Targeting children
LIZA GEORGE
|
Asianet and Surya TV hope to revive the spirit of ‘My Dear Kuttichathan’ through their serials based on the same theme.
|
Mission entertainment: Stills of “Kuttichathan’
He is mischievous, he is fun and he has a heart of gold. He’s every child’s dream friend as he goes about making their wishes come true. A character from Malayali folklore, Kuttichathan was popularised by Navodaya Appachan’s ‘
My Dear Kuttichattan,’ which was India’s first 3-D movie.
Appachan’s dream venture was a success as the character Kuttichathan endeared himself to children. Hoping to bring the magic of this lovable spirit alive are Surya TV and Asianet through their serials ‘Kuttichathan’ and ‘Hello Kuttichathan’ respectively.
“There are very few programmes that are targeted at children. As ‘My Dear Kuttichattan’ was a hit amongst children when it was released, we thought why not reintroduce Kuttichathan to children,” says C.S. Anil, director of ‘Kuttichathan.’
Packaged differently
‘Hello Kuttichathan.’
Both the serials that are screened at prime time are, however, packaged differently. ‘Hello Kuttichathan’ has a ‘stranded on earth’ Kuttichathan having to earn brownie points if he wants to return to his spiritual abode. To help him in his mission are a group of kids.
‘Kuttichathan,’ on the other hand, has a bunch of kids who go in search of the fabled Kuttichathan. Unbeknownst, they free Kuttichathan who was trapped in a bottle a la the genie in Aladdin’s lamp by an evil sorcerer. The children and Kuttichathan soon strike a friendship.
While the start of the stories may be different, the plots for the stories are more or less similar; how Kuttichathan helps the kids out when they are in trouble and vice versa.
“It is tough when another channel introduces a similar concept. It is the children who have to shoulder the show as they are the ones who rope in viewers," says Baiju Devaraj, producer of ‘Hello Kuttichathan.’
Navaneet, who dons the role of Kuttichathan in ‘Hello Kuttichathan’ says he is excited about his role.
Says the class nine student of St. Joseph’s Boys Higher Secondary School, Kozhikode: “It is cool, getting all the attention and recognition as you step out on to the streets.” A feeling echoed by Harimurali (better known as Apoos), a class five student of CPLM Anglo Indian School, Ernakulam, who plays Kuttichathan on Surya TV.
Asked if there is anything they do to ensure the viewers watch them, says Navaneet: “Not really, I try my best and hope and pray the viewers pick me.” And we leave them at that.
Asianet telecasts ‘Hello Kuttichathan’ at 19.30 on weekdays while Surya TV telecasts ‘Kuttichathan’ at 18.30 on weekdays.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
