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MUMBAI: Reality shows and Sony Entertainment Television (SET)
go hand in hand and have more or less become synonymous with
each other. Having already launched Indian Idol, Fame
Gurukul and Fear Factor and with the buzz being
high on upcoming new launches like Big Brother and
Extreme Makeover; comes another adaptation of the ABC's
reality show Dancing With the Stars on Sony.
The Indian adaptation - Jhalak Dikhla Ja - will be co-produced
by Siddhartha Basu's Synergy Communications and Theatre Red
and is scheduled to launch in the first week of September. Jhalak
Dikhla Ja will be a bi-weekly show and will involve a high
level of audience participation and viewer interactivity.
Dancing with the Stars is the American version of the
BBC TV series Strictly Come Dancing. The concept of the
show is to pair a celebrity with a professional dancer in an
attempt to win a high score from a panel of three judges and
then a majority of votes from the viewers, who can call in or
vote online. The person who receives the lowest score is eliminated.
SET India senior vice president and programming head Anupama
Mondloi says, "We will have celebrities from different
walks of life like television, Bollywood, cricket and hospitality
industry."
When queried as to how Jhalak Dikhla Ja will be different
from Star One's successful show - Nach Baliye - which
was based on the same lines, Mondloi says, "All shows
have certain amount of similarities whether it is a soap or
a reality show. The key differentiator of Jhalak Dikhla
Ja will be the viewer interaction. We will be looking
at having maximum touch points for viewers to select their
favourite celebrity and choreographer pair."
As per the original format, phone lines open at the beginning
of each show for viewers to vote for their favorite couples
and stay open for 30 minutes after the show ends. The couple
with the lowest score is knocked out of the competition and
one couple will be knocked out of the competition each week,
starting with the first week. Online voting options are also
made available and only one vote per email address is allowed.
With its pulse firmly on the reality meter, Sony will be
launching the local version of Big Brother in November
this year. On the other hand, Extreme Makeover will
launch sometime early next year along with the second season
of Fear Factor India. Another reality show on the cards
is Paisa Bhaari Padega. The subsequent seasons of Indian
Idol and Fame Gurukul also cannot be dismissed
altogether!
Only time will tell whether the reality overdose will eventually
lead to viewer fatigue on Sony; but it's worth keeping in
mind that reality shows are just spurts in the overall programming
scenario and hence Sony will also have to pull up their socks
on some high voltage drama and fiction front. New fiction
shows on Sony like Thodi Khushi Thode Gham, Aisa
Desh Hai Mera, Vaidehi and Akela still have
to pick up steam on the ratings front, where Star shows are
omnipresent and Zee's Saath Phere, Kasamh Se and
Sambhav Asambhav too are definitely making a mark.
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