Kasamh Se cost 85-90 lakhs

The small screen is getting bigger. And not without reason. Long under the shadow of big brother Bollywood, the TV industry is no longer the second best in the entertainment sector. They are hungry for a piece of action, ready to fight and bulging in the right places — their wallets. According to an estimate, TV budgets have shot up by 40 to 50 per cent in the past few years.

"Today, there's no upper limit. With the competition increasing, the audience has to be tuned to quality products. And quality comes with a price," says Purnendu Bose, COO, Sahara One. The channel reportedly spent Rs 1 crore on the set of a news channel for Kittu Sab Janti Hai. Other channels, too, have jumped on the bandwagon. How else can one explain opulent sets, lavish production and innovative marketing techniques on the small screen.

Sagar Arts' Prithviraj Chauhan — Dharti Ka Veer Yodha is being hailed as one of the most expensive shows ever. The Sagars splurged a whopping Rs 6 crore to put up "opulent sets" in Sagar film city, Vadodara. Explains Prem Sagar, producer of Prithviraj..., "Showbiz is an escapist affair. People like to see rich and plush things on the screen. And we have no option but to provide that since we are not making documentaries."

Sagar further informs that it took him six months to complete the sets for his 200-plus episode saga. The same goes for Ravi Chopra's Viraasat, which will cost at least Rs 20-25 crores. "Be it a film or TV serial, no costs should be spared to create the look that it requires. I approach both on the same scale," affirms Chopra.

While Kaun Banega Crorepati set the ball rolling for big budgets with its rich sets and high production costs, no more can a producer afford to overlook the grandeur of his products. Sample this: the sets for Zee's Saat Phere and Kasamh Se have cost Rs 85-90 lakhs. Similarly, the set of Star's Kavyanjali cost Rs 50 lakh plus. Other shows towing the line are Baa Bahu Aur Baby with Rs 75 lakhs riding on the sets.

If fiction is about bringing the story alive with a realistic ambience, then the sets for reality-based shows too are matching global standards. The case in point being: KBC, Deal Ya No Deal, Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul, Heartbeat and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. hese shows require a lot of money, infrastructure, marketing and promotions.

The presence of celeb guests also throw budgets out of gear. Stars like Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Hrithik Roshan have already made a telly trek. But the question arises, does this glamour and glitz translate into high TRPs? "It certainly makes an impact due to its lavishness," says Ashish Kaul, senior vice president, Zee.

Soap queen Ekta Kapoor, too, holds that "good looking and expensive sets hook audiences and improve the production value" of serials. "But looks aren't the only deciding factor," she was further quoted as saying. Well, as long as it remains a treat for the eyes, viewers aren't complaining.

Star Plus' latest under-production serial Ek Chabhi Pados Mein, loosely based on yesteryear's light comedy show Nukkad, has got into problems as it's director Thigmanshu Dhulia (of Charas and Haasil fame) was asked to leave. Sources reveal that Thigmanshu wasn't paying enough attention to the show. But when contacted, he flatly denied having even tried directing a serial by this name.

"It is a stupid gag. Why should I direct serials when I am concentrating on my film with Sunny Deol?" says the director. When asked how the news about him 'being in and now out' spread, he said: "How do I know! Television always has some stories in its kitty and media should better know about the source from where it has begun."

Well, one could have believed him had it not been for Varun Badola (who is playing a very important character in the serial) who confirmed that Thigmanshu indeed was the first director and had even directed a major chunk of the serial. "Yes, Thigmanshu was directing the serial earlier," confirmed the actor. "But now someone else is stepping into his shoes." When asked about the reason behind this sudden move, he would only say, "The channel wanted certain changes and so, some portions of the serial is being re-shot."

Even Anupam Kalidhar, the producer of the show confirmed the news. "Yes, Thigmanshu is not directing the serial any more. In fact, when he decided to direct the soap, he thought he would be able to direct the serial side by side; but as his first passion is silver screen and he is directing his film, he could not give enough time, hence we amicably decided to go in for a change."

When asked why is Thigmanshu refusing to admit he directed the initial episodes of the serial, he said, "Well, that is his version. We are good friends. The only thing that I would like to say is that he could not give us enough time."