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MUMBAI:
Hindi entertainment television is all set to ride the spiritual
bandwagon this summer.
To
answer the Indian broadcasters' prayers for a mantra to cut
viewership fatigue with reality shows and saas-bahu
sagas, the Gods themselves will be descending in different
avatars.
 Taking
a cue from the successful launch of Ramayan by NDTV
Imagine, Star Plus and INX Media's 9X are in a queue for their
separate takes on the other great Hindu epic Mahabharata.
Produced
by Bobby Bedi's Kaleidoscope Entertainment, Star Plus will
be coming out with a new version of Mahabharata directed
by Chandraprakash Dwivedi (of Chanakya fame).
The
channel is reportedly planning on a 100-episode run, which
they will further extend depending on how the show fares on
the ratings front.
Star
Plus currently runs a mythological Jai Ma Durga on
weekends at 8 PM
As
for 9X, it would be expecting Ekta Kapoor to put all her creative
talents in the soap department to full use in her interpretation
of the Mahabharata.
 NDTV
Imagine EVP content Shailja Kejriwal says, "Mythologicals
definitely work for viewers with a different kind of appetite.
The younger generation have so far not been exposed to such
shows. The response that we have received for Ramayan
clearly indicates that there is a huge mass of viewers for
it."
On
the other hand, Sony Entertainment Television (Set) India,
which is currently on a topsy-turvy path, is also eyeing a
share in the mythological viewership pie. From 25 February,
the network's flagship channel SET will be airing re-runs
of Sanjay Khan's Jay Hanuman. The channel has procured
the rights of the show from Doordarshan.
Certainly,
therefore, broadcasters are enticed by the kind of push Ramayan
gave to the newly-launched NDTV Imagine. Within the second
week of launch itself, it climbed to the third spot, leaving
behind old players like SET India.
With
so many new mythological shows in the pipeline, will Ramayan
be able to sustain NDTV Imagine's ratings levels? Kejriwal
responds, "We are the first one to launch Ramayan
in the new version. We have already gathered our loyal audience.
By the time others launch mythological shows, we will be far
ahead."
It
now remains to be seen what miracles the Gods are able to
conjure up for the other channels who have jumped aboard the
mythological bandwagon.
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