Indian television has had many great examples of shows that have done magic with a great connect with the audience. So what is the right formula for making a successful project? Are we aware of the dos and don’ts that need to be followed to make a show a success story? Let’s have a look at some of the leading shows on the small screen currently….Diya Aur Baati Hum (Star Plus), Jodha Akbar (Zee TV), Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (SAB TV), Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai (Star Plus), Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara (Star Plus), Saath Nibhana Saathiya (Star Plus), Balika Vadhu (Colors) and Qubool Hai (Zee TV). So what’s the striking similarity seen in these shows that put them in a completely different league altogether? We discuss this with the doyens of the industry (actors and people from behind the scenes) associated with these projects. Diya Aur Baati Hum rules the roost as the # 1 show across all GECs. We first decided to contact the director of the project Raj Goyal who has been instrumental in the show’s success from the day of its inception. Raj shares, “Everything matters from writers conceptualizing the show to the team that gives the final product to the channel.” Getting into the integrities of the TV functioning he states, “A show with a bank always manages to get better numbers on the TAM chart. And only the channel can play an important part here. They are the ones who approve the scripts, hence if the final script reaches the sets well in advance the show will have a bank.” “A bank of episodes means you can give enough time on the episode in hand as you do not have telecast issues. Therefore, the execution gets better with actors getting time to rehearse on their scenes and the editor getting enough time to edit. We also get an opportunity to improvise on our scenes if there is ever a need.” So how many episode banks do you have? “We always have at least a week’s bank,” replies the proud director. He further goes on to add, “Having a bank is not the criteria to have a successful show, but it definitely makes a difference in your final output. Why do you think film scripts are worked on well in advance?” With this bit of knowledge that an episode bank can guarantee a good product, we called up Shashank Vyas better known as Jagya of Colors’ Balika Vadhu. The experienced actor though feels that having a bank of episodes hardly matter. So what is it that has helped Balika Vadhu cross the one thousand episodes milestone? “The concept rules and so does the everyday writing of the scripts. Balika is a cult show and the writing has been its hero,” avers the tall man. There are a few more factors that matter in making an epic, according to Shashank as he goes on to state, “We at Balika do not work fast but we definitely work towards perfection. I have given six re-takes in a scene where I have had to pick up a cup from the table as my hand movement had to be right. So Balika has a talented bunch of actors who are its strength. Having said this, I do not disagree with the fact that creativity demands time.” He also adds that the captain of the ship is important. “Our director Pradeep Yadav is a very hardworking man and most of the credit goes to him as he makes it a point to explain each and every scene to us in detail.” The creative head of 4 Lions Films’ Qubool Hai on Zee TV, Ichcha Kohli too went on to agree with what Shashank had to say. “The storyline, performance, characters and the execution have to be right. What have worked for us are our characters and also our fresh storyline. Nobody has ever seen a character like Zoya who is extremely bold and flamboyant.” She further went on to add, “We are convinced about our conviction and that’s exactly what click with the audiences.” Hmm, agreed as conviction is the key here and it exudes confidence in the product you have on hand. Next we contacted Vishesh Suri, General Manager, Rajshri Productions (Pyaar Ka Dard), and he said, “Good storyline is definitely a must, but at the same time one must take feedback from its audiences. I get a lot of feedback from uncles and aunties who stay in the neighbourhood as well as my relatives. What I have learnt from them is that people like traditional values along with the love story. Everybody wants their son-in-law to be like Aditya and they want their daughters-in-law to be like Pankhuri.” Do you have an episodic bank? “Yes, we always have a 10 episode story and five episode screenplays with us and it’s because the channel is very supportive. As far as the story of Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara is concerned the credit goes to Sooraj Barjatya ji. Our journey from being positioned at the eight place on the TVT ladder on Star Plus to being the second highest show on Star Plus is because of him.” Furthermore, let’s talk to Asit Modi, producer of the highest rated show on SAB TV. “Most importantly your show has to be different as the audiences have got tired of watching the usual content on TV. This is also one of the reasons why shows like Diya Aur Baati Hum, Balika Vadhu and Jodha Akbar are working." He further adds, "The daily soaps also work because of the conviction of its creative team thus, the creative team needs to be convinced about what they want to show on-screen." Talking about the reason why Taarak is doing extremely well he states, "We are a very hard working team. We are all the time on our toes and that's exactly why our show has been doing well." Zee TV’s Jodha Akbar, produced by Balaji Telefilms is one show that is climbing up the TVT ladder really fast being placed in the second position as far as the TVTs are concerned across the GECs. And most importantly, it has already won the battle of being the highest TVT gainer historical show ever. We contacted the lead of this show Paridhi Sharma better known as Jodha and she averred, “It’s the storyline that keeps the interest of the audiences. But we do not have an episode bank. We are running cut-to-cut.” Agreed with all here!! The most important ingredients required to make a success story are storyline, episodic bank and performance. But there are few other shows which have everything in place which help their shows stand out from the others. Best examples of unique concepts – Balika Vadhu and Qubool Hai. Guess only few earmarked shows have that X-factor that put them at the top!! Way to go, you leaders!!