MUMBAI: Colors tends to bring in universally appealing shows that uniquely manage to bridge the gap between urban and rural audience. After Ashoka Samrat’s success, it had been planning to spruce up its fiction line-up with a larger than life concept. Hence, 'Karmphal Data Shani' took shape.
After Naagin season 2 and Devanshi, Viacom 18’s Hindi general entertainment channel is geared up to launch its new offering. The channel which always addressed the entertainment needs of urban audience now seems to be expanding its viewership with its latest offering.
Colors is now presenting the narrative of one of the most misconstrued Lords from the Hindu Scripture who was born to balance one's karmas so that one counted his/her blessings and thus be grateful to the universe for one's existence. He was conceived for righteousness. Born to Surya Dev and blessed by the Trinity of Lords -- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the nature his deliverance of justice remains unchallenged.
“We have always maintained that Colors is a premium Hindi general entertainment channel with our content addressing the entertainment needs of the urban audience. Some shows such as Naagin and Shani have a universal appeal. The content’s appeal to rural audience is, in fact, a spillover effect. Our research shows us that our offerings continue to uniquely manage to bridge the gap between urban and rural with some of our shows,” said Colors programming head Manisha Sharma.
She further added, “At Colors, we are always looking forward to presenting differentiated and disruptive content that will pique viewer interest. After Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat’s success, we had been toying with the idea of sprucing our fiction line-up with a larger than life concept. The new show Karmphal Data Shani is in keeping with our mantra of maintaining cohesive viewing through varied content options."
Produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary’s Swastik Production, the week-day show starts today at 9pm.
A source close to the development informed Indiantelevision.com that the approximate production cost per episode is close to Rs 25 lakh, and the show's 10-sec ad slot rate is around Rs 3-3.5 lakh.
Commenting on the launch, Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “Karmphal Data Shani is our dream project. The rationale behind investing in a show of such magnitude is the fact that it augments the core vision of our channel, i.e., to indulge all kinds of audience through variety content. The other vital reason is that shows such as Ashoka and Shani promote cohesive viewing. It imparts knowledge and spreads awareness. It’s a differentiator from the family dramas dominating primetime.”
Nayak further added, “With an engaging narrative like Karmphal Data Shani, we believe, our weekday primetime is going to consolidate even further. Naagin has proven to be a game-changer, and is ruling the charts, and the unique love story of a eunuch has found its own fan following with Shakti – Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii standing tall at the number 2 position. We are hopeful that the new discerning storyline will surely make an impact in 9pm primetime."
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Sharma informed, “Shani is unlike anything that has been seen on the Indian television in the past. The biggest selling point, for us, is that the concept is based on misconceptions about Lord Shani, and revealing his true nature to those who have grown up fearing him. Further, Swastik Productions has an impeccable track record when it comes to executing such stories and giving scale to the vision.”
The show has been made on a gargantuan scale with the set spread over 65,000 square feet compared to other fiction offerings the sets of which usually cover less than one-fourth of this area. “We’ve also taken great pains in terms of set design, costumes, jewellery, cinematography and VFX to ensure that we present a stunning proposition to our audience,” informed Sharma.
Tewary has also directed the show. The story has been developed by Utkarsh Nathani and the dialogues have been penned by Vinod Sharma. Together they worked with the creative team from Colors. The effects have been put together by Colors’ in-house team One Life and Pixillence.
The show has commissioned 250 episodes. Speaking about the scale and production value of the show, Tewary said, “We have always strived to present compelling content from the Scripture. With Karmphal Data Shani, we aim to clear the misconception about Shani Dev’s intent and origin. Our teams are working tirelessly to present a larger-than-life canvas living up to the divinity of the era, and present an offering which will appeal to the audience’ sensibilities.”
Dabur Chyawanprash has come on board as the show's presenting sponsor.
To promote the show, Colors is planning an elaborate impact and reach-driven marketing blitzkrieg at multiple touchpoints. The marketing team has devised a detailed plan across multiple platforms including OOH, print, electronic, radio and well-planned on-ground activations across various key priority markets.
"Shani is yet another attempt by Colors after the successful show Ashoka Samrat to continue to bring alive stories from mythological stories keeping the Indian audience rooted. Bringing these stories to small screens also helps story-tellers to explore and push the boundaries of imagination while also experimenting with finite content. The channel is confident about the product as it is creating a strong buzz while also cross-promoting it across its other shows," a senior media planner told Indiantelevision.com.
“Initially, there will be a keen interest to understand how the character is evolving and, after a couple of episodes, the traction will depend on how show makers pull the story. After all, content is the king,” said a media planner on condition of anonymity.
