Season 1 of 24 gave us 15-20 crore of publicity: Raj Nayak

The first season of 24 redefined the way soaps are shown on Indian television. Full of adrenaline rush, high voltage drama and keeping the audience at the edge, it left an imprint on the mind of each and every viewer.

The brand new Season 2 of 24 will be carrying forward the same level of drama while Anil Kapoor aka ATU Chief Jai Singh Rathod in the brand new season will play a character on whose shoulders rests the responsibility to protect the nation.

The highly stylized poster shows an intense Anil Kapoor sporting a rugged look raising intrigue levels about Jai Singh Rathod’s new expedition. The sleek look featuring a determined Anil Kapoor brings with it the promise that 24: Season 2 will go above and beyond the standards set by Season 1 while augmenting every element of the show. Keeping the action going, COLORS has roped in S-cross as the Presenting Sponsor for 24: Season 2.

Commenting on the poster launch of 24: Season 2, Raj Nayak, CEO – COLORS said, “Season 1 of 24 was a game-changer on Indian television, and as we enter the production phase for Season 2, we are looking forward to raise the bar creating unparalleled entertainment avenues for the viewers. As the shoot commences, we welcome on-board S-cross as the Presenting Sponsor of 24: Season 2. The bold, dynamic and strong features of the vehicle run in harmony with the character traits of our lead protagonist, Jai Singh Rathod. We are certain that the integration will be mutually beneficial for both brands.”

Talking about Anil Kapoor, the key protagonist of the show, Raj Nayak says, “Anil Kapoor is evergreen. When I was growing up I watched Anil Kapoor, now my daughter relates to Anil Kapoor and my mother knows Anil Kapoor. So three generations in my own house know and admire Anil Kapoor. He is a brand in himself and brings his own charisma to the show.”

This year the channel plans to take advantage of Anil Kapoor’s brand value to create a high level of consumer engagement. Raj Nayak informs, “One of the biggest mistakes we made was we did not leverage Anil Kapoor as a brand to reach larger audience. We have brought Maruti on board and it has its presence from Himalayas to Kanyakumari. So one of the things that we are going to do is, we are going to take him to Maruti show rooms all across. There are many more similar activities in store.””

The channel believes that learnings from the first channel would come in handy. It has improvised and made a few changes in the show format based on that. Raj Nayak states, “There was no problem with the storyline and production. However, audience in India were not ready for the four screens coming at the same time. So we have made some changes in keeping with the audience preferences to give it a more mass appeal. We are not going to remove it as the show is all about it but we will now do it after long intervals”

The channel is happy with the return on investment it got in season one – as besides other things it was talked about in global media. Talking on this he says “Some shows loss money, some make money but some shows do many other things. Season 1, 24 gave us something like 15-20 crores worth of publicity last year. I mean when was the last time you show an Indian show coming on Wall Street Journal, On Guardian, New York Times, CNN and BBC globally. Also every anchor including Arnab Goswami talked about it in his show.”

The channel expects to garner more eyeballs in comparison to last year. Raj Nayak says, “There are two shows on Colors, one is Comedy Nights With Kapil and 24 where people from South Mumbai to other places watch it. Last time we did not get the rural ratings but this time we will try to reach that audience. The show is aspirational and that’s what the show will remain. We do want to get the ratings but in our own scheme of things it is one of the most expensive show on Indian television, so we would not do season 2 if we did not think that there is something for the channel in it.”

Talking about their first time association with 24 RS Kalsi, Executive Director (M&S) said, “Our association with Colors has been quite long. So the first factor is confidence that we have with the channel even though the show is yet to come out and the second thing is that the reach of the show in season 1 had been quite good. The target audience that 24 caters to and its genre allow us to draw synergies between the brands of S-Cross, 24 and COLORS. Season 2 is the perfect platform for us to integrate and showcase the premium crossover S-Cross to consumers while strengthening our expanded brand reach.”

Divulging details about the show, Manisha Sharma, Programming Head, Colors said “The show will be a spectacle in terms of scale, truly matching up to its international standards. The poster we have launched today is a true testimony of Anil Kapoor’s all-round involvement and dedication in making 24 an audience winner in every sense of the word.”

Actor and producer Anil Kapoor adds, “When we brought Season 1 of 24, little did we know it would change the television space. Season 2 will have the same drama and gripping storyline. We also welcome back Abhinay Deo and Rensil D’Souza back as directors whose contribution made season 1 a success and will surely do that for Season 2 as well.”

The series is co-produced by Anil Kapoor Film Co and Ramesh Deo Productions.