GECs
Sony hopes soaps will do for the near term
It’s all about strategy. If Zee tried the “its raining serials” approach as part of its relaunch, Sony Entertainment believes in building the brand “brick by brick”, as SET CEO Kunal Dasgupta puts it.
And if strategies are important so are catchlines. And Sony’s is the ‘T strategy’ with its focus on prime time viewing. The strategy aims at capturing viewer interest in the two and half hour time band during which people watch TV daily, according to Nachiket Pantvaidya, vice president, programming and production, SET India. Nine – 10 PM from Mondays to Thursdays and 8 – 11 PM on Fridays are the time bands the channel will target in the coming months. This will be done by airing a plethora of soap operas in these focussed bands.
The stress would be on general entertainment, but a re-assessment of the situation would be undertaken in January 2002, according to Dasgupta. “We would not like to hit the market with multiple shows in one go, but would prefer to launch new programmes in a phased manner,” he said at a press conference on Monday. Sony’s flop celebrity game show, Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke, meanwhile, will be taken off air from 16 November after completing 75 episodes. A new game show, either homegrown or licensed, is also on the cards in the next six months.
Among the 10 soaps that will shortly go on air is Kutumb, a Balaji production, that will be telecast at 9.30 PM from Monday to Thursday.
Unlike Kkusum and Star’s Kyunki Saas…, Kutumb, another Ekta Kapoor concept, treads a slightly different track although it remains firmly in the Indian extended family domain. There is a spoilt rich brat whose efforts to woo a determined, morally upright girl are all in vain till he manipulates matters so that they have to get married. The ‘saas-bahu’ feuds have been brought into the ‘husband-wife’ domain. The family determined not to accept the daughter-in-law in the fold, her efforts to maintain her dignity while seeking love and affection are the tangles that Kutumb seeks to unravel. Ekta’s own one-liner for the serial, meanwhile, is “They hated each other so they married each other”.
GECs
Sony PAL to air Sankat Mochan Hanuman from May 4 at 9 PM
Mythological series brings Lord Hanuman’s tale of devotion and courage back to TV
MUMBAI: Sony PAL is set to bring back the timeless mythological series Sankat Mochan Hanuman, with its premiere scheduled for May 4 at 9 PM. The show revisits the legendary journey of Lord Hanuman, offering viewers a chance to reconnect with one of Indian mythology’s most revered figures.
Centred on themes of devotion, courage and righteousness, the series traces Hanuman’s unwavering loyalty to Lord Ram and his fearless stand against evil. With its mix of dramatic storytelling and visually rich sequences, the show aims to deliver both entertainment and spiritual resonance, appealing to audiences across age groups.
The narrative unfolds as a larger-than-life saga, positioning Hanuman as the ultimate protector and a symbol of strength and selfless service. His journey, rooted in faith and duty, continues to strike a chord with viewers, making the series as relevant today as ever.
The cast features Gagan Malik as Lord Ram, Debalina Chatterjee as Sita, Nirbhay Wadhwa in the titular role, and Saurav Gurjar as Raavan. Their performances bring depth and authenticity to characters deeply embedded in Indian cultural memory.
With its return to television, the show is positioned as more than just a rerun. It taps into a renewed appetite for mythological storytelling, blending nostalgia with timeless values.
As audiences increasingly seek content that resonates beyond entertainment, ‘Sankat Mochan Hanuman’ offers a familiar yet powerful narrative, reminding viewers that stories of faith and courage never really go out of style.
