill Mill Gayye 2,Nupur aka Rati Pandey came back in Miley Jab Hum Tum (MJHT) Season 2,and earlier this year Karan-Kritika and Avinash-Radhika returned with new seasons of their shows,Kitani Mohabbat Hai and Chhotti Bahu respectively.And now that Mishal Rahejas character Dutta Patil (Laagi Tujhse Lagan) has been killed,the channel and prod u c t i o n house rec e ive d s i g n e d p e t i - tions from 5,000 fans,demanding the return of Mishal,besides requests for the same on social networking sites.At the beginning of 2011,fans had pleaded for the union of Manav-A rch a n a (Sushant Singh Rajput-Ankita Lokhande) in Pavitra Rishta and the reel l ove r s g o t back sooner than planned! How tough and distracting is it for showmakers when their audiences try to call the shots Saurabh Tewari,programming head of Imagine TV says,The mails and opinions that people post on the internet are from those who watch shows online mostly people who dont live in India.Business wise we get nothing out of these people as they dont add to the TRPs.But they definitely create a brand out of a show.Their opinion does matter but we consider getting back a show/character only if we have a good story and loyal viewers. Sukesh Motwani,fiction head of Zee TV adds,We keep getting certain kind of feedback about all our shows from our viewers and it does matter.But we dont get a character back for the heck of it.For instance in Choti Bahu we maintained the basic template.We take the audiences craze for a particular character as a compliment and accordingly give it importance in a show.
Meanwhile the stars are overwhelmed with the adulation,
Mishal confesses that hes really touched by the audiences
support and love.I am thankful to them that they liked my
role so much.And yes,now
whenever I watch Laagi Tujhse Lagan,I feel upset and
sorry for my fans.

Hemal Thakkar,producer of Laagi Tujhse Lagan says,Audiences likes and dislikes are our priority we keep bringing changes in story tracks to suit their wishes from time to time.However,not everytime can we make changes in the storyline as per audiences demand and viewers must understand this. Rati who returned from the dead in MJHT 2,agrees Audience definitely has a very strong hold when it comes to TV shows and characters.If a particular character is strong and an actor has made an impact,then the viewers would like to see more of them.I was overwhelmed when fans demanded my return,but at the end of the day,telly shows are all about grabbing TRPs and the producers /channels will do the needful to ensure the same. R av i n d r a Gautam,who directed some episodes of Kasauti Zindagi Kay which saw the return of Rishabh Bajaj (played by Ronit Roy) says,audiences opinion matters the most.They make the show a brand name.Their feedback plays a crucial role in determining the storyline sometimes, says Ravindra.
Numbers are important in the TRP-tripping game,so channels and production houses cant afford to ignore the hand that weilds the remote and sometimes has to give in to their fan-tastic wishes and requests,tweaking the storyline.After all,TRPs maketh a show an advertisers delight and money matters the most! ahmedabad.times@timesgroup.com