Broadbandindia Magazine

The Indian television viewer fraternity is soon going to be bombarded with a host of new and old shows – some bringing the old gimmicks in a new format while some looking to tread unconventional paths. Which one would be a hit with viewers and which not ? Will old formulas still work or the Indian audience would appreciate novice concepts? We at Broadband India have handpicked a couple of shows that are definitely worth your attention – at least initially. Rest is up to you to define your patronage towards the ones which rule your hearts. Let’s take a look at this month’s offerings:

Kaun Banega Crorepati 4

Season four of Kaun Banega Crorepati is going to be much snappier that the earlier editions with several changes set to be incorporated into the format. Even the way the show’s superstar-anchor Amitabh Bachchan conducts himself will be zara hat ke. Confirms a very reliable source from the KBC crew, “KBC has been tweaked quite a lot. It’s going to be faster. The number of questions has been reduced to 12 from 15. And now there is a timer for the first 7 – 30 seconds to answer or the clock stops you. There are some innovative options for phoning a friend for help. There will be three experts from various fields on call and you can talk to them as options for an answer. They will appear on TV live as opposed to a voice.”

Saregamapa 2010

Saregamapa 2010 is going to start on 14th August. The auditions have already started. Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, is said to produce better singers than its rival Indian Idol. Unlike Indian Idol auditions, there is no pre-registration required through SMS or IVRS. Interested candidates can directly walk in to the venue to get the application forms. Note that the entry to the venue will be on a first come first serve basis limited to only 1000 per each venue. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, formerly known as Sa Re Ga Ma is a musical contest shown on Zee TV. It was last hosted by Aditya Narayan and directed by Gajendra Singh. The contest is named for the first few notes of the standard octave in Indian classical music.The first episode aired on May 1, 1995 and was hosted by Sonu Nigam; the show was extremely popular at that time. From 1999 till 2001, the show was hosted by the brothersAmaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan, sons of legendarysarod-player Amjad Ali Khan.After that, Shaan started hosting the show. Later, the name “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” became known as the “brand name” of the series and completely changed the concept of the show to include public interaction through voting.

Vh1 Dance 101

Vh1 Dance 101 provides an opportunity for all dance music lovers to get together and celebrate dance music to its fullest. Never seen before rare and exclusive videos and remixes from the best in the world of Dance music all only on Vh1. Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Moby, Bob Sinclair are a some among the wide gamut of skilled Djs whose best work is showcased under this category.The series has already aired every Saturday at 11:00 pm.

India’s got talent Khoj 2

Get ready to be WOWed with some amazing, some unseen and some all time favourite entertaining acts on India’s biggest talent show, India’s Got Talent Khoj 2 premiering July 30th; Fridays and Saturdays at 9 pm on COLORS. After enthralling the nation with breathtaking acts and spellbinding entertainment in its first season, India’s Got Talent has returned in a grander avatar. Aptly titled ‘Khoj 2’, the search for ordinary people with astonishingly extraordinary talent has already started, presided over by the eminent jury comprising of Kirron Kher, Sonali Bendre and Sajid Khan. After multiple auditions from every nook and corner of the country, the jury has hand-picked the best-of-the-best acts for you to enjoy and choose the ultimate winner.

What you got to see in the last season could be merely the tip of the ice berg. With Khoj 2, be prepared to see performances ranging from bizarre to outstanding. From an African tribal dance to communicating through facial expressions; from beat boxing and stumping to acrobats; from sand art to traditional martial arts and folk dances, and much more… India’s Got Talent is bigger, better and more exciting this season.

Chhote Ustaad

Chhote Ustaad – Do Deshon Ki Ek Awaaz is a unique singing show for young children. The show started from 24th July, 2010. Kids between the age group of 8 to 14 from India and Pakistan are going to participate in this show. The show will consist of total 20 participants , 10 participants from each country. The contest of singing would be between 10 teams, each team comprising of one singer from India and one from Pakistan.. Every week one singer is going to win the title of Chhote Ustad.

The judges of this show are famous singers Sonu Nigam and Rahet Fatheh Ali Khan-. Both the singers are permanent judge of the show , the third judge will change every week. The show would be hosted by Omi Vaidya and Famous South Indian Singer Chinmayi.

The Match

Mahuaa Bangla has commissioned Endemol India Pvt Ltd to produce, what it calls, the biggest football reality show on Indian television, called ‘The Match’. It has already started from 20th July; the show will look for 11 talented football players in the 16-19 age group from across India and train them to play one single match under the guidance of famed Indian and international football legends like Romario and Branco from Brazil and Subhash Bhowmick from India. This challenger team will play against a well-known football club.

Airtel Super Singer Season 3

Star’s Tamil offering Vijay TV has started the third edition of Super Singer titled Airtel Super Singer Season 3. The reality show is air on Monday to Thursday at 9 pm. The ground level auditions took place at Chennai where a Vijay TV release claims that thousands of interested and aspiring young singers took part. Those interested could also send their voice recorded on a CD / cassette or could attend the ground audition that is set to take place in the coming weeks at Tiruchy and Coimbatore. An eight member jury comprising Suvi Suresh, Dr. Lavanya, J.K.V.Roshni, Krishna Iyer, Anitha, Sowmya, Ajeesh and Ravi judged the ground auditions. Vijay TV promises to make the musical reality show bigger than its predecessors. The initial episodes of Super Singer will feature the auditions phase of various zones. Unique themes like melody, folk, western, duet, one-on-one, unplugged, and many more would be the challenges thrown at the participants.

Roomies

After playing on the 777 formula, where Channel [v] launched seven new shows on seven consecutive days at 7 pm, the channel is now foraying into the fiction space by launching a new show called ‘Roomies’. ‘Roomies’ is the story about five college friends staying together in one house and their lives. The weekly show will a sitcom format, where the characters stay the same but the plot changes with each episode. Initially, the show is slated to run for 13 weeks and depending on the response, it can be extended up to 26 weeks. The show will be aired on Saturdays at 7 pm and will have multiple repeats over the weekdays and is expected to go on air in a month’s time. ‘Roomies’ will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign that has been conceptualized by Channel [v]’s creative agency JWT, along with an in-house team. Apart from the usual print, radio and television campaigns, the channel is undertaking an interesting BTL activity, wherein it is getting people to throw house parties, which would be sponsored by the channel. Channel [v] will sponsor around 100-150 such parties in various cities. Meanwhile, the channel is also trying to expand its audience base by including male contestants in one of its flagship shows, ‘Get Gorgeous’.

Mera Naam Karegi Roshan

Mera Naam Karegi Roshan has already started from 12^th July, 10:30 PM. Zee TV in its newest venture tries to sketch the life of a young woman and her crusade against injustice and inequality. What do you think of a man on his death-bed who asks his daughter to light his funeral pyre inspite of having 2 young sons? More importantly, what do you think of this daughter whose father chooses her over her 2 brothers to perform his final rites? ‘Reet’ is a woman who will defy all age old traditions and take a step which will have the entire society turn against her. Will she fight all the odds and give her father a reason to smile from the heavens above? Stayfree presents ‘Mera Naam karegi Roshan’, a poignant saga of a daughter entrusted with a responsibility no woman has ever been accorded before!

Pink Panther

Pogo, the kid’s entertainment channel from the Turner stable, is set to launch the new series – Pink Panther And Pals on 12 July. It has aired at 5.30 pm, the Monday to Thursday show is continue with the hilarious adventures of the quirky and funny Pink Panther, albeit as a teenager. The series will feature the Pink Panther as a rambunctious teenager who along with his friends gets into all sorts of mischievous capers and hilarious escapades. Pink Panther will also feature characters from the original series, including Ant and Aardvark, as well as new characters. Each show contains two episodes of a teenage Panther and his buddies, and one episode featuring the Ant and the Aardvark characters.

Wagle Ki Duniya on

Anjan Srivastav may not be that well known to the current lot of TV viewers who are so fond of Anandi, Akshara, and the Ragini of the world. However, back in 1988, Anjan Srivastav became a household name with ‘Wagle Ki Duniya’ – the beautiful tale of a middle class Indian man. The show was based on the characters created by the legendary writer/cartoonist R.K. Laxman had scripted this beautiful serial. 22 years later, Mr.Wagle (Anjan Srivastav) will be back on your screens once again, though in a new avatar. The show has been rechristened as ‘ Detective Wagle’. Bharti Achrekar, who played Radhika Wagle is not a part of the show. She’s been replaced by the seasoned actress Sulbha Arya. Though it’s called ‘Detective Wagle’, Srivastav will not be playing a professional detective in it. He’s there to merely solve societal issues and take up the cudgels on their behalf.

“SOAPS & SERIALS KA TADKA– Must watch of the month” will be a regular in our every issue. In this, we attempt to list down upcoming new shows that are worth your watch for the benefit of our readers. To facilitate this, all channels are requested to send in the details of new  programmes that are awaiting launches in the future so that we can showcase them through our feature.