Sony takes audiences to the crossroads with new show

Sony takes audiences to the crossroads with new show

Danish Khan

MUMBAI: After being a leader in introducing mythological shows, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is taking a different route. The channel’s latest offering is Zindagi ke Crossroads, a 39-episodic interactive show where the studio audiences will put forward their opinions on the challenges faced by the protagonists of the show.

Produced by Shabina Khan, it will premiere on 6 June 2018, every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8.30 pm. Television actor Ram Kapoor will be the host who will not just encourage the audience to share their views but will also delve into the ‘whys’ of their decision making to bring alive the melting pot of opinions in the audience for the narratives showcased. The question thrown open to the audience will be “what would you have done if you were at this crossroad?” The idea is to get families to sit tight on the couch.

Mahadev, who is the concept and screenplay writer of the show, narrated the concept to Khan after which she realised it is an appropriate show for the times. It has been in planning mode for two years.

The investment for the show is close to Rs 75-80 lakh. Sony head of non-fiction Ashish Golwalkar said, “There is no amortisation. Generally, you have one set and you’ll shoot everything in that, but that is not possible. This story demands different locations and places and that is why the cost goes up as far as fiction shows are concerned.”

Commenting on the promotional and marketing strategy, Sony EVP and business head Danish Khan said that SET will be using digital and multimedia platforms to promote the show. “The important thing is to convey to the people what the format is and it is very difficult to convey the format unless we sample it, so what we are communicating is, this is the story, this is the protagonist and this is the crossroad, what would you do if you are in the protagonist’s place?"

Golwalkar said that the format of the show is very tough to explain and since it is a chat show, people will typecast it very soon. “Our focus will obviously be on airing it on our channels, also Dus ka Dum will air on Monday and Tuesday, so we will run promos there as well.”

Given the other fast-paced and action-oriented shows on air today, it will be worthwhile to see how the audience will react to such a programme.

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