Posted:
Back in the mid-eighties, mythologicals
had caught the fancy of the nation with
viewers glued to the epic tales of Ramayan and Mahabharat on Doordarshan. Their unprecedented popularity
set a trend of Godly serials on the tube.
The advent of satellite channels saw a
holy war with multiple serials on the
same God. But, too much of the same,
even if it's from the heavens didn't go
down well with the viewers.
However, everytime a new channel
was launched, a mythological serial was
considered a must. For instance, when
Colors was launched, it had Jai Shri Krishna; and Ramayan in a revamped
avatar did the trick for Imagine. The latest one to join the 'God'wagon, Devon Ka
Dev Mahadev has upped the gross rating
points of a relatively new channel Life
Ok, for the first time since its launch a
few months ago. The beleaguered Sahara One, the only serial that is bringing them a rating of one plus consisently is Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali.
Says Nikhil Sinha, who is producing
Devon Ka..., "We wanted to bring back
the glory of mythos on TV as they have
always been a source of good entertainment. As kids we have all heard stories
of Gods from our grandmother." It is
this familiarity with the subject that
draws the viewers to the shows.
Dheeraj Kumar, who has been in the
forefront of making mythos like Om
Namah Shivay, avers that the stories
work because they are deep-rooted in
the
minds of
the people.
Which is why, according to
Anand Sagar
who directed the
new Ramayan,
mythos are always on the
agenda of a channel.
As Prashaant Bhatt, Head of Programming, Fiction, Colors, says,
"Mythological genre allows viewers to
revisit stories narrated by their ancestors and has its own set of loyal audience. When the channel was
launched, Jai Shri Krishna struck a
chord instantly with the audiences
for its appealing storyline and characterisation." The channel is now
re-running the series. Besides this,
buzz is that they are set to start
airing a new mytho sometime
in September this year.
Star Plus, which had
shelved Mahabharat, is
likely to revive the
project with a
fresh cast. Even
good old Doordarshan is airing Upanishad Ganga in a bid
to revive the centuries old cultural heritage and philiosophy
of the country.
chaya.unnikrishnan
@dnaindia.net
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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