The countdown begins for Colors' '24'

The most awaited show on Colors, ‘24’ with Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor in the lead is all set to go on air this October. The channel is all geared up to bring Indian viewers the Indian adaptation of the high-octane saga that created history in the United States. The show will go on air effective Friday, October 4th 2013 and will be telecast every weekend on Friday and Saturday at 10 pm. 24 is a show that has created new industry benchmarks for Indian television with its unique real-time narration format and with a powerful ensemble cast. While Bigg Boss has been the channel’s most expensive reality show, 24 will be their most expensive fiction series till date.

Raj Nayak, CEO - Colors, the flagship channel of Viacom18 Media Networks, made the  announcement at a press meet on the  evening of 19th September 2013. Speaking to Adgully about the upcoming offering from Colors he said, "The show 24 has been pitched, position and marketed like a movie.” With 24, Colors redefines the drama genre making way for action icons on Indian television.

The launch of 24 in India makes Colors the first-ever network to produce and air the local adaptation of the international series outside the United States. The Indian adaptation of '24', retains all the elements of the international series , the real-time, pulse-pounding, fast-paced format with split screens and complex interweaving storylines, with 24 episodes capturing 24 hours. The premiere episode will follow the exploits of heroic Anti Terrorist Unit agent Jai Singh Rathod played by Anil Kapoor.

When asked  how they plan to market this first of its kind show,  Rajesh Iyer, Vice President, Marketing, Colors, explaining to Adgully said, "We will be marketing this show like a movie. In the first phase, we are taking Anil Kapoor to all the HSM markets in the country. He will be meeting consumers and publications and there will be on ground contests throughout the tour. Also, we are planning to integrate him into our own shows like Big Boss, Comedy Nights with Kapil and even in our fiction shows like Madhubala and Balika Vadhu. We will also be advertising in cinema theatres which we have already started with films such as Madras Cafe, Grand Masti and soon will appear on Besharam too."

Anil Kapoor will be seen in Comedy Nights with Kapil on 20th September and will appear in Big Boss on 28th September 2013.

To promote the show ‘24’, the channel is focusing on each and every media platform including the Radio medium across FM stations.  After every 24 minutes programming there will be a communication with regard to the show. It will also be advertised on 60 odd channels outside their network. Where promoting on print is concerned ads will be seen on 120 publications on the day of the launch. As part of their outdoor activities and on ground promotion they will be travelling to about 50 cities including metros like Mumbai and Delhi and HSM markets. The promotional activities have already taken place in Jaipur and Delhi.

The channel has roped in Milestone Brandcomm as their outdoor agency.

Speaking about 24, Manisha Sharma, Weekend Programming Head, Colors, said, “With 24, we introduce the Indian audiences to a new hybrid genre of entertainment that sees an interesting amalgamation of fiction and reality. Well on its way to become a cultural lexicon, 24 will offer the audiences never-seen-before action, thrill, suspense, drama and the exhilaration of solving complex cases real-time within a span of 24 hours.”

Racing against time with the clock ticking, Jai Singh Rathod, is suddenly thrust into a chaotic and exhausting 24 hour marathon of death, deceit and terror as he struggles to prevent the assassination of prime ministerial candidate Aditya Singhania. To support Jai Singh Rathod in this mammoth task is a spectacular cast comprising of industry veterans and actors like Anupam Kher, Shabana Azmi, Mandira Bedi, Tisca Chopra, Anita Raaj, Neil Bhoopalam, Ajinkya Deo, Richa Chadda and Rahul Khanna who deliver spell-binding performances to make 24 play out like clockwork.

As part of their digital activity, the first step the channel focused on was to establish Anil Kapoor as Jai Singh Rathore. "This is very unique show. We are using Digital because it's a two way media, where engagement plays an important role. We are also using digital to establish other characters of the show. Since the last 10 days, our efforts are on to establish the characters of the show and the concept which is race against time. This we are doing through the micro sites which are being launched, and also through the social media and other digital platforms that we are using in the plan . Both mediums of communication can be different. The emphasis is on how much you are engaging with your consumers and how much interaction you can draw on each of these properties," shared, Vivek Srivastava, Digital Head, Colors while interacting with Adgully.

Facebook and Twitter will see a huge buzz around the launch of the show. There will be contests, star interactions and exclusive activities happening on these platforms. As most of the interactions take place when the show is on air, the challenge for the digital team is to interact and be responsive to every query that comes their way. This trend has been visible earlier on reality shows such as Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and Bigg Boss. The show 24 has received a positive feedback on the social media platform because of the format of the show which will showcase 24 episodes on 24 days.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better team of actors than the ones on 24,” says actor and co-producer Anil Kapoor. “Everybody is a hero on the show and the precision and technique that each one of them uses to portray their individual characters is unique. Their never-say-die attitude and the passion and enthusiasm put in by each one of them makes me want to strive harder and perform better and better,” he adds.

“Creating a body of work such as 24, is a lifetime opportunity where I could use my craft to the fullest. I have attempted to create a visual medley of powerful characters led by Jai Singh Rathod. I am confident audiences will love each and every character and see how all of them in their own way contribute to the twists and turns of 24,” said Abhinay Deo, Chief Director of the show.

The channel has roped in TATA Safari Storme as presenting sponsor whereas Next Retail India , a subsidiary of Videocon, will be associate sponsor for the show.

“We partnered with 24, because we firmly believe the show shares the same values of speed, strength and absolute power.  As Anil Kapoor runs against time, the Tata Safari Storme is the perfect vehicle that supports his agility and total control. It made sense to tie up with a show which has all the characteristics of our SUV,” said Ranjit Yadav, President PVBU Tata Motors.

24 is co-produced by Anil Kapoor Film Co, and Ramesh Deo Productions, directed by Abhinay Deo and adapted by Rensil D’Silva.  

The show will go on air for 12 weeks starting 4th October 2013 and will be replacing the most popular show on Colors viz. Comedy Nights with Kapil and Uttaran too in the Friday slot. Hence  next month audiences can look forward to an exciting line up of Bigg Boss starring Salman Khan in the 9pm- 10pm slot , ‘24’ starring the charming Anil Kapoor, in 10pm-11pm slot, and comedian Kapil Sharma  with his hilarious show every Sunday in the 10pm -11pm slot, thus making their weekends interesting and worth the while.

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