At Colors, we are creating platform-agnostic content: Manisha Sharma

“As far as Colors goes, we offer a wide variety of entertainment, and our content has always mirrored society. We consciously choose to bring out stories across genres that are unique, appealing, and fresh,” says Manisha Sharma, Chief Content Officer, Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18. She is excited about the Colors’ flagship property, ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’, which is making a comeback after five years. “Over the period of nine years, the show has not just done exceptionally well, but has also built its loyal viewers/ fan base, making it one of the most anticipated comebacks,” she emphasises.

Excerpts from the interview:

What is special about ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’?

 ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ is one of our marquee properties, which is making a comeback after a hiatus of five long years. Over the period of nine years, the show has not just done exceptionally well, but has also built its loyal viewers/ fan base, making it one of the most anticipated comebacks. The show’s unique format, the line-up of most popular celebrities as contestants, the mavericks of Bollywood in an illustrious panel of judges and host makes it special. 

What is the USP of this property given that there are several popular reality shows across various channels?

The show’s format is what makes it stand out. It beautifully captures the dancing journey of viewers’ favourite celebrities from different walks of life, who share a passion for dance. This season will have celebrities such as Ali Asgar, who’s an ace comedian; renowned chef Zorawar Kalra; the Boss Lady Rubina Dilaik, who will all let their guards down and dedicate their time in learning this new skill. The show is a perfect blend of talent, passion, dance, class and entertainment and is back to win the Nation’s heart.

What are your upcoming programmes that we can look forward to?

As of now, I can talk about two upcoming shows that have amassed great anticipation. The first one is ‘Sherdil Shergill’, a modern coming-of-age love story of two individuals who are poles apart in life, starring Dheeraj Dhoopar and Surbhi Chandna. The second one is the most awaited show, ‘Bigg Boss 16’, which we are planning to launch in October. We have a few other properties in the pipeline; however, we will be able to talk about them at the right time, as they are at a very nascent stage.

How has 2022 been so far in terms of content packaging?

As far as Colors goes, we offer a wide variety of entertainment, and our content has always mirrored society. We consciously choose to bring out stories across genres that are unique, appealing, and fresh. We have managed to strike a balance between our fiction and non-fiction shows and that makes Colors one of the leading Hindi entertainment channels since its launch. 

Owing to the changes in viewing preferences, we continue to work harder at staying relevant. We have recently launched a series of fiction shows, starting from a supernatural show, ‘Pishachini’, which is a story of an evil demoness who uses her beauty on her prey, to ‘Saavi Ki Savaari’, a unique love story of a girl Saavi, who is an autorickshaw driver. We will soon launch ‘Sherdil Shergill’. In terms of non-fiction, ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ has hit the television screens after a gap of five years and we are working on the new season of everyone’s favourite ‘Bigg Boss’.

OTT platforms have burst into the scene with a new wave of unorthodox content that appeals especially to the Millennials.  Did it have an impact on the broadcasters’ overall content strategy? Do you think it is time for TV to reinvent its content strategy? 

The preference for OTTs is expected to extend from metro cities to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities too. The amount of time spent watching content on OTT platforms has seen enormous growth since the pandemic. And with a huge Indian population waking up to the quality content available on OTT platforms, the viewership is only expected to increase in the coming years. While OTT continues to grow, it still is predominantly a form of individual entertainment, whereas TV continues and will be the dominant form of wholesome family entertainment.

At Colors, we always strive to stay ahead of the curve and deliver content to our audiences that they love to watch. We have reinvented our content strategy at times basis our viewers’ responses and evolved with the changing standards of innovation and technology for them. We are creating platform-agnostic content and offer content that can be viewed across multiple platforms for the same or different users.