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The year saw various channels dishing out reality shows to grab the TRPs besides going ahead full steam with regular soaps, thrillers, comedies, teary dramas and flashy news coverage. Time was when the small screen was all about gentle shows where viewers laughed and cried with the performers. They loved their heroes and despised their villains. It was an innocent entertainment best enjoyed with the family Now, no more so. Role models are changing like never before. There’s been a shift from pious women to scheming bahus and from plain Janes to bindaas girls setting their own trends. Switch on MTV or Channel [V] and the bare-dare antics of performers would leave you agape. The innocuous soaps have given way to sinister saas-bahu shows. Song-based programmes such as Antakshri have morphed into countrywide talent hunts where anchors think nothing of humiliating tearful participants. Quiz time is no longer a test of intelligence. It has been transformed into no-holds barred game shows where winnings run into crores. If news is not breaking, then it is hardly news. There is no longer investigative journalism but tape-and-trap dramas enacted out with real-life players. Though the latest Operation Duryodhan was executed with military precision, there have been smaller ones such as like NDTV’s expose showing a cop taking bribe to release a corpse from a hospital. On the flip side, there were sting operations where none were required — the entrapment drama where Shakti Kapoor and Aman Verma were made the targets. Indeed a lot changed in 2005. Channels dished out eclectic programming and laughed all the way to the bank. Power shows
Talent hunt programmes like Indian Idol, Cine Star Ki Khoj, Fame Gurukul, Fashion House and Get Gorgeous stole the show. Loaded with high energy and glamour, viewers just loved the highs and lows, the ecstasy and the angst of wannabe singers, actors, models and designers who came to try their luck. Five years after Kaun Banega Crorepati made Star Plus one of the most watched channels, the game show made a comeback as KBC2. Phone lines buzzed as Amitabh Bachchan once again began redefining primetime viewing. The show had the same superstar host, the same sets and the same format. Only the prize money had doubled to Rs 2 crore pushing the stakes to stratospheric heights. It indeed was a year of prizes and big money. Star One persuaded people to go on a shopping spree in Super Sale with host Sajid Khan tempting contestants to buy holidays, household goods and even cars at ridiculously low prices. It did not take long for this show to spawn a clone. Sony Entertainment Television’s Deal Ya No Deal too was about making the right choices. Hosted by Madhavan, it combined instant decisions and prize monies.
The year was a mixed bag for Sony. Its two star shows Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi and Yeh Meri Life Hai sank in the charts. Despite a makeover, Jassi’s meandering storyline made even her ardent fans throw up their hands in despair. The same was the case with the two medical soaps Sanjeevani and Aayushman which didn’t take long to turn into poor man’s saas bahu sagas. However, Sony scored points with Fame Gurukul, a reality show that identified 14 talented singers to be trained by top professionals. The show, hosted by Manav Govil and Mandira Bedi, became an instant chartbuster. Nach Baliye did the same for Star One. The show raised temperatures in winter and became one of the biggest hits of the year. Popular TV star couples danced to regional and western hits even as three judges and viewers evaluated their performances every week. Smiles all the way
Star One had other winners as well. Whether it was Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai or Remix, there was freshness to these shows. The Great Indian Comedy Show and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge — the first-ever show for stand up comedians had viewers rolling with laughter. Comedy was back on Zee TV as well with Hum Paanch. The serial about an ever-hassled father Anand Mathur and his five (mis)adventurous daughters that first regaled viewers a decade ago was back with a bang and gave the channel a lot to cheer about. Novel presentation Zee had other hits as well. Kareena Kareena was one of them. It was about a simple girl from Chandigarh who comes to Mumbai to find a job. Then there was Time Bomb which was part of the channel’s latest efforts to move away from the mundane. But the channel’s real glory came with Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge hosted by Shaan. This wasn’t a run-of-the-mill reality music show but a talent hunt that had a novel presentation. Besides TV programmes like Kuch Love Kuch Masti and Style Mantra, SaharaOne entered film production. Despite a dismal debut with Sheen, Gayab and Vaastu Shastra, it scored two back-to-back hits with Ab Tak Chhappan and Page 3. Meanwhile, after Karisma and Raveena it was the turn of Hema Malini to hog the arc lights in Kamini Damini, a Seeta Aur Geeta tale with a twist. But like its earlier experiments this serial was a dud. News business On the news front, it was breaking news once again. Generating news turned into mega business with channels vying to provide stories "on the hour, every hour". Channel 7 and Total TV were already creating waves but viewers waited for the launch of CNN-IBN led by Rajdeep Sardesai who left had NDTV. There was also good news from across the border as serial makers from Pakistan began eyeing the Indian small screen and started signing Indian stars. The trend that began with Aan: The Ego featuring Nausheen Ali Sardar and Parikshit Sahni continued with Rookhey Naina, a Pakistani serial that invited Mona Wasu of the Millee, to be its main lead. Many actors took their karma break on the stage. Farooque Sheikh (Aapki Soniya), Mandira Bedi (Laughing Wild), Shweta Kawaatra (Uncle Samjha Karo), Tannaz Currim (Yeh Dil Maange More) — they all swore by the theatre. Ultimate winner
It was an unlikely channel and an even more unlikely host who challenged the supremacy of the most popular shows. Swami Ramdev left most channels far behind with his primetime Yoga-Made-Easy-Through-Pranayam. The shows were watched by more than a million viewers every weekday and posed a serious threat to soaps and gnawed into their TRPs. With a fan following rivalling most saas-bahu sagas, Swami Ramdev was busy infusing a new Karmic energy among the viewers. Which must have made Ekta Kapoor insecure. Wonder what she’d do in the new year — make Tulsi conduct yoga and meditation classes. — NF |
