\|/ :: Devon Ke Dev Mahadev- Article Archive :: \|/ - Page 16

Daily soaps, otherwise said to be the female protagonists' ruling ground, are now witnessing winds of change. With good looking male protagonists casting a spell on viewers, the tables are turning for sure as the TRPs of these shows are soaring too.

Ram Kapoor with his powerpacked performance in 'Bade Achche Laggte Hain', telly heartthrob Barun Sobti's emphatic screen presence in 'Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?', Mohit Raina as Mahadev (in Devon Ke Dev Mahadev), new entrant Siddharth Shukla in 'Balika Vadhu 'Kacchi Umar Ke Pakke Rishte', Gurmeet Choudhary's good performance in 'Punar Vivah', Karan Tacker and Kushal Tandon in 'Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai', Vivian D'sena in 'Madhubala...Ek Ishq Ek Junoon' as RK and Ronit Roy as the maverick lawyer KD Pathak in 'Adalaat', are examples of how strong male protagonists can play a significant role in helping shows climb popularity charts.



So what exactly is the reason why the male stars are being given more screen time all of a sudden in predominantly women-oriented shows? Producer Saurabh Tewari explains, "Earlier, shows would only focus on kitchen politics. Now soaps are trying out fresher subjects. There have been exceptions like Ronit Roy as Rishabh Bajaj in 'Kasautii Zindagi Kay' or Ram Kapoor as Jai Walia in 'Kasamh Se', who were prominent soap characters some years ago. Now a whole lot of shows are primarily love stories, so the male protagonist obviously has a bigger role to play."

Rajan Shahi puts it this way, "While a goodlooking hero is a huge plus, it's the character that's important and not vice versa. The star is the character and he might have a signature style and screen presence, but his popularity is because of the role he's essaying and that gets us the eyeballs."

Do male superstars enjoy their new found prominence (read: meatier role) in the daily soaps? Siddharth Shukla modestly says, "A good supporting cast, strong script and story-line fetch TRPs. As an actor my fan-following might get more viewers, but what matters is the storyline."

Of course the small screen hotties are more than content with the larger screen attention that the scripts are offering them. Says Barun Sobti, "Trends on TV keep changing. Earlier saas-bahu stories ruled, then small town girls were the focus and currently love stories are the flavour. That's why the male protagonist becomes so important. Luckily, I've been part of projects that have given me equal prominence as that of my female counterpart in a show."

With telly's droolworthy dudes burning up the screens and making the audiences go weak-kneed with their sheer presence, the TRPs are only soaring north, much to the collective delight of showmakers and channels.

Small screen hunks gaining high TRPs

 

The writer has posted comments on this articleMANMOHAN SINGHMANMOHAN SINGH, TNN | Sep 8, 2012, 11.31AM IST

 

Though she's spent close to six years in the TV industry, actress Mouni Roy feels that 'Devon Ke Dev Mahadev' has given her the fame she always dreamt of. "I had initially refused to do the 'Devon Ke Dev...' as I didn't want to do a mythological show. But the producers promised that the show will be made on a grand scale. So, I thought it'll be a lifetime opportunity and I'm happy I made this choice," says Mouni, while on a visit to Lucknow.

And was she apprehensive about getting typecast, by doing a deeply religious role? "I didn't see it that way. Everybody has a professional life and a separate private life. I don't feel my personal life would be affected by what I do in my professional life," says Mouni.
Currently playing the lead in 'Apne Toh Apne Hote Hain', a show on Life OK, Mouni is happy the way her career has shaped up. "I feel lucky that I have never been out of work, ever since I came in the industry. I did 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' for a good two and a half years, before doing reality dance shows. In fact, I would say that TV gave me opportunity to do everything I love to do, whether it was dancing or singing or acting. I enjoyed it all and learned new things at every step," she grins.

Triangle Film Company's Devon Ke Dev Mahadev has been successfully entertaining viewers for quite some time now and the upcoming episodes of the show is expected to grab more eyeballs.

The audiences will get to see a new avatar of Parvati. The gentle and calm Parvati (played bySonarika Bhadoria) and Shiv ( Mohit Raina) have moved to Kailash, but are faced with Rakhtabeej, a demon who's single blood drop fallen on Earth produces more demons like him.

Shiv very clearly understands only an aadishakti can destroy the demon. He convinces Parvati to attain the Mahakali roop. Upon attaining the rudra roop as Mahakali, she destroy's Rakhtbeej and slays everything that comes her way. Such is her anger and ferocity that she cannot control it and Mahadev in a bid to control her comes under her feet.

It will be interesting to see Parvati's new avatar of Kali and what happens as Mahakali, in her state of anger, steps on Mahadev's chest.

With market experts calling it a clear case of good programming with a basic storyline, Mahadev has clearly carved its way to the top.

The Hindi general entertainment genre has been having a tough time finding the correct offering on the 8 pm band since the launch of Colors. The channel's flagship property, Balika Vadhu, has maintained a strong foothold on the time slot right from its launch.

While Star Plus' Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon has been able to hold a stronger position with an average 2.7 TVRs, Zee TV and Sony are continuously fighting for the slot. Against this, Life OK's Devon Ke Dev Mahadev has posed as a stronger contender, its ratings increasing from 0.9 TVRs to 2.7 TVRs in the 10 months since its launch. The show is called one of the biggest gainers of the slot.

Mahadev has reached out to about 38 million viewers in July 2012, while in August 2012, it reached 48 million viewers. Marketers predict that this performance will grow further.

Balika Vadhu was launched in 2008, along with the launch of Hindi GEC Colors by Viacom 18. Since then, the show has created buzz in the fiction programming genre. One of the market experts, on condition of anonymity, says, "This was the first TV show that weaved the social issues of the country into a family-based typical soap-like storyline. That's why it has gripped the audience till date."

Vidhu Sagar, executive vice-president, Carat Media India, says, "Balika Vadhu started with a social issue base and has continued to inculcate the same in the plot of the show. Moving on from one social problem to another, the show has travelled a longer distance and has even shown leap of time, while it's all the same."

Mahadev was launched during the revamp of the channel from Star One to Life OK in December 2011, with an opening TVR of 2.0. Later in that week, the ratings fell and the average TVR after the first week of launch was 0.9.

On the 8 pm slot in the past five weeks (Week 31-35), Balika Vadhu on Colors has garnered an average of 4.4 TVRs (reaching out to 8.9 million people), while Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Doon garnered an average of 2.7 TVRs (with a reach of 6.6 million) for Star Plus. This show too has been gaining good numbers, as per marketers but they quickly reason that Star Plus has always been a good performer with its daily fiction soaps.

The biggest gainer of the slot, Devon Ka Dev Mahadev, garnered 2.7 TVRs (with 5.3 million reach), against Zee TV's newly launched Rab Se Sona Ishq that clocked 1.4 TVRs (with 4.5 million reach). While SAB TV's Golmaal Hai Bhai Sab Golmaal Hai gathered 0.7 average TVRs (with a reach of 2.9 million), Sony's Byah Hamari Bahu Ka has achieved 0.4 TVRs with 2.4 million reach.

Calling it a clear case of good programming with a basic storyline, the market experts too feel that it is a mystery for a long time as to why there is no stronger competition in the 8 pm slot, while Mahadev has clearly carved its way to the top.

The 'Shiva' theme

Om Namah Shivay is the only instance of a Shiva story being told on television, before Mahadev on Life OK. Om Namah Shivay was telecast on Doordarshan in 1997. As per the marketers, the show did fairly well on television in terms of numbers and popularity.

Media experts also believe that apart from the mythology factor, it is the Shiva theme that is gaining popularity and hence the show, Mahadev. Rahul Jadav of MEC says, "The storytelling is really captivating. The detailed version is what makes the audience remain glued."

While the marketers unanimously spoke about the content value and production value of the show, Devon Ka Dev Mahadev, Sagar of Carat Media India says that the popularity of Shiva as a mythological character is also gearing up these days.

"The theme of Shiva is in the air. This is majorly due to the trilogy of Amish Tripathi and the channel is reaping the benefits. Also, Shiva is a part of mythology which hasn't been done to death, unlike Mahabharat and Ramayana. Each Indian hears these stories since childhood, but a detailed version of Shiva is not so common," he adds.

Marketers also cite the examples of Chandragupta Maurya, Chhatrapati Shivaji and Chanakya, which did fairly well on television due to this less-talked-about factor. Also, they add that though these are more historical than mythological, they are still in the genre of costume dramas.

Mystery of time band

While there is a lot of appreciation for Mahadev, there seems to be no plausible explanation for the time band facing a struggle all this while. Balika Vadhu had ruled the slot for quite some time, while Star Plus' Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon has been the first show to give it a little run for the viewers.

Amol Mohandas, vice-president, Allied Media, says, "Life OK has taken the wise step of tapping the peripheral prime time slot for the mythological series. It must be noted that gradually, the prime time is being pushed to the later hours. In this scenario, working on the initial time-band has definitely helped the channel and the show."

Marketers predict that the monopoly of the time band could be broken now. One of the important reasons quoted by the media experts is the show's fresh content. All other channels have been lately working on soap formats for this time band.

Jadav of MEC also feels that the show must have brought new viewers to the time band.

Cost cutting spree

Experts believe that the market is going through tribulations and broadcasters are on a cost cutting agenda. Evidently, channels need stronger content to fight a strong fiction show such as Balika Vadhu and now, Mahadev. This can be provided by a reality or non-fiction show with associated high production costs, which is not a desirable option for broadcasters right now.

It is interesting to observe that a rather niche channel, SAB TV, is also in the fight for the same time band, though marketers call it a co-incidence since the offering is quite different. Sagar of Carat feels that SAB TV is one of the smartest of the lot. In each area there is a need-gap. The channel fills a need-gap in the Hindi general entertainment genre and is monetising it quite well, too.

What other channels should do to break the monopoly and be back in the reckoning remains unanswered. For now, with finances being a crucial determining factor, it is a complete wait and watch game.

Mahadev may break monopoly of 8 pm band

TV stars dont bank on TRPs  The popularity quotient of soapbox heartthrobs doesnt depend on the numbers their shows fetch in the TRP charts  Amrita Mulchandani  Small screen stardom is not directly proportional to the popularity of the prime time shows.Ram Kapoor,Ronit Roy,Sakshi Tanwar,Barun Sobti,Mona Singh,Vivian Dsena,Mohit Raina,Harshad Chopra,Gurmeet Choudhary,Karan Tacker,Sanaya Irani darling of the masses,favourite with advertisers enjoy enviable fan following and take home hefty pay cheques,but star in shows that are not among the top 10 TRP toppers in the strictest sense (Ram and Sakshi being the odd exceptions when on some weeks when their show climbs the ratings scale).While shows that are high on TRPs Diya Aur Baati Hum,Balika Vadhu - Kacchi Umar ke Pakke Rishte,Saath Nibhaana Saathiya,Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai,Sasural Simar Ka,Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah,CID,Crime Patrol: Dastak and Pavitra Rishta dont have stars in the lead roles.So are stars really required to amp up the TRPs,considering most channels /production houses want to sign them up for their screen offerings  No star comes with a guarantee that s/he will make a show successful.S o m e t i m e s the stories demand a k n ow n face,and stars are cast.The real star of the show is the content, says producer Sumeet Mittal of Punar Vivaah and Diya Aur Bati Hum,who feels show TRPs are not dictated by starry presence. Show makers feel that good content and meaningful scripts make shows popular.Producer Rajan Shahi of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai says,There are certain actors whom we can define as TV stars because of their talent,charisma and connect with audiences.But just casting a star in a show does not mean they will fetch TRPs.Even newcomers can rake in TRPs if the storyline is strong.Content is the king. Producer Nikhil Sinha of the high TRP-puller Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev says,When it comes to television very rarely can a star carry a show on his/her shoulders,but a show with good storyline not only fetches TRPs,but also makes stars.  Vivian Dsena whose Madhubala - Ek  Ishq Ek Junoon isnt high on TRPs is  an established star.Says Vivian,I  am receiving good feedback from  my fans,but TRPs can go up only as a collective effort from the entire team. Actor Gurmeet Chowdhary of Punar Vivaah says,Its wrong to say that TRPs and stardom are not connected.TRPs make a star! A star has his/her own fan following and the audience will definitely watch their shows. Its evident that power-packed performances and solid storyline give soaps the necess a r y push and a heavy duty star cast is i n c i - d e n t a l.While TV superstars bring in viewers to a show and help generate hype,in the long run,numbers do matter because they dictate the survival of a show! Clockwise from top: Barun Sobti,Gurmeet Chowdhary,Ram Kapoor,Sakshi Tanwar and Mona Singh

Ahmedabad Times [Next]

DKDM ,  ' The King . '

 Prakash mishra ,  17/09/12
' Devo ke dev...Mahadev ' the name is enough . Often praised for The Perfect Casting , Divine Music  , Speacial effects , Costumes and ... , this show has been setting records and trends . Remote People considering Mohit as real Shiva , Mohit's picture at a temple , etc . suggests the ardent popularity he has gained through the mythological show .  Another Field This show is expert at is of taking Leaps . Yes you heard it right . The mythological Daily holds record number of taking leaps and that too of years ranging from 2 to 20 .Some of these include , 'Mahadev at Amarnath gufa ' , Parvati's childhood " , ' tantra vidya ' , ' matskanya avatar ' , the latest ,' parvati at his mothers home ' . Inspite of these much leaps and progresses in the story the show has very well kept the audiances glued to there screens . When Quized about the same , mohit raina ignores passing a smile which can make anyone faint . So at the end of the day devo ke dev ... Mahadev is truly a King and We are sure none can surpass Devo ke ... .



article posted at a local english newspaper

show in the reckoning.

For the record, KBC, first aired in 2000, delivered an average TVR of 9.75 on Star Plus. This was host Amitabh Bachchan's first appearance on Indian television.

In August 2005, the show returned after a four-year hiatus, and was renamed Kaun Banega Crorepati Dwitiya (or KBC2). It managed an averaged TVR of 10.55, while in the third season hosted by Shah Rukh Khan on Star Plus, it garnered an average TVR of 6.82.

Subsequently, in Season 3, Sony took over the show and it garnered an average of 4.20 TVRs, against Season 5's average of 4.77 TVRs.

Navin Khemka, managing partner, ZenithOptimedia states that week by week fluctuation doesn't matter much to advertisers. "Ultimately, what industry calculates is the viewership over a period of four-six weeks. If any change is reflected over that period, then only we consider and reason it," he adds.

However, Chandra Dobhal, head of buying, Delhi, Carat Media feels that Sony has been gradually losing on the viewership, even across its fiction shows. He adds, "None of the Sony shows are doing too well, to support the channel if any other property falls."

As for the show as an independent property, Khemka mentions that KBC has its own charm and for the current season, he feels that it's too early to comment on its overall performance. "It's too premature to talk about how the current season will perform. We will have to wait for at least a week more to decide," he adds.

Media experts note that the tempo built up by KBC over the first week of its launch died off soon. The stickiness quotient is highly missing from the presentation of the show. Dobhal of Carat adds that there are frequent changes in the participants and their profiles, which is actually disconnecting the audiences from the show.

Khemka feels that the weekend slot won't affect the viewership much, while media experts largely feel that the channel has tapped the best possible time band.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of shuffling in the top Hindi GEC rankings.

Star Plus has regained its No. 1 position with no gain or loss of GRPs. The channel is stable with 250 GRPs, same as last week (Week 36).

Zee TV has, however, lost 11 GRPs to garner 240 GRPs (251 GRPs last week). Sony and Colors have tied up for the third position with 230 GRPs.

While Sony has lost 14 GRPs (244 GRPs in the past week), Colors has gained a single GRP point to tie at No. 3.

STAR's sibling GEC Life OK, too, has managed to defeat MSM's SAB TV for a consecutive third week in a row, as it reaps the benefits from its mythological property, Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. On the back of a special one-hour episode of Mahadev, Life OK has garnered 167 GRPs in the current week, a gain of 26 points over last week's 141 GRPs.

SAB TV has gained a single point to garner 137 GRPs in Week 37.

Sahara One has lost two points to gain 34 GRPs.

The list of 10 most-watched programmes was led by the special one hour episode of Devon Ke Dev Mahadev on Sunday, which garnered 8.2 TVRs.

In Week 37, only two shows from Star Plus have managed to grab positions in the Top 10 list. At No. 2, Diya aur Baati Hum clocked a TVR of 5.3 (5.3 TVRs in the last week). Zee TV's DID Superkids has taken the third position with 4.9 TVRs (5.3 TVRs in the previous week).

The much-awaited Kaun Banega Crorepati has dropped in viewership figures for the second week. The show stands at No. 4 with 4.8 TVRs (5.3 TVRs in the previous week).

Colors' Balika Vadhu (5.1 TVRs in Week 36) and Sony's Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (3.2 TVRs in Week 36) have secured fifth and sixth positions with 4.7 TVRs and 3.9 TVRs, respectively.

Sony's Crime Patrol stands at No. 7 with 3.7 TVRs (up from 3.1 TVRs), followed by Star Plus' Saathiya Saath Nibhana (3.8 TVRs in the past week) and Sony's CID (3.9 TVRs in the past week) with 3.6 TVRs, each.

Last in the list, at No. 10, is Zee TV's Pavitra Rishta with 3.5 TVRs (3.3 TVRs in the previous week).

Despite KBC, Sony loses viewership

GEC Watch: DID Superkids overtakes KBC in weekend programming

Life OK's Mahadev springs a surprise claiming the No. 3 slot; Star Plus and Colors lead with three shows in top 10 weekday shows

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | September 20, 2012

KBC returned for its 6^th season last weekend with a big bang and surpassed all shows on Hindi general entertainment channels but it could not hold the top position in the second week. In weekend programming, DID Superkids has overtaken KBC in Week 37 of TAM 2012 (September 9 – September 15).

According to data sourced from TAM subscribers, among weekday shows, Star Plus and Colors lead the genre with three shows in the top 10 list. Mahadev on Life OK has surprised all by acquiring No. 3 position. Zee TV, Sony Entertainment Television and SAB have one show each in the top 10 club.

Weekday shows

Diya Aur Baati Hum on Star Plus has been able to hold its viewers as the show continues to be the chart topper with an average TVR of 5.3 in Week 37 (last week 5.3).

The viewership of Colors' Balika Vadhu has dropped a little but the show has been holding the No. 2 position with an average of 4.7 TVR (last week 5.1).

Mahadev on Life OK has jumped seven positions to reach the No. 3 rank. The show has averaged at 3.9 TVR this week (last week 2.9).

Sony's flagship fiction show Bade Achche Lagte Hain has climbed three positions to No. 4 with an average of 3.9 TVR (last week 3.2).

Star Plus' fiction show Saathiya has slipped two positions to No. 5. The show has fetched an average TVR of 3.6 (last week 3.8).

Pavitra Rishta on Zee TV remains at No. 6 with an average TVR of 3.5 (last week 3.3).

Despite adding more viewers this week, SAB TV's Taarak Mehta has slipped two positions to No. 7 with an average TVR of 3.4 (last week 3.3).

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai on Star Plus has slipped four positions to No. 8 with an average rating of 3.4 TVR (last week 3.4).

Colors' Uttaran and Sasural Simar Ka hold No. 9 and 10 positions with average TVR of 3.0 and 2.9.

Weekend toppers

Among weekend shows, DID Superkids on Zee TV again topped the chart with an average TVR of 4.6 TVR in Week 37 (last week 4.5).

 

KBC 2012 on Sony was the second most watched show during the weekend with an average of 4.3 TVR (last week 5.7).

Sony's crime show CID has recorded an average TVR of 3.4 (last week 3.6).

Colors' celebrity dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Ja, recorded an average of 3.2 TVR this week (last week 3.4).

Sony's other crime show, Crime Patrol, fetched 3.1 TVR this week (last week 3.0).

Zee TV's Fear Files has averaged at 2.6 TVR this week (last week 2.7).

Star Plus' crime fiction Arjun has fetched average ratings of 1.5 TVR (last week 1.9).

Zee TV's Ramayan recorded 1.1 TVR for the episode on September 9, 2012 at 11 am (last week 1.2).

(The data sourced from TAM subscribers is based on TG CS 4+ years, HSM markets.)