Mythological
COLORS redefines mythological marketing through ‘Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav’
Mumbai: A trailblazer in curating engaging marketing strategies and distinctive content, COLORS brings ‘Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav’, a magnum opus that has set out to write itself as a mythological masterpiece in the history of Indian television. Created and produced by Siddharth Kumar Tewary’s Swastik Productions, the show stars Ram Yashvardhan as Lord Shiv and Subha Rajput as Goddess Shakti. Evoking the quintessence of Gods in an era that modernises at a breakneck speed, the GEC mapped out a comprehensive marketing plan to garner eyeballs and spark excitement among the audiences. Given that the epic illustrated devotion-like love, its campaign assimilated all those who share the rich roots of the history that bind us. To spread the glory of the deities among their devotees, COLORS created an on-ground buzz during religious events such as Ganga Dussehra and Maasik Shivratri.
Making an auspicious beginning, the campaign brought in celebrations of Ganga Dussehra in Varanasi, India’s renowned spiritual destination, where a Maha Ganga Aarti was conducted on an exclusively branded stage in Assi Ghat. The visual splendour of the ghat was accentuated by dancers dressed as Shiv and Shakti performing an enchanting Anand and Shiv Tandav. Additionally, branded mantra booklets were distributed in Assi Ghat, Prayagraj, Haridwar and Rishikesh. To win the hearts of Shakti devotees, COLORS conducted a Mata Ki Chowki in five cities – Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Prayagraj, and Dehradun by leveraging the COLORS’ Golden Petal Club in these markets to further amplify the reach. Furthermore, the channel curated visually sublime branding outside over 50 temples, on rickshaws, and on-look walkers in key markets such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Through a branded canter with a LED screen, 4 lakhs+ devotees travelling to Kedarnath and Vaishno Devi were tapped. For the culmination of this campaign, producer Siddharth Kumar Tewary and lead actors Ram Yashvardhan and Subha Rajput sought blessings at Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Varanasi). Ram Yashvardhan, adorned in the attire of Lord Shiva, performed a mesmerizing Shiv Tandav, captivating the audience with his divine movements. Following his performance, Subha Rajput, dressed as Goddess Shakti, performed the enchanting Anand Tandav alongside Ram Yashvardhan at Rajendra Prasad Ghat. To conclude the magnificent spectacle, a maha aarti led by Siddharth Kumar Tewary at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Harnessing the momentum created for the show, the promotional spree included a collaboration with Ranveer Allahbadia through ‘The Ranveer Show’ that featured the host talking about the epic saga of Shiv and Shakti with the renowned Hindu mythology expert Dr Vineet Agarwal. Touching upon lesser-known facts about the timeless story, the episode of the talk show received over 500k views in less than two days. Influencers across different genres such as makeup, dance, and art were roped in for creating captivating content based on the epic.
Viacom18 head of marketing and digital, Hindi Mass Entertainment Sapangeet Rajwant said, “COLORS takes great pride in crafting creative strategies that get the audience to notice and engage with the show. Bringing back the mythology genre after three years was a special milestone for COLORS and so our marketing campaign was as simple as connecting with the audience in person at the right place and at the right time that is during holy events such as Ganga Dussehra and Maasik Shivratri. The objective was to have the viewers embrace our show as the biggest saga of the universe’s first love story. We successfully sparked conversations around the show through temple visits, branding, giveaways and religious activities such as Mata Ki Chowki and Maha Aarti. Our campaign garnered an overwhelming response from the masses, generating great impressions and reach”.
Overall, the campaign across platforms generated 80 million impressions (approx.), tapped a reach of 65 million and garnered 45 million views. Its digital leg amassed six million views and an approximate reach of 5.5 million through influencer engagement.
MUMBAI: Collective Artists Network is stepping boldly into the past to shape the future of Indian storytelling. The company has announced HistoryVerse, a sweeping new content slate dedicated to retelling India’s rich historical and mythological legacy for contemporary audiences.
Launched under the newly formed Collective Studios, the slate features eight history-inspired titles across theatrical films and web series, making it the largest such lineup announced in India to date. The stories draw inspiration from figures and traditions that have shaped the subcontinent for centuries, including Hanuman, Krishna, Shiva, Shivaji, Durga, Kali and Swami Samarth.
The already released Mahabharat series acts as the foundation stone for HistoryVerse, offering a glimpse into how deeply rooted narratives can be retold with scale, polish and a modern storytelling lens. Building on that momentum, three of the newly announced projects are being developed as feature films, while two will take the form of web series. More titles are already in various stages of development.
Collective says the focus is on detail and immersion at every step, from research and writing to visual design, aiming to make these stories feel expansive yet accessible, even for viewers who may not usually gravitate towards historical content.
Announcing the slate, Collective Artists Network founder and group CEO Vijay Subramaniam, said India’s folklore remains one of the country’s most underleveraged creative assets. “These stories sit at the heart of our culture and deserve to travel the world,” he said. “HistoryVerse is not just about films and series. It is about building an ecosystem of experiences, consumer brands and gaming that allows audiences to engage with these narratives in many ways.”
With HistoryVerse, Collective Studios is positioning itself for the long haul, betting that India’s oldest stories, told with contemporary craft, still have plenty of new ground to cover.
