MJHT Article in today's Bombay Times:
Take 2
BT finds out why sequels of off-air shows are suddenly in demand when there are plenty of shows on air
Sarah Salvadore
If
the past few months on TV have taught us anything, it's the fact that
there are no permanent goodbyes. Though many shows shut shop early,
they were given a new lease of life only to be brought back in an
allnew avatar. So, the iconic Hum Log made a comeback as Hum, the jodi
of Karan Kundra and Kritika Kamra paired up again for Kitni Mohabbat
Hai ' Season 2 and talks are on to bring back Choti Bahu as well as
Banoo Main Teri Dulhan in a new avatar to salvage the channels' sagging TRPs.
Though
the reality rage in the country is yet to die, avid TV watchers still
swear by the good old soap operas. While the new crop of shows on TV
fail to retain the attention of the audience for a long span of time,
the older ones seem to be finding favour once again. Explaining the
phenomenon, producer Rajan Shahi says, "These days it's difficult to
hold the audience's attention for a long time. If the show is not good,
they reject it immediately. The recall value, too, has gone down
drastically. Most of them seem like been-theredone-that types. Hence
the shows that go off air find favour with the audience."
Producer
Sudhir Sharma voices a similar opinion. "You need to be on your feet
constantly with fresh ideas, twists, etc. to keep the audience glued.
The moment you falter, it's over." His shows 12/24 Karol Bagh wrapped
up recently while Miley Jab Hum Tum created a furore amongst fans
when a popular character, Nupur played by Rati Pandey, was bumped off.
Though the show was revamped with new characters and brought back in a
new season, it didn't work.
The concept of a new season,
though not new, has found favour only now. Earlier when Baa Bahoo Aur
Baby came back with a season, they didn't find many takers. "The
audience needs to re-connect with the show and characters if
the show is off-air for long. Then there is also the relevance factor '
how relevant is the story now as compared to when it was aired
earlier," says actor Rajesh Kumar. Shahi too, points out that that one
of the challenges of making a comeback is the relevance factor. "The
maker has to keep the USP of the show intact. If that means retaining
the central characters and changing the others, then so be it. While
keeping the story relevant to the current times, the makers have to add
that much-needed freshness. It's tough," explains Shahi.
Ask
them which show they would like to see make a comeback and they don't
bat an eyelid before saying, "I think Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai was super.
It will still work," says Rakesh who played the character of Rosesh in
the show. "For me it would definitely be Bidaai," says Rajan, adding,
"We pulled the plug on Bidaai before the audience rejected it. Hence
the recall value is high."
A still from Kitani Mohabbat Hai ' Season 2
A still from Choti Bahu
The lead characters of Miley Jab Hum Tum
-though d show is only off-air now...
thanx 4 sharing.!
