Art & Entertainment

A Kkahaani Gone Kkaput?

Read the TRPs: saas-bahu tearjerks are now losing out to not-so-hom ely thrillers and romances

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A Kkahaani Gone Kkaput?
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii
Kitty Party

To begin with, the ratings of family dramas, which set the small screen on fire with their posh production values and insights into kitchen politics, have tumbled. From the highs of 18-25 (for Kyunki Saas... and Kahaani Ghar...) in late 2000, the figure has come down to around 9-10 in February 2003. Understandably, media analysts are being sorely tempted to write off the saas-bahu melodramas. Even the trendsetters, Balaji Telefilms, has now started dishing out alternatives like suspense thrillers, soft romances and softwares for children, like Kya Haadsa Kya Haqueqat and the soon-to-be-launched Kaalki.

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Recently, three of Balaji’s long-running soaps—Kutumb, Kohi Apna Sa, and Kabhi Sautan Kabhi Saheli—went off the air, and only one of them was replaced by a similar serial (Kutumb with Kahani Terii Merii). Another indicator of the downslide: Star Plus, the most-viewed entertainment channel, has launched several serials in recent months, but none of them fall under the family soap category.

Although Tarun Katyal, senior vice-president (programming), Star TV, is confident that family dramas will continue to hold their own, he admits that "innovation is the name of the game". Not surprisingly, Star Plus’ new launches include Kashmeer, set against the backdrop of separatist strife in the Valley, a comedy titled Shararat, and Karishma ka Karishma for children. Sony and Zee are following the same recipe, but with limited success. The only saas-bahu saga to have made a debut this year, Kahani Terii Merii (again from the Balaji stable), has failed to attract the kind of viewership Kyunki Saas... did for Star Plus in the past.

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Explains media critic Shailaja Bajpai: "The shift from family dramas was largely due to the fact that channels were losing out on a younger audience (aged 15-30 years)." While some of them did try to woo this segment by introducing younger characters and their turmoils, the viewers weren’t interested in the bite. In addition, television is a dynamic medium and while serials can be on air for a longer period, they tend to lose their "commercial" sheen. Agrees Ronnie Screwvala, ceo, utv: "The viewer fatigue has been manifested more in the fact that new genres of programming are now welcome."

The hunt is then on for cornering the all-important viewer attention, since, as Sunil Lulla, executive vice-president, Sony, points out, "emotions rule the telly in India and, hence, comedies, thrillers and love stories will emerge on a large canvas over the coming years". Balaji’s Ekta Kapoor too admits that an explosion of family sagas was not "liked by the viewers" but, in the same breath, adds that there is no fatigue with her firm’s serials.

While that may be true, it’s clear that family soaps cannot sustain Balaji’s revenues. Already, the contribution of its three family serials—Kyunki Saas..., Kahaani Ghar..., and Kkusum—to the total turnover has come down from 49 per cent to 35 in less than a year. "Balaji Telefilms is now trying to reduce its dependence on these serials by launching newer ones across genres and channels," says an analyst with a brokerage firm. However, none of them have yet been able to beat the older programmes in terms of trps.

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Naturally, the pressure is building on Balaji. Of the 100 most-viewed serials today, it accounts for only 25, a figure which was higher at 30 just a year ago. In addition, most analysts feel that the trps of the top three family soaps will now stabilise between 12 and 14, and are unlikely to see the previous peaks. Not surprisingly, advertisers have started negotiating better deals for the family serials.

Sources contend that Star Plus is offering up to 30-40 per cent discounts on card rates for its top two serials which, incidentally, are family soaps produced by Balaji Telefilms. (A part of the reason for this can be attributed to the viewers’ shift to the cricket World Cup. But this couldn’t be the only reason as only a few of the important matches clash with prime time). Explains Anita Nair, a senior media executive with a leading advertising agency: "Advertisers are willing to experiment with a Kitty Party or a Shararat. The peak for family soaps is certainly over." At some stage, these new trends will impact the bottomlines of production houses like Balaji Telefilms.

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Although it recorded an over-100 per cent jump in profits in the previous quarter (December 2002), analysts like Kaushal Shah of lkp Shares & Securities point out that "the question being asked is whether this growth can be sustained over the next year". The other concern is whether Balaji Telefilms can make the shift to the new genres of programming. That’s why, despite strong fundamentals, its scrip price has remained steady at around Rs 74.

But at the Balaji production base in Mumbai, its team is working feverishly to deliver the goods. They realise that the era of a few hit serials contributing a bulk of the turnover—and profits—is over. The new mantra is to play the volumes game: that is, bombard the small screen with a slew of serials that appeal to some segment or the other. The margins may be low for most of them, but the overall numbers might look good. So, don’t be surprised if Ekta Kapoor tries out new experiments in the near future. On the anvil is an attempt to exploit the hitherto empty weekend slots, or go in for small-budget TV movies. She is also exploring ways to get fresh revenue streams by tapping nris to view the nearly 3,000 hours of canned software. And Kapoor’s also eyeing regional (and smaller) markets in states like Kerala and West Bengal.

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But Balaji’s crucial strategy is to somehow reduce its dependence on Star Plus, which contributes about 35 per cent of its revenues. To be fair, the channel agreed to a 24 per cent price hike for four of the former’s shows last July. However, Kapoor is trying to get similar prices from others for its new shows. Industry sources say that Sony is paying a never-before-price of Rs 9 lakh per episode for the recently-launched mega soap, Kahani Terii Merii.

Obviously, romantic and thriller serials will not be able to attract such prices. The trick then lies in consolidating existing family soaps (four older ones on Star Plus and the new one on Sony), and experiment with new genres on other channels. Is this strategy sustainable? Or should Kapoor stick to family dramas?

Analysts like Bajpai feel that she should stick to what she does best—keep rolling out the saas-bahu sagas. "Balaji Telefilms dabbled with comedy and thrillers, but it hasn’t worked," she adds. In contrast, Kapoor thinks that people are linking her firm to family soaps only because "the top two shows on the telly are family dramas produced by us". She claims that Balaji’s other serials too have done well, and "at the end of the day, it’s the quality of the content that will be responsible for success". If that proves wrong, the most popular serial among viewers may well be one that’s called "Kyunki Balaji Bhi Kabhi Top Pe Tha."

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