If there’s one reason why I don’t watch a Shah Rukh Khan movie in the week of its opening, it’s because by the time the film releases, I have had enough of him. He is on all television channels (including the more sober NDTV 24x7), the print media, dotcoms and social media. The past week has seen an overdose of promotions of the SRK-Kajol film Dilwale and the Ranveer Kapoor-Deepika Padukone-Priyanka Chopra starrer Bajirao Mastani.
Now SRK is decidedly one of the most loved actors in the country, and there are enough fans who watch his films a dozen times over and take selfies outside his house in Bandra. His following, though, isn’t as manic as that of Rajnikanth, whose cut-outs were bathed in milk at the Aurora theatre in Central Mumbai when the move Lingaa released on his birthday in December 2014. SRK may be no Thalaiva, but he’s a rage. A colleague in an advertising and marketing show I curate told me how, despite looking visibly tired ahead of a recent interview, the moment the cameras started rolling, his face lit up, as did the lady’s. That’s the magic he brings to the small screen, even though he hasn’t been able to make an impact with the shows he has hosted ( Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? on Star Plus, Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout on Imagine TV, Dilse Naachein Indiawale on Zee and more recently India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun? on &TV). It’s ironic that while SRK’s television roles (in Circus , Fauji , and a bit of Wagle ki Duniya ) gave him the big break in Bollywood, he never give a single hit on TV. In fact he couldn’t even maintain the ratings of Kaun Banega Crorepati , which had soared with Amitabh Bachchan in the first two seasons.
Zee Anmol is numero uno
The highlight of the last week was the crowning of the free-to-air Zee Anmol as the numero uno Hindi general entertainment channel.
Now, there are some 20-odd channels that I track, but I skip the likes of Star Utsav, Zee Anmol and Rishtey, which essentially air re-runs of popular shows from the flagships of their respective groups. But ever since the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the audience measurement body co-owned by broadcasters, advertisers and ad agencies, started its urban-plus-rural ratings in late October, it’s been a steady rise for the free-to-air channel. The reason: television audiences in rural India don’t watch the same shows at the same time across India. Some of the reality shows, for instance, are a no-no in the hinterland. It’s bed time at 9.30 pm in a large number of homes. I remember chasing a passport agent for my mother-in-law in the not-at-all-rural Patna a few years back, only to be counselled gently that this wasn’t the time to call people, especially in the winters.
What’s worked for Zee Anmol is some smart outreach to viewers across the country, especially in States such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra where Doordarshan’s free dish installations are in large numbers. That, coupled with some strategic programming tactics, has worked. For instance, one of the top shows, Jodha Akbar , airs at 8.30 pm with a repeat at 5pm the following day. Serials like Choti Bahu II , Ek Se Bhale Do , Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke , Doli Armanon Ki... (all from Zee TV) have always scored well. While Jodha… is a historical drama, Sapne Suhana celebrates adolescence with a story around two teens, Gunjan and Rachna.
I must confess, I didn’t catch Sapne Suhane or Doli Armanon Ki in their first showings; I only saw them when I wanted to figure what it was that made Anmol such a huge hit. That it would surpass Star Plus some week was a certainty, given the way it galloped ahead, leaving its older sibling and Colors behind.
Will it continue to be at the top forever? One can’t be sure. There are smart programming and marketing heads working at all channels, dreaming up ways to swing things in their favour. Save Sony Entertainment Television, which is a lowly #7 despite the all-time favourite CID (with the protagonist as my namesake), and some interesting shows like Suryaputra Karn , where even innovations haven’t worked too well.
The success of Anmol shows the importance of fiction shows in the performance of an entertainment channel. Colors, for instance, has narrowed the gap with Star Plus — and scored higher in some weeks — thanks to the popularity of its fiction. And this happened way before Naagin came on air.
Reality shows on weekends or at late night add to the buzz around a channel, but can’t get you the ratings that daily soaps generate. For instance, one is sure that the Salman Khan-SRK episode on Bigg Boss tonight and tomorrow is going to be much watched. The promos are all over, and the fact that the arch rivals are showing more than just polite bonhomie, could well do the trick. Doing the ‘Yeh dosti’ from Sholay ? Ouch, that’s a bit much.
(The writer is a commentator and editor working across media. He is getting set to launch an alternative news offering. Tweets @pmahesh)