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Although the target audience remains the 4-14 one, it is a crucial
audience as it forms 25 per cent of the viewing junta, which normally
plays a great role in consumerist trends (read pester power).
Was there a need for revamp, were the ratings plummeting? UTV director
Zarina Mehta retorts, "You need to reinvent constantly to maintain
the freshness of the show. Plus with the original cast having all
grown up, there was a fear that the target audience might not gel
well with them. We have till now farmed out the story till April
2004, while scripting till January is already done. The ratings
were not going down in fact we have seen a steady 4. TRPs for the
first edition. Even the latest edition has got SLBB into
top 50 in C&S homes"
Just like the last series, this time on the channel has signed
a host of new child artiste barring one - Hansika Motwani, who plays
12-year old tomboy Shona. The story is about Shona and her four
rich orphaned siblings who constitute the Malhotra kids, and their
fight to survive the evil designs of their maternal uncle and wife
and bad boy cousin.
With a typical Cinderella story in place, the story needed a fairy
god mother. In came alien kid Shaan, the owner of magic pencil to
help them solve their problems and get back at Kaartik and his evil
parents.
Will the magic work with kids? "Although technically our audience
is 4-14, we aim our show at 12-year-olds, who want to believe in
magic," offers Mehta.
MERCHANDISING: Encouraged by the response to the last years
merchandising initiative of of SLBB pencils, where Star Plus'
designed pencil boxes, timetable etc, and distributed them amongst
the school kids, something on similar lines is under discussion.
Mehta indicated that the channel might even plan to venture into
SLBB merchandise for commercial purposes.
The merchandise and the revamp aside, UTV is planning to get a
few successful characters from other shows and popular figures for
guest appearances.
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