Exclusive | Upping the ante of creativity: Colors' Manisha Sharma

Channel Colors is on a high. While celebrating their successful fifth anniversary, there is more good news from the channel. It is the highest gainer in week 29 TAM ratings on the back of it’s two shows in the non-fiction genre that have made the channel proud with the outstanding numbers they have garnered. They are Comedy Nights with Kapil and Jhalak Dikhhlaa Jaa dancing with stars. The former due to the fun quotient and the latter with it’s superlative dance performances which has been scorching the television screens. As a result Colors weekend programming has taken a turn for the better and it’s ratings have certainly beefed up the channel’s rankings.

Adgully caught up with Manisha Sharma, Head, Weekend Programming, Colors, who spoke about the reason behind their successful phase and the channel’s focus to continue bringing unique content to grab viewer’s eyeballs.

Commenting on their achievement on the weekend programming, Sharma said, "Yes, we are thrilled with the way our weekend programming has fared for the channel. It's been five glorious years where we have had our shares of ups and downs but we have mostly tasted success. We have also never shied away from experimenting to bring uniqueness to our content. There has been a lot of hard work and effort put in by the team and the production houses we have teamed up with."

It’s been observed that the two shows which scored good ratings are not fictional shows but one belongs to the comedy genre and other focuses on dancing and is a reality show. So when asked if it is the younger TG which is responsible for the wide acceptance of such shows nowadays, she explained, "Our shows be it Comedy Nights with Kapil or Jhalak Dikhhlaa Jaa cater to a wide set of audience and appeal to the young and the old. I think the uniqueness and quality of our content is what sets it apart from the rest and has thus also piqued the interest of the younger generation along with our loyal viewers."

There is no doubt about the fact that Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is an old property of Colors and each season it has offered something new for its audience whereas Comedy Nights with Kapil is an altogether new offering but has fared extremely well since its launch .

To what would she attribute the tremendous success of the latter? In response to this she said, "The response of the viewers to our content does play a large role in bringing a show back for another season. This is the second year that Jhalak is airing on COLORS. With new contestants each season, backed by their passion, dedication and the drive to experiment with new dance forms and concepts makes the show better with every successive season."

"Comedy Nights with Kapil has a different format from the usual comedy shows on television today. Kapil’s variant of comedy, ensemble cast, interactivity with the audience and the star factor makes it every viewers delight. At COLORS, we have been constantly upping the ante when it comes to creativity and working with Kapil and his team has been a wonderful journey so far," she adds.

It is evident that most Hindi GEC’s including Colors offer reality shows or non-fiction shows on weekends. When asked whether is it audience preference or decision taken by industry experts which has led to this kind of programming on channels, Sharma elaborated, "On weekends viewers just want to sit back, relax and enjoy themselves.  That is why our programming over weekends are light-hearted, non-taxing and fun. After a hectic week at work, comedy is something one looks forward to. With Jhalak, our contestants have been really pushing the limits with their performances, dance forms and it is the sheer passion that can be seen right through. The jury and anchors bring in their own flavour and have made this season an entertaining one."

When Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa goes off air post its season Finale would it affect the ratings of Colors or would the next season of popular show Bigg Boss cover up that space? Sharing her views on this Sharma vehemently says, "Absolutely not! We at COLORS are constantly working around newer concepts and ideas. We have something interesting coming up soon, but it is too early to talk about it.”

Building up suspense for their viewers, Sharma concludes, “You will just have to wait and watch!"