How you narrate a story is very crucial. Characterisation is another major key element. In Jodha and Akbar we found a relevant couple for today's times: both were achievers
at very young age and fine human beings.
" Ajay Bhalwankar, head of content Zee TV
Diya Aur Baati Hum is comfortably positioned to be the No. 1 show for another six months. Besides, with Saath Nibhana Saathiya, Pyar Ka Dard, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Mahabharat delivering higher TVMs, we have three-four contenders for the No. 2 slot in our kitty. It's a great time for our fiction. The competition for us is between our shows for top slots.
" Nikhil Madhok, head of marketing, Star Plus
After nearly two years of an almost uninterrupted reign, Diya Aur Baati Hum (DABH), it appears has a serious competitor for the top slot. DABH's challenger is not another family drama, but a historical, an unlikely genre for the number one spot on a GEC (General Entertainment Channel). Launched in June, Jodha Akbar started on a low key with 2 TVR, but has gradually inched its way up since then, overtaking Pyar Ka Dard, Balika Vadhu, Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. Averaging between 8 and 9 million TVTs over the last two months, it showed potential to challenge DABH's supremacy when it garnered 10.2 million TVTs in week 48 (November 24 to 30, 2013) against 11.4 million TVTs of DABH. Though it is still 0.8 million TVTs behind DABH in week 49, its growing popularity may possibly make it the most popular GEC show very soon.
Should that happen, it will be the first for a historical serial to reach the top where family dramas like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Balika Vadhu, Uttaran, Bidaai, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Pavitra Rishta and a few others have ruled the roost over the last 13 years. It will also be a big achievement because not many historical serials have been attempted in a daily format, except Jhansi Ki Rani. At a time when several family dramas are finding it difficult to garner 3 TVR, what explains Jodha Akbar's rise to the top?
"We had expected this because Zee is the only channel which has had a better success ratio in historical genre," beams Zee's head of content Ajay Bhalwankar. "The start could have been better, but we knew that numbers would start coming after the main story started (in the following episodes). The initial episodes went into establishing characters. People saw the difference between the serial and Ashutosh Gowariker's film. Once the wedding happened, viewers got connected to the story and characters," he adds.
Weddings are as common in daily soaps as they are in real life and not every serial delivers better ratings post-wedding. The success of Jodha Akbar lies in the fact that in many ways structurally, it is like any other family drama " a love story of young protagonists set against the backdrop of relationship conflicts, politics, intrigue, passion, jealousy, multiple wives, villains and vamps. But the major difference between a regular soap and Jodha Akbar is that the latter is a period love story, a human drama with a royal backdrop which lends grandeur to its story telling. The show's major strength lies in the fact that it focusses on the king's personal life and relationships, instead of wars.
Senior television writer Purnendu Shekhar of Balikav Vadhu calls Jodha Akbar a historical fiction'. "It is little history and more fiction. The characters are king and queen, but it is normal drama with all regular tried and tested elements of soap and melodrama. Since its authenticity can be questioned, it is not a historical but soap with historical backdrop. Zee had done similar things in Jhansi Ki Rani. Had it been a pure historical serial, the success story would have been different," he points out.
Another reason for its success, according to producer Abhimanyu Singh of Maharana Pratap, is that the historical is an under-represented genre on GECs. "Anything that's not available in abundance stands out as differentiator. If it is well-made, it gets lapped up," he adds. Incidentally, Maharana Pratap is also Sony's number one show since its launch six months ago. "It's been consistently doing well. But its DNA is different. It is a story of a warrior king who did not rule, but worked for his subjects. So far we have concentrated on the making of Maharana, the great warrior and king. As the story unfolds, it will grow," he avers.
Sukesh Motwani, Zee's ex-head of fiction and currently a TV entrepreneur and broadcast consultant, doesn't deny that Jodha Akbar is a pure soap with royal backdrop. But he gives credit to the show's positioning as a love story to Ekta Kapoor's vision. Motwani was heading Zee's fiction programming when Ekta pitched the show to him. "Her objective was clear " to show the humane side of a warrior, who has grown up on hate and political intrigue vis-a-vis a princess, who is extremely self-respecting and a woman of substance. How two strangers forge a relationship of love, romance and marriage in volatile royal political world, was a great idea," he elaborates.
But making the 450-year-old story relevant in today's times, where jeans-clad youngsters comprise a significant segment of 15 to 45 GEC audience, was a major challenge. "How you narrate a story is very crucial. Characterisation is another major key element. In Jodha and Akbar we found a couple relevant to today's times: both were achievers at a very young age and fine human beings. Their relationship was complex and full of passion. It lent itself well to contemporary adaptation," explains Bhalwankar.
While the primary reason to skirt the warrior aspect for relationships was driven by the novelty factor, it was also considered an intelligent and safe move. "We did a lot of research before outlining the boundary for the story. What we found was that the warrior aspect of Akbar's kingdom is well-documented in history, but not the personal life and his relationship with Jodha and his other wives. We chose to focus on the relationship aspect because there was a lot of scope to blend fiction with history," says the serial's writer Rajesh Joshi, a veteran of several successful daily soaps like Kyunki, Kahani, Kumkum, Kasauti and others.
Joshi believes that Jodha Akbar's strength lies in the audience's strong identification with the serial's young protagonists and other characters like Mahamanga, Adham Khan, Sharifuddin, Hamida Banu, Gulbadan and others. Starting the serial with Akbar's coronation as head of Mughal dynasty at the age of 14 after Humayun's death was an ideal take-off point, completely in sync with the age of all daily soap protagonists of the last decade. Motwani admits that casting for the protagonists' characters was preceded by a lot of debate, but eventually settled for young actors for Akbar and Jodha's characters.
From a below par start to second place in GECs' top ten shows is pretty impressive. But Diya Aur Baati Hum is no pushover. An educated girl married off to an illiterate boy from an orthodox family is an out-of-the box story. But the show has caught viewer's fancy for over two years because of its hugely popular characters and right blend of drama and realism. Though it is set in a small town, it is a story of aspiration and empowerment; it successfully breaks the stereotype that one cannot pursue one's dreams after marriage. "The simplicity and honesty of the story and its characters have led to a strong connect with audience. We have always seen daily soaps with women going out of the way for their husbands and families. We presented an idea of a husband who stands by his wife, no matter what. The novelty of the concept drew audience to DABH and once viewers related to the characters and story, they got hooked and kept coming back," says the show's producer Sumeet H. Mittal.
He doesn't see Jodha Akbar as a threat to DABH. "We are here to tell stories that we believe the audience will like to see. We work undeterred with a strong focus on delivering quality to our audience, hence what our competitors are doing becomes secondary. All we aim to do is hold our own and keep our audience happy," he adds.
While Bhalwankar and Joshi feel that Jodha Akbar has a sure chance of becoming number one, Motwani feels that Jodha Akbar and DABH are exciting shows, capable of running neck-to-neck in different time slots. "A woman, who is independent and deals with her family and its politics intelligently, with a supportive husband by her side, are elements that drive the ratings. DABH is a good show and has proved its mettle. Jodha Akbar is a great story. Since their time slots are different, they are unlikely to affect each other's ratings," he reasons. But it is a big competitor to Balika Vadhu though. "My show is five and half years old. We have had tough competitors earlier in Jhansi Ki Rani and Mahadev. Did that change anything for us? We are still going strong even today because we have a great story to tell without resorting to daily soap gimmicks," chuckles Purnendu.
Incidentally, while DABH has once again started surging back to its earlier highs, Jodha Akbar has started scaling new peaks at a time when DABH might reach exhaustion point. However, Star Plus is least worried. "DABH has always been head and shoulders above the rest. Three weeks ago it garnered 12.2 TVM (television viewership in million), the highest so far. With Sandhya's journey entering a new phase, so it is comfortably positioned to be the No. 1 show for another six months. Besides, with Saath Nibhana Saathiya, Pyar Ka Dard, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Mahabharat delivering higher TVMs, we have three-four contenders for the No. 2 slot in our kitty. It's a great time for our fiction. The competition for us is between our shows for top slots," asserts Nikhil Madhok, head of marketing, Star Plus.
Competition from within or outside, it's certainly going to be an interesting fight to watch out for.
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