Stars and their millions
At present, 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' is said to cost Rs1.8 million per episode. Besides having the highest paid star cast in serials, even the attire like Tulsi's saris and Mihir's suits don't come cheap. Smriti Irani aka Tulsi is supposed to charge more than Rs0.8 million per month per serial, making her the highest paid Indian TV actress. Ronit Roy aka Mihir charges Rs0.8 million per month. There is no move to cut the budget, as the show gets full house even today
These actors may not be able to command the same price as the kings and queens of Hindi film world. They may not get international recognition like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai et al. Madame Tussaud probably won't immortalize them in the House of Wax.
But the money allegedly spent on some of the tele-serials now being aired on Indian television is absolutely astonishing. The budget can compete with the big screen lavish productions any day. The opulence, the glittering sets, the heavy jewellery and attire come at heavy prices. As Ronit Roy, Mihir of Kyunki and Mr Bajaj of Kasauti serials said recently, "Television has been there for quite some time but now there is money in it too."
Of course, the approximate amounts we now delve into below are according to the industry sources and the cost includes the fees charged by the cast, plus everything else that goes into the making of the TV programme. Let's start with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, one of the most popular serials running for more than four years on Star Plus, with both the channel and production house (Balaji Telefilms) claiming the highest TRP.
At present, it is said to cost Rs1.8 million per episode. Besides having the highest paid star cast in serials, even the attire like Tulsi's saris and Mihir's suits don't come cheap. Smriti Irani aka Tulsi is supposed to charge more than Rs0.8 million per month per serial, making her the highest paid Indian TV actress. Ronit Roy aka Mihir charges Rs0.8 million per month. There is no move to cut the budget, as the show gets full house even today.
Kasauti Zindagi Ki, another Balaji production on Star Plus, is nearly four years old, and has just completed 1,000 episodes. At present, around Rs1.3 million is spent per episode. Designer clothes and expensive looking sets don't come with a cheap price tag. The two stars, Anurag Basu and Prerana Bajaj — Cezanne Khan and Shweta Tiwari — are said to get a monthly salary of Rs0.6 and Rs0.4 million, respectively. In fact, the stars are so happy with their monthly booty that they don't even want to act in other serials.
Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin — the story of an ordinary-looking girl from a middle class family — took the viewers by storm on Sony Entertainment Television. But when Jassi-the-duckling turned into a swan, the makeover came with a heavy price. Each post-makeover episode now costs something around Rs1 million and each of Jassi's saris, enacted by Mona Singh, has never been less than Rs20,000.
Ek Ladki Anjaani Si, the recently initiated serial on Sony, approximately costs something like Rs0.6 million per episode. The story of a medical blunder and surrogate motherhood is appealing to teenagers. The expenditure is almost equally divided between the artistes, technicians, the sets and outdoor location shoots. The producers of Sindoor Tere Naam Ki on Zee Television approximately spend around Rs0.4 million per episode. Nearly Rs0.2 million goes into the salary of the stars. The rest goes into sets, equipment, technicians, editing, dubbing mixing and so on.
In Shararat, except Farida Jalal — the granny and the key magician — all other stars are new to the world of glamour. The show on Star Plus is popular, and has already entered its third year of airtime. It runs on a modest budget of Rs0.4 million per episode. Though the budget is small, the sets and production can compete with any other show on the channel. It is the new actors who help in keeping the costs down.
But these are just a few of the serials. When KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati) was being aired, it is said that Amitabh Bachchan was promised a whopping sum of Rs45 crores for the entire show. Of course due to his illness, the show was truncated midway. In fact, the underlying instructions for every serial's director and research team are that the show should look good.
Even on simple serious talk shows handled by the likes of Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai, Vikram Chopra and others, the underlying statement is that the speakers should not only be articulate but also be good looking. You will rarely find bald, wrinkled speakers, however intelligent they may be, on any shows. "Our shows are competing with films — Hindi and English — and also with the world of advertisements. So no one can put up a poor looking show. The channels don't approve of it at all," said Mona Merchant, a young TV director.
Ten years ago, a good Indian TV serial could be made with each episode easily costing less than Rs 0.2 million. Today, it is completely unheard of. And because of this high pricing, stars from the big screen are making a beeline for the small screen. Perhaps the 'idiot box' is not quite so idiotic after all.
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
