Colors’ bets big on mythology to boost primetime line-up with ‘Shani’

Colors is all set to unfold a magnum opus narrating the saga of the most powerful and misunderstood deity through ‘Karmphal Data Shani’. The prime time show is premiering today, November 7, 2016 at 9 pm and will air Monday to Friday. The epic tale, laden with visually spectacular grand and opulent themes, has been produced by Swastik Productions. Creatively pieced together through extensive research into India’s deep culture, rituals and traditions, ‘Karmphal Data Shani’ touches upon the sense of superiority and dominance that dictates our karma. The Presenting Sponsor on ‘Shani’ is Dabur Chyawanprash.

He was conceived for righteousness. Born to Surya Dev and blessed by the Trinity of Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, his brand of justice remains unchallenged till date. The show will trace Shani’s life as he faces injustice at the hands of his father, Surya Dev,upon birth, and leads up to him becoming the penultimate messiah of justice, maintaining a delicate balance between the Devta and Asura worlds.

The show will transport the viewers to an era where the volatile relationship between the Devtas and Asuras led to the ‘Devasur Sangram’ – the ultimate battle for dominance. As the war turns fiercer, Lord Shiva intervenes to announce that the Trinity is making way for a new energy that will maintain the balance between good and evil. And thus, Shani is born. A child born to the god of light, Surya Dev and Chhaya, his wife Sangya’s shadow, Shani is scorned at birth. Banished from Surya-lok to be raised by Chhaya in a forest, Shani begins his journey on the path of karma. As he grows older, he unflinchingly continues to deliver justice in the toughest situations, giving preference only to the supreme truth.

Commenting on the launch of the show, Raj Nayak, CEO – Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom 18, said, “‘Karmphal Data Shani’ is our dream project. The rationale behind investing in a show of such mammoth proportion is the fact that it augments the core vision of our channel, that is, to indulge everyone through variety content. The other vital reason is that shows like ‘Ashoka’ and ‘Shani’ promote cohesive viewing. It imparts knowledge and spreads awareness. It’s a differentiator from the family dramas dominating the primetime.”

He further added, “We believe that with a captivating narrative like ‘Karmphal Data Shani’, our weekday primetime is going to consolidate even further. ‘Naagin’ has proven to be a game changer and is ruling the charts, and the unique love story of a eunuch has found its own fan following with ‘Shakti – Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii’ standing tall at the No. 2 position. We are hopeful that the discerning storyline of ‘Karmphal Data Shani’ will surely make an impact in the 9:00 pm primetime slot.”

Speaking about the new fiction offering, Manisha Sharma, Programming Head, Colors, “‘Karmphal Data Shani’ projects a magnificence that has never been seen on Indian television in the past. Picking cues from an era before the any civilization came into being, ‘Shani’ ventures into the depths of the Hindu scriptures to narrate a tale that has, thus far, been lesser known. Bringing in a new perspective,the show will illustrate the misunderstood God in a new light and strive to present his endearing tale through an entertaining proposition. The show will be a visual treat for the viewers akin to a silver screen experience in terms of VFX and production value. Apart from an intriguing storyline, we have given abundant importance to the setting and grandiosity of the show. It is definitely going to be one of the meaningful TV series to look forward to.”

With its core in Indian celestial mythology, the show’s set and costume design maintains a strong element of authenticity and connects with the Vedas in its visual appeal. Spread across 60,000 square feet in Umbergaon, the four distinctly different settings – Swarg-lok, Patal-lok, Surya-lok and a dense forest intricately designed keeping the era’s aesthetics alive, add authenticity to Shani’s tale. Apart from the colossal sets, the show has also been shot extensively at various exotic locales across the country, including Leh-Ladakh.

Speaking about the scale and production value of the show, Siddharth Kumar Tewary, Founder and Creative Director, Swastik Productions, said, “We have always strived to present compelling content from the pages of our holy scriptures. With ‘Karmphal Data Shani’, we aim to dismiss all misconceptions about Shani Dev’s motives and origins. Our teams are working tirelessly to present a larger-than-life canvas living up to the divinity of the era, and present an offering which will appeal to the audiences’ sensibilities.”

To promote this magnum opus and bring the tale of ‘Karmphal Data Shani’ closer to viewers, Colors is planning an elaborate impact and reach-driven marketing blitzkrieg at multiple touchpoints. A specially designed OOH innovation will see hoardings projecting the power of Shani, including bringing on an eclipse in the blink of an eye. In terms of on-ground activations, Colors is organising a one-of-its-kind ‘Punya Ke Ghade Mein Tael Chhadao…Punya Ki Jyoti Jalao’ promotional campaign outside prominent temples like Shani Shinganapur near Aurangabad and Shri Hanuman Temple in Lucknow. The channel will encourage devotees to pour oil in the ‘Paap Ka Ghada’, a huge vessel installed outside these shrines, as an offering to Lord Shani. The oil collected through these ghadas will further be donated to the temples for lighting diyas. Another activation is being planned along Mumbai’s metro network at Andheri and Ghatkopar, urging travelers to participate in a contest to win free rides. Along with the marketing strategy, Colors is also working towards an extensive digital campaign, dismissing misconceptions about Lord Shani, and reaching out to viewers on social media platforms.

Colors Programming Head Manisha Sharma, throws further light on the new show…

How will ‘Karmphal Data Shani’ fit into Colors’ current programming strategy?
At Colors, we are always looking forward to presenting differentiated and disruptive content that will pique viewer interest. After ‘Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat’s success, we had been toying with the idea of sprucing our fiction line-up with a larger-than-life concept. ‘Karmphal Data Shani’ is in keeping with our mantra of maintaining cohesive viewing through varied content options.

There have been many successful mythological shows on Colors and other channels as well. What will be the USP of the new show?
‘Karmphal Data Shani’ is beyond anything that we have showcased on our channel over all these years in the mythological space. The show has been made on a gargantuan scale with the set spread over 65,000 square feet, compared to other fiction offerings whose sets usually cover less than one-fourth of this area. We’ve also taken great pains in terms of set design, costumes, jewellery, cinematography and VFX effects to ensure that we present a visually stunning proposition to our audiences.

What have been main differentiators in the content of Colors?
We have consistently focused on promoting cohesive viewing through larger-than-life concepts and themes. With shows like ‘Devanshi’, ‘Shakti’, ‘Udaan’, ‘Thapki’ and, now, ‘Shani’, we have explored stories and narratives that have never been seen on Indian television. We have also maintained a fresh approach towards our content, with shows like ‘Shani’ and ‘Naagin 2’, by sprucing up the production value with tight storytelling and superlative VFX effects to create a strong visual impact.

Talking about advertisers, what major change do you see in their response in the last one year?
Given that we are attempting newer content genres, the response from advertisers has been very encouraging. Be it venturing into the fantastical genre with ‘Naagin’ and now ‘Naagin 2’, the unique themes and concepts for our non-fiction and reality offerings, or the various innovative and daring content genres that we have brought to television, we have witnessed a steady influx of advertisers and the feedback from the industry at large has been quite strong.

How do you see the Indian TV content emerging in the next few years?
Trends and tastes keep evolving. There are certain genres that will always work if executed well; love stories, historicals, family dramas, comedy and crime. If the story and narrative is strong and backed by good production values, good content will always attract audiences.

What is the way ahead for Colors in terms of programming strategy?
There is a lot in store for the new year, but it’s a little premature for me to talk about it now.