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BLAST from the PAST
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Take a breather from joint family shenanigans and tasteless tales from Hollywood. The History Channel is here
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Zubin Gandevia: 'We want to make history fun and exciting'
CONSIDERING WE'VE all forgotten what life was like before satellite television, and that we would indeed be in the Dark Ages if we don't have our daily quota of awful soaps, bad movies, ghastly reality shows, and horrendous news footages, it is useful to report that there is yet another channel on the small screen. The History Channel, reaching more than 200 million households in 70 countries in 20 languages, had a quiet launch here last fortnight.
The channel, according to Zubin Jehanbux Gandevia, Managing Director, inspires viewers to become better persons thanks to its programmes. A division of Arts and Entertainment Television Networks (AETN), which itself is a joint venture of the Hearst Corporation, ABC Inc., and NBC, the channel has tied up with the National Geographic Channel here in India and is a part of the STAR bouquet. It is also available in Hindi from 10 p.m. to midnight and will gradually move to a 24-hour Hindi feed by June next year.
It claims as its USP 2,000 hours of original programming in its library. "Nothing is off-the-shelf," Mr. Gandevia said. The channel's signature series, Biography, premiered in April 1987 and is still going strong, having profiled some 1,000 people. There are other series like Modern Marvels, History's Mysteries, Crime Time, and so on. However, Biography is the channel's strongest point. The personalities featured range from Adolph Hitler to Nelson Mandela to Saddam Hussein.
A great deal of research and fact-finding goes on behind the series. "Each quote is backed up by a page of research," Mr. Gandevia informed a media meet. He is very optimistic about the channel's popularity, considering it is piggybacking on National Geographic, and expects 40 per cent of the viewership to come from the South. "Indians connect with personality and faces," he said, adding that "we want to make history fun and exciting." And history, for that matter, could be as late as yesterday.
Currently, the programmes are in four-hour slots, repeated thrice a day. The channel will expand its programmes, of course, and there are plans to invite personalities to host programmes so as to give an Indian perspective. Also on the cards are programmes on counterfactual history, like what if Hitler had won the war, and polls like who is the greatest Indian, and so on. "There is a great deal of interest in India in the rest of the world," Mr. Gandevia pointed out.
The channel's Biography programmes features personages such as Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa.
Watching the programmes on the channel, it is indeed great to see rare footage of significant events. Though the channel steers clear of any serious political debate, there are obvious biases, considering most of the programmes originated in the U.S.. For example, there was one on spies during the Cold War. Every time footage on the KGB was shown, it was accompanied by dramatically sinister background music, while the CIA footage was minus such theatrical additions.
Also, history is a matter of perspective. The folder accompanying the publicity material had pictures of great personalities. And, guess who was rubbing his brawny shoulders with Einstein, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela? Good old Arnie Schwarzenegger!! Puh-leeze...
SUGANDHI RAVINDRANATHAN
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