Nothing works better for the Bengali channels than family drama peppered with a sprinkling of star actors. Apart from its regular bouquet, Zee Bangla is introducing two megaserials in the span of a fortnight.
Much of the anticipation about Rajarshi Roy?s Raat Bhor Brishti, which began airing on July 3, revolves around the love triangle that the cast line-up ? Saswata Chatterjee, Chandrayee Ghosh and Koneenica Banerjee ? hints at. Set largely in a hospital, the serial traces the life of a team of doctors, plus their personal and professional relationships.
?There are actually three strands in the story ? two love stories and a family drama,? reveals Roy, who has steered megas like Ei To Jiban and Kanta Taarer Bera. ?It?s very difficult to find a new story. So the innovation lies in how one tells the story. There have to be elements of thrill, suspense and emotions,? adds Roy.
Slated from Monday to Friday at 9.30 pm, Raat Bhor Brishti also features Biswajit Chakraborty, Moumita Gupta and Debdoot.
Director Ravi Ojha, who walked out of the megaserial Nana Ranger Dinguli, is back with a new one ? Khela. The serial stars Sudipta Chakraborty, Arunima Ghosh and Dipankar De, among others.
?Khela begins in a huge joint-family set-up where everyone has some secrets hidden in their closets. Everybody tries to suppress his or her secret but everything comes out one by one,? says Ojha, currently shooting at Indrapuri Studio.
The man behind the hugely popular Ek Akasher Niche flirted with celluloid (Abar Ashbo Phire) before returning to the small screen with Nana Ranger Dinguli. ?The mechanics of a megaserial are very complicated. You have to work within a strict budget, strictly follow the storyline and keep the emotions tight. I have heard that Hindi serials change their plots according to the availability of the actors, but I stick to a predetermined storyline and try to create what the writer has visualised,? he explains.
And what?s the success formula? ?It?s difficult to say what will click with the audience. It?s generally a mix of several things ? a little bit of tragedy and comedy, a whole gamut of emotions.?
That?s what Khela promises when it goes on air from July 17 at 9 pm, Monday through Friday.
Reshmi Sengupta
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| On a high: Nelly Furtado |
From being an instrumentalist and record producer to a Grammy Award winner, Nelly Furtado is one singer who?s done it all. You can catch this multi-talented artiste in a candid conversation on [V] Spotlight this Saturday at 4 pm on Channel [V].
Mad about music since the age of four, Nelly sprang to fame in 2000 with her debut album Whoa Nelly. This successful album featured the Grammy Award-wining hit single I?m like a bird and Turn off the lights. Nelly?s music was highly inspired by the rush of new hip-hop acts of the early 90s like TLC, Bel Biv Devoe, Ice-T and Mariah Carey.
Apart from releasing music albums, Nelly has also contributed to the soundtrack for the film Brokedown Palace. After the launch of her second album Folklore in 2003, Nelly is all set to rock the music industry with her new album Loose, which has sold almost 10,000 copies world over. No surprises then that the super hit tracks of the album like Maneater and Promiscuous have already topped the UK music charts.
Localised content, international acquisitions and innovative marketing. That?s the key to the success of kids? channel Hungama, trying to claim to the number one spot in this genre.
?For the June 11 to 17 week, the top three kids programmes belonged to Hungama,? said Zarina Mehta, COO of Hungama TV. The topper, Doraemon, received gross rating points (GRP) of 47 in the four-to-14 age category while runner-up Hero had 26 and Shaka Laka Boom Boom was third with a GRP of 24. ?Doraemon usually delivers very good ratings but to have the top three programmes is great,? Mehta added.
Localisation is the strongest focus for the channel. ?And the key in it is UTV. Hungama has hugely benefited from its association with UTV,? offered Mehta. Promotions are on for Hungama?s recently launched animation show Shin Chan, ?one of the top three globally and in Asia?, according to the channel. Actor John Abraham was also signed on recently as the brand ambassador.
