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Familiar imagination
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NDTV Imagine was launched in Mumbai with much fanfare this past week. ANUJ KUMAR
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Like big budget cinema, you can’t offer something absolutely different on television because the stakes are too high.
SAMEER NAIR
It is familiar yet different.” Many of us might find it clichéd but this is how Sameer Nair describes NDTV Imagine, a new general entertainment channel ready to go on air in January.
Nair, known for taking Star Plus high on the TRP curve is also famous for being forthright with the media.
So he comes up with another one. “We believe in catering to Bharat and India not Bharat or India.” Interesting! A look at the programme line-up explains his thought.
Usual suspects
Fresh appealThe participants of NDTV Imagine’s reality show, “Dhoom Macha Le” at the launch of the channel in Mumbai.
To begin there is “Radha Ki Betiyan Kuch Kar Dikhayengi” by Tony and Diya Singh who gave us Jassi among others.
As the name suggests it is the story of a mother and her three daughters who migrate from Mumbai to Meerut. To keep the males interested there is period drama, “Dharam Veer” from the Sagars who are these days known for “Prithiviraj Chauhan”. No more guess work for why Chauhan finally grew up. Rajat Tokas is doing “Dharam Veer”.
Back to female bonding, there is “Ek Packet Umeed” by Jamnadas Majethia (popularly called JD) and Aatish Kapadia. The duo is known for bringing Gujarati flavour to the small screen.
“It is the story of 15 women who are not related by blood and have an unfortunate past but live together with a positive attitude to make a change,” tells JD.
Keeping the dance mood going there is Saroj Khan teaching dance steps in “Nachle Ve”. Focussing on television these days, Rajshri Films has come up with “Main Teri Parchhain Hoon”, a story of a young girl who adopts a family.
No channel is complete without a fantasy and a big family serial. So there is “Raajkumar Aaryyan” full of thrills and frills and “Jassuben Jayantilal Joshi Ki Joint Family” which is again conceived by JD and Aatish. Touted as the biggest family on the television screen, the story in again set in Gujarat.
To round off the first instalment there is “Dhoom Macha Le” which according to host Malaika Arora Khan, (known for her dancing skills!) is reality show where the real talent would be singing.
To be judged by Shankar Mahadevan and Prasoon Joshi, the likes of Babul Supriyo, Jaspinder Narula, Richa Sharma, Baba Sehgal, Anaida and Kamaal Khan will fight it out to be the best performer.
High stakes
All of this gives you a familiar feeling which Nair says is executed differently. “Like big budget cinema you can’t offer something absolutely different on television because the stakes are too high. You have to play by certain stereotypes. When we did ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi’ it was very much turning Zee’s ‘Amanat’ into a daily soap. There is limited good talent on television all of which we have used. In future we have Balaji, BBC and Fox lined up. Then there is Karan Johar." Sameer shares the channel might show select films as well.
On the absence of star material Nair is known to bring, he says, “Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh were just highlights; a general entertainment channel runs on daily soaps.”
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
