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The special episode of Ek Veer Ki Ardaas... Veera will show Veera's last Rakhi with Veer before they're separated
TV channels gear up for budget hikes as shooting special sequences for festivals sometimes increases the budget for one episode by 300%
Come August and the minds of creative directors of TV shows go into overdrive as they start planning to incorporate festivals in their storylines. Be it recreating Teej, Rakhi, Janmashtami or Navratri on screen, makers ensure that viewers get a double dose of festivities and the usual drama in their shows. We spoke to some producers and directors to understand what goes into celebrating festivals in TV shows.
TV's Festival season starts from August
It's the start of the festive season on TV, say producers. "From August to December, we get to celebrate a lot of festivals on TV shows. Daily soaps are watched not only by people here, but NRIs also. So, it's a great experience for them to watch such sequences. In Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (YRKKH), we try to show festivals elaborately as that's the strength of the show. We recently shot the Teej, Saawan Milni and Rakhi sequences, and are now planning to shoot a special Janmashtami sequence," says Rajan Shahi, producer of YRKKH.
Yash Patnaik, producer of Ek Veer Ki Ardaas... Veera, says, "Our show is about the brother-sister bond, so Raksha Bandhan is a huge festival for us. It's not going to be a two-minute event. Events also give us a canvas to take the story forward. In Veera, viewers will get to see the village boys coming to celebrate Rakhi at Ranveer's place. There are going to be many emotional scenes as this will be Veera's last Rakhi with Ranveer before her grandparents take her away."
Festive sequences are aired before or after the festival
Usually, these special sequences are aired a few days after the festival, or, in a few exceptions, before the festival. "The story of TV shows moves at a certain pace. Story ka rhythm todkar hum festivals nahi dikha sakte. Since the time Diya Aur Baati Hum (DABH) has been on air, only once did the Diwali sequence go on air on the day of the festival and that was just a coincidence," says Rohit Raj Goyal, director of DABH.
Gajra Kottary, writer of Balika Vadhu and Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera, says that many a time, makers run the risk of losing TRPs if the festival sequences are aired on the day of the festival. "Since people are celebrating the festival, they don't actually get to watch the episode that is aired on that day. This is especially true for festivals that are celebrated at night, like Diwali. So, makers don't mind if they have to celebrate a festival a few days after its actual date," she says.
Rajen Shahi, producer, says that celebrating a festival a few days before or after the actual date sometimes helps viewers connect with a show more. "We have observed that people tend to feel nostalgic if they watch a festival on screen after it has been celebrated. Also, viewers get more excited about festival preparations if they see a festival being celebrated in a TV show before the actual date. So, it's a win-win situation for us," he says.
But even though festivals help in generating TRPs for the TV show, makers ensure that they don't compromise on the storyline of the serial. "We try not to make a standalone episode on festival celebrations, so we incorporate them in the storyline. For instance, in Balika Vadhu, we will be showing how Shiv and Sanchi will get emotional while celebrating Rakhi since Sanchi is set to get married to Jagdish and it's her last Rakhi before her wedding. It's essential that viewers connect with the episode that is aired a day before and a day after the special festival episode. Sometimes, it so happens that we don't celebrate a festival on the show because it doesn't gel with the storyline," says Kottary.
Special budgets
Such special episodes also require additional budgets and additional people on the sets. While makers admit that Rakhi is not that heavy on their pockets, celebrating festivals like Holi, Diwali and Janmashtami doesn't come cheap. "The budgets escalate when we have to show special sequences on TV shows. We have to get more junior artistes, cameras, lights and special costumes that might sometimes lead to an increase of 300% in the budget allotted to one episode," says Yash.
Shahi agrees with the same, and adds that usually channels also provide monetary support if the budget shoots up. "For big festivals which require elaborate sets, costumes, etc, channels help in providing extra budget and dividing the money. But we usually try and manage the budget for festivals like Rakhi," reveals Shahi.
Come August and the minds of creative directors of TV shows go into overdrive as they start planning to incorporate festivals in their storylines. Be it recreating Teej, Rakhi, Janmashtami or Navratri on screen, makers ensure that viewers get a double dose of festivities and the usual drama in their shows. We spoke to some producers and directors to understand what goes into celebrating festivals in TV shows.
TV's Festival season starts from August
It's the start of the festive season on TV, say producers. "From August to December, we get to celebrate a lot of festivals on TV shows. Daily soaps are watched not only by people here, but NRIs also. So, it's a great experience for them to watch such sequences. In Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (YRKKH), we try to show festivals elaborately as that's the strength of the show. We recently shot the Teej, Saawan Milni and Rakhi sequences, and are now planning to shoot a special Janmashtami sequence," says Rajan Shahi, producer of YRKKH.
Yash Patnaik, producer of Ek Veer Ki Ardaas... Veera, says, "Our show is about the brother-sister bond, so Raksha Bandhan is a huge festival for us. It's not going to be a two-minute event. Events also give us a canvas to take the story forward. In Veera, viewers will get to see the village boys coming to celebrate Rakhi at Ranveer's place. There are going to be many emotional scenes as this will be Veera's last Rakhi with Ranveer before her grandparents take her away."
Festive sequences are aired before or after the festival
Usually, these special sequences are aired a few days after the festival, or, in a few exceptions, before the festival. "The story of TV shows moves at a certain pace. Story ka rhythm todkar hum festivals nahi dikha sakte. Since the time Diya Aur Baati Hum (DABH) has been on air, only once did the Diwali sequence go on air on the day of the festival and that was just a coincidence," says Rohit Raj Goyal, director of DABH.
Gajra Kottary, writer of Balika Vadhu and Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera, says that many a time, makers run the risk of losing TRPs if the festival sequences are aired on the day of the festival. "Since people are celebrating the festival, they don't actually get to watch the episode that is aired on that day. This is especially true for festivals that are celebrated at night, like Diwali. So, makers don't mind if they have to celebrate a festival a few days after its actual date," she says.
Rajen Shahi, producer, says that celebrating a festival a few days before or after the actual date sometimes helps viewers connect with a show more. "We have observed that people tend to feel nostalgic if they watch a festival on screen after it has been celebrated. Also, viewers get more excited about festival preparations if they see a festival being celebrated in a TV show before the actual date. So, it's a win-win situation for us," he says.
But even though festivals help in generating TRPs for the TV show, makers ensure that they don't compromise on the storyline of the serial. "We try not to make a standalone episode on festival celebrations, so we incorporate them in the storyline. For instance, in Balika Vadhu, we will be showing how Shiv and Sanchi will get emotional while celebrating Rakhi since Sanchi is set to get married to Jagdish and it's her last Rakhi before her wedding. It's essential that viewers connect with the episode that is aired a day before and a day after the special festival episode. Sometimes, it so happens that we don't celebrate a festival on the show because it doesn't gel with the storyline," says Kottary.
Special budgets
Such special episodes also require additional budgets and additional people on the sets. While makers admit that Rakhi is not that heavy on their pockets, celebrating festivals like Holi, Diwali and Janmashtami doesn't come cheap. "The budgets escalate when we have to show special sequences on TV shows. We have to get more junior artistes, cameras, lights and special costumes that might sometimes lead to an increase of 300% in the budget allotted to one episode," says Yash.
Shahi agrees with the same, and adds that usually channels also provide monetary support if the budget shoots up. "For big festivals which require elaborate sets, costumes, etc, channels help in providing extra budget and dividing the money. But we usually try and manage the budget for festivals like Rakhi," reveals Shahi.
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