Tired of the soppy soaps? Try the game shows, or the lifestyle talks. If loads of fun laced with a dash of attitude is what you are looking for, tune in to the Bengali beam. Take your pick from the plethora of wacky, even over-the-top game, contest, lifestyle and fantasy shows swamping Alpha, ETV, Tara and Akash Bangla.
Though soaps remain the bread-and-butter of the small screen, TV producers are equally eager to dish out the ‘jam’ for clearly-defined target audience groups. “Non-fiction slots don’t attract advertisements, but they are essential to spice up the programme profile. The popularity of such shows enhances the image of the channel,” explains J.K. Roy, business head, Alpha Bangla.
On your marks…
Be it Barishaler Bor Kolkatar Kone, Haun Maun Khaun or Chhokbaji, the game-show format boasting loud, in-your-face humour has clicked big time with Bengali viewers. “It’s just a logical extension of wholehearted fun. While doing a lot of work for TV, I realised that there are no spaces for silent introspection. Kaun Banega Crorepati inspired me to think along the lines of an entertaining game show,” says Arjun Gourisaria of Black Magic, who conceived Rojgere Ginni for ETV and Haun Maun Khaun for Alpha Bangla.
Targeted at the 18-25 age group, the ‘do-or-die’ contest for college-goers Haun Maun Khaun is pulling in elderly viewers as well.
The show’s fixture is a team of celebrities that perks up the glamour quotient (picture above).
“Quick wit, a round of household chores, cracking a few family problems — all these have been woven in to interest the young crowd along with their families. It’s a wholesome family entertainer that doesn’t look like sermonising,” says Mir, who anchors the show in trademark style. “But we try not to go overboard, keeping the senior viewers in mind.”
Game shows break the monotony, give the viewers a choice, but also come with an expiry tag. “These shows command instant viewership, but turn stale with long exposure,” adds Roy.
What women want
“Most TV programmes are women-oriented because the only FMCG major sponsoring them is Hindustan Lever Ltd, which has the largest kitty of products for women,” says Roy of Alpha Bangla. Take ETV’s Rojgere Ginni and Sreemati or Alpha’s Dhanyi Meye and Nari, Tara’s Taka Na Sona or Akash’s Shrimati Buddhimati. If one rolls out tips on how to spruce up the kitchen garden or rustle up a dish, the other tests the IQ or handicraft skills. Whatever be the content, all the shows depend heavily on the female viewer to work wonders. “Our programmes like Showcase and Esho Amar Ghare, an interior décor show compered by actress Chaiti Ghosal, have been designed to attract sponsors like jewellery houses,” admits a spokesperson for Tara Bangla.
M/FTV, here we come
What games and the gift of the gab do for some, oomph does for others. With the stylish and the saucy grabbing eyeballs, you have models flashing a leg and talking pillow while anchoring the music show Fully Fatafati Fantasy on Tara Bangla, in true MTV-style. “We feature a lot of MTV albums which is why the programme has been designed in that way,” reveals the channel spokesperson. In Showcase on the same channel, model Pinky keeps viewers abreast of the hip and the happening.
With variety very much the spice of (small-screen) life, local channel surfing was never more fun, or fashionable.
