Maha frenzy

 The rumours of Ram Kapoor being killed in a maha episode of Bade Achhe Lagte Hain and Kya Hua Tera Vaada have created a storm in the soap dish. MEENAKSHI RAO tells you why Ram Kapoor can’t be caught dead on Sony’s flagship show and how this is a good marketing trick by the channel’s creatives to get back on track at a time when rival channels are flexing their muscle with good, new shows even as its own content is sagging.

Just when Sony’s soap dish line-up was letting up, in a top secret operation — second only to Kasab’s hanging — the channel’s creatives have engineered a coup to get back the eyeballs. Without even a whiff or any kind of leaks, last week, they aired the promo of a maha episode of Kya Hua Tera Vaadawith Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, scheduled for December 4.

That the channel’s two flagship shows were coming together for a one-off booster may have been a pleasant surprise, but what the promo contained pulled the rug from under the feet of many a fan. A pistol-toting Anushka Sarkar walks into a party being attended by the two leading couples of KYTVand BALH with intentions to kill bete noire Mona Singh. The one who is eventually shot and is declared dead by the doctor is, however, Ram Kapoor who darts in front of Priya who is shielding Mona as Anushka pulls the trigger!

Minutes after this shocking clip, Twitter exploded into haws and aahs. This wasn’t happening! How could you Ekta, many said. The shock and awe of Ram Kapoor, TV’s most romantic middle-aged man dying unannounced was too much to contain and Sony creatives, it seems, had played their cards pretty well.

After all, this was the silly season for the channel. Shows like Byah Hamari Bahoo Ka had just folded up to lukewarm response and the new one inAnaamika was still in its gestation period, yet to catch the pulse of the audience. To top this 8 pm to 10 pm ennui, Kya Hua Tera Vaada was losing its touch too, the story hurtling into confusion and directionlessness. Bade Achhe Lagte Hain had, meanwhile, got too caught up in a custody battle which was going nowhere, much like the romance between Priya and Ram who were no longer a couple.

On the other hand, channels like Life Ok, Colors and even Zee had revved up their programming and were coming back into contention with a new mix of innovative and sequel line-up. While 26/12, on Life Ok, has already started creating waves with its bold terrorism-oriented content with its lead protagonist being a killer militant talking about how she will be engineering something much bigger than 26/12, Madhubala had also started simmering in the romance genre with the M&B love affair peaking in all kind of seductive ways. Not to mention, Anandi dressing up for marriage No 2, with all the widows getting mehendi done on their hands in a strident social message.

On Zee, Phir Subah Hogi has got a new lease of viability with Varun Badola going on a revenge spree once Sugani refuses to marry him and does the pheras (putting a gun on her head herself to stop Varun from disrupting her wedding) with his nephew! Sab, which is Sony’s arm now, has also been cutting into Sony main’s votebank with good shows like Waah Waah Kya Baat Hai (though on Saturdays) and, of course, Lapataganj and Chidiya Gharand Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma catching up, moreso because of the slipping content of KYTV and BALH.

Under the circumstances, something really volcanic had to come through for Sony to come back into reckoning and nothing could be more of an active volcanic activity than Ram Kapoor dying on you, that too on a sister show’s platform! He may or may not die, but the maha episode and the secrecy around what will really happen in the end, has ensured that an ebbing in interest KYTV will take that 15-year leap on a big, big high. In the process, even the eyeballs for BALH will get dilated. A sound marketing strategy, indeed.

Anil Wanvari, CEO of indiantelevision.com, agrees: “It’s a very good marketing strategy and an interesting trick to pull the viewership of Kya Hua Tera Vaada. This strategy has been used for many shows in the US and even by Star and Zee. Merging two shows aims at either introducing or ousting a character or a show, or just for a celebration. Since Ram is the face of BALH, everybody would be seeing this special episode to await the fate of one famous show and one not so famous. If Ram dies, either BALH will die or it will limp along with a new character.

So, who dies? Is it Ram Kapoor? Or is it all about creating frenzy by clever editing? May be it is Pradeep who dies and KHTV jumps 15 years. Sunday Pioneer puts on its thinking cap to bring you all the possible scenarios that this promo has unleashed. Here’s what could happen:

Pradeep out, leap in

Considering that Kya Hua Tera Vaada is the only serial in the Ekta Kapoor camp that has not yet taken the leap, it is long due. Already 180 odd episodes old, the serial has got into a rut of what next? According to its creative director Chloe Ferns, the producers had been contemplating on a leap in mid-December. At that time, Pawan Shankar had made it clear that he will not continue. “I would want to exit if the story deviates from the starting track where the extramarital affair was the mainstay. If they plan to go ahead with another storyline, I will have to exit the show,” he had told the media back then.

Now, Shankar has apparently landed himself with a plumb TV assignment with Star Plus and the channel has asked him for all his dates. Although details about the show are still being discussed, a source tell us that Shankar has signed on the dotted line. For producer Ekta Kapoor, however, Shankar will always be a blue-eyed boy. ‘Pawan is one of the best Balaji actors and we are proud to have him in our camp’ is what the entrepreneur tweeted recently.

There are a host of other changes that will take place in the show if the leap is finalised. Mona will be shown in a much older and wiser avatar. Sukriti Khandpal and Siddhi have been approached to play Pawan and Mona's grown-up on-screen daughters, Bulbul and Rano, respectively.

There were reports in September 2012 that Mouli Ganguly has had a fallout with the creative director and has been asked to exit the show. However, Ganguly answered in the negative saying that all is, indeed, well. According to a source, Ganguly had problems of being shown as a loser in the show. That was not part of the original script and Ganguly felt her honeymoon period was curtailed to suit Mona Singh’s character.

Mona’s fans are definitely excited about the news of this leap. In a poll conducted recently by a popular website, 72% wanted her to move on and marry Vineet. Maybe the producers should take a cue out of this poll. More than 36% did not want her to get back with Pradeep and would rather that she stayed alone than get back to her cheating partner.

Ram jaane

All queries from all sources meet a deadend if one needs to talk to Ram Kapoor. But is he really too busy to exit the show? Here’s a look at his movie calendar:

YRF’s Meri Dad Ki Maruti: The movie is in post production but Kapoor has promised them a marketing campaign for 65 days.

Maee: Starring Asha Bhonsle. Kapoor has promised them production time for 140 days and then a post-production marketing time of 32 days.

There is also a Mira Nair film (Midnight’s Children) where he plays the main lead which is going on the floor on January 24, 2013.

Kapoor has also given his dates for a cameo in Love You Mr Kalakaar. According to sources, he has promised them bulk dates of 100 days for completion of the film.

An insider says, “Ram has spoken to Balaji Telefilm and Sony. He told Ekta that he wants to quit as he has received some good film offers. Finding the time for his films and shooting for BALH was becoming very difficult for him.”

While news about Ram wanting to quit BALH had first made headlines in September, the issue was soon resolved. But now, with more film work coming his way, he is finding it hard to manage his schedule. “Every month, he works on the show for 15 days, and then he dedicates 15 days for his films. And because he is in almost every frame ofBALH, it’s tough. There have been times when the production unit has had to make do with close-up shots and body doubles, as he did not have time to shoot,” BALH creative writer Sangeeta Rao told Sunday Pioneer. She, however, refused to comment on Ram’s death on the show.

Source: Published in The Pioneer, December 2, 2012