| MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment
Television India's ratings starved flagship channel Set is going in for a heavy
dose of soaps in the coming months as compared to reality shows. The channel has
lined up a slew of shows that it will be rolling out in the next five to six months.
The shows are aimed at strengthening its 8 pm to 11 pm band and attracting
a new set of eyeballs and building up its viewer base. For starters there is
Jeetiya Hai Jis Ki Liye, produced by Tony and Diya Singh whose earlier
Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin has been the only significant ratings success that
Set has enjoyed on the soaps front in the recent past. The show will star Renuka
Shahane, who will be making a comeback after her success as anchor on the popular
cultural tele-magazine Surabhi. The channel has also tied up with
the Anuj Saxena’s Maverick productions for a drama titled Akhand Sau Bhagyawati,
says Sony's chief creative director Sandiip Sikcand. The channel is also working
with actress turned politician turned producer Smriti Irani aka Tulsi Virani for
Viruddh. Irani had recently tied up with Kumarmangalam Birla's media house
Applause Entertainment. She is at the moment co-producing along with Balaji Telefilms
for Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasmaan (Star Plus).
As far as the
channel think tank is concerned, the programming overhaul is necessary if the
third-placed network is to be able to face the stiff competition from its rivals.
Reality shows will be relegated to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, while the rest
of the week will see soapy dramas taking centrestage. That's not to say
reality shows will do the vanishing act from Sony's weekday prime time.The third
season of Indian Idol will make its comeback in May, Sikcand points out.
“Sony is also devising its own little reality show, which will be
aired twice a week which we are targeting to launch in February or March,”
Sikcand says. Without offering much by way of detail, Sikcand adds that the channel
was yet to finalise on certain aspects of the show. “A variety talk
show is also being designed, for which the channel has roped in Anupam Kher as
anchor. This one hour weekend show will basically deal with hopes and aspirations,"
he explains. Getting back to the soap train, Sikcand say Set has
in its kitty Khamoshi as well. Additionally, there is also a show that
Sony has commissioned Film Farm to do, he adds. | 
