MUMBAI: “We always offer differentiated and innovative content than the others in the general entertainment channel space,” says Sab TV EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor on the sidelines of the launch of Sab’s new show Jo Biwi Se Kare Pyaar today. The show goes on-air on 28 October at 7:30 pm. Currently, the channel has no fresh content in this time slot and it is adding to its prime time line up through its new offering.
Jo Biwi Se Kare Pyaar is a light-hearted cookery show. “It is India’s first fiction based cookery show, which has romance, comedy and also teaches the audience a recipe in each episode,” informs Kapoor.
This isn’t all. The show is also different than the rest, as it takes brand communication to a different level. The channel has partnered with TTK Prestige and developed a concept around the values of the brand. “We have taken communication beyond advertisement. It is an articulation of product with the content of the show, which comes out beautifully,” says TTK Prestige COO Chandru Kalroo.
The show weaves in romance, comedy and cooking seamlessly. “With this show, we bring our old line Jo biwi se kare pyaar to the contemporary context of Woh cooking se kaise kare inkaar,” adds Kalroo.
According to Kapoor, since the new series is not a non-fiction client sponsored show, “it becomes a logical part of our regular programming, thus strengthening our prime time band.”
“As a brand that has a relationship spanning six decades, we believe that we have to communicate beyond the product itself. We need to constantly strike an emotional chord with the consumer. The partnership with Sab through the programme will further this effort through its wonderfully conceived situations, humour and high quality production. I am sure this will be a new landmark in marketing,” adds Kalroo.
The show, according to Kapoor, is “of the family, by the family and for the family.” “The show retains brand Sab. It is a very unique concept, as there has never been a fiction cookery show with some added tadka,” he adds.
The show stars Arjun Bijlani who plays Aditya Khanna and Shweta Gulati who will be seen as Suhani Khanna. It has been produced by Deepti Bhatnagar Productions and written by Rajat Vyas. Commenting on his association with Deepti, Kapoor says, “She has been associated with Sab for almost five years now and thus understands the brand Sab.”
Deepti has in the past also been the spokesperson for Prestige. “She thus understands not only us, but also our clients,” he says. Not only has Deepti produced the show, but has also taken her cooking experience to another level through her characters on TV. “All the recipes are from my recipe book. I did not want to take it from a chef as we wanted to keep it simple,” says Bhatnagar.
It was the channel’s idea to do a show like this. Talking about the concept, Kapoor says, “Well, the concept came from us and then we approached Deepti to work on it. Prestige, which is our client, wanted us to create a show which could help promote them. We developed the concept keeping our brand template in mind.”
The story of Jo Biwi Se Kare Pyaar reflects the lifestyle of new age couples, who despite of demanding work-lives try to find interesting ways to spend time with each other. And, the show also offers an opportunity to the viewers to learn new and easy recipes.
Two promos and various digital campaigns have been designed to promote the show. “We have not compromised on the marketing of the show,” informs Kapoor.
Quiz Deepti about the challenges she faced while making the show and she says, “It is a different genre that has both fiction and non-fiction. Also, we had to ensure that the cooking is seamlessly integrated in the story. Everything had to blend very well. It was challenging as it is no saas-bahu saga.”
Currently, of the 26 episodes that will be aired in the series, five have been shot. “We will take a call on increasing the number of episodes a week after the show goes on air.” A lot of detailing has gone into making the set of the show. “It took us one month to create the set in Kamalistan. The show has a working kitchen, unlike the dummy kitchen in a lot of cookery shows. Also, the glasses that have been used are from Turkey. The appliances are good looking. I have got a professional to design the plates for the show. I wanted to put a lot of stress on the production value,” says Bhatnagar.
Sab hopes to climb the ladder of TV ratings with this show and is also working towards strengthening its weekend programming for which new concepts are being developed. In the past, the channel has been at the number three slot in the time spent by viewers on the channel and wants to return to that ranking.
