show n tell

Flip through your fave shows on air today and the chances are that in 6 out of the ten shows you will chance upon a male lead who is the focal point in the show.

When a show is ready to launch the channel pulls out all the stops to promote it. In the current times when competition is so intense on TV it’s very essential to effectively market the show or else it will be lost in the clutter. It is indeed challenging times for TV channel marketers and programmers. How to get their programmes noticed above the din of everyone else’s marketing noise is what everyone is working at. The television space today is cluttered with hundreds of programmes vying for attention.

Gone are the days when creative/original/thematic titles were used for shows. In fact many a times a specialist was hired to come up with a title for a show. And more than often the title was an indication of the content of the show. <em>Malgudi Days, Hum Log, Buniyaad, Udaan, Nukkad, Circus, Fauji, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi</em> conveyed the precise nature of the show. But now the scenario has changed. Now the trend of using popular Bollywood songs as titles of shows has caught in a big way. Sure, these titles could be suggestive of the story but definitely lack novelty.

Let me begin by asking a simple question that I fail to find any answer to…is there any connection between ratings and quality?

Akshay Kumar who was recently hosting KKK 4 asked contestant <a href=http://www.tellychakkar.com/news/smita-saurabh-out-torchaar>Smita Bansal</a> (Sumitra of <a href=http://www.tellychakkar.com/news/dadisa-shows-door-jagya-gauri-balika>Balika Vadhu</a>) why actors on TV shows woke up in the morning with hair and make-up in place. I would like to add a bit more to the observation. Not only is the hair and make-up in place but even the <em>saree pallu</em> is perfectly pinned and there is not a single crease on the nightwear.

Any soap worth its TRP must have a <em>saas</em>. She could be cruel, mean, nasty, kind, affectionate, or passionate. Be it any <em>avatar</em> but a soap must have a <em>saas</em>. And each and every small screen viewer should thank Ekta Kapoor and co. for this. A <em>saas</em> is the brainchild of Ms Kapoor. Just take a look back at some of her prime time properties on TV.