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MUMBAI: Walt Disney is stepping up its localisation
drive in India. One major push in this: have five locally
produced live-action Hindi shows tailored for Disney
Channel in a year's time.
"Local
live-action programming is the way to pump up Disney
Channel. We plan to have five original shows within
a year and are in talks with various production houses,"
Walt Disney Television International (India) executive
director, programming and production, Nachiket Pantvaidya
tells Indiantelevision.com.
Disney
will have 130 hours of locally produced content over
the next one-year period. "India is the first market
in the TV business outside the US where Disney has gone
in for original local production," adds Pantvaidya.
The
plan is to increase local content on Disney Channel
from 20 to 40 per cent in a year's time. The move falls
in line with Disney's step-wise localisation strategy.
This involved languaging the content, creating local
environments through interstitials, acquiring local
content like Karishma Ka Karishma and lastly,
original local production.
Disney
Channel is all set to premiere its first original live
action Indian production Vicky Aur Vetaal, a
contemporary version of ancient Indian folklore,
on 8 October.
Disney
is also actively considering the option of producing
a local movie for TV aimed at the Indian audiences,
Pantvaidya says.
So
is Disney also looking at producing animation content
in India? "We have nothing planned at this stage.
The problem with animation is that the costs do not
justify a product just for local TV. It has to spread
across markets," says Pantvaidya.
 Disney
has commissioned production house Cinevistaas Ltd. for
making Vicky Aur Vetaal. Disney has joined hands
with other prominent names in the industry like programming
director Suraj Rao, music duo Shantanu Moitra and Swanand
Kirkire (composer and lyricist) and singer Babul Supriyo.
The
series will air every Sunday at 10:30 am on the Disney
Channel. Speaking on the developments of the new show,
Cinevistaas vice chairman and managing director Sunil
Mehta said, "We started production in August last
year, with six episodes complete. We have signed on
for 26 episodes which can be extended."
The
story pans out with Vetaal trapped upside down from
a banyan tree for three hundred years and is rescued
by an eleven year old brat Vicky. Vetaal's magical powers
have also become rusty landing the pair into trouble,
thus the chosen theme "Vetaal ka magic gadbad ghotala."
To undo the mess, Vetaal uses an eccentric 'spell book'
which has a life and attitude of its own. Inspite of
the havoc the pair bring to the show, it also promises
to subtly bring out certain moral undertones of responsibility
for ones actions.
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