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MUMBAI: Star Pravah, the Marathi arm of Star India, plans to change the way Marathi entertainment is viewed. It is introducing a new concept for TV viewers in the form of short stories shot especially for the channel.
The short stories will have a feel of an actual film but will have a storyline very similar to a GEC show and will be aired on a Sunday every month from 7 pm to 9 pm.
The stories are selected and financed by Star Pravah as well as the concept is given by it. Every film will have a different production house, cast, director and technical crew. Star Pravah Creative director Shrabani Deodhar says, "It is an extension of what people watch daily. The aim was to let people be in their comfort zones and still do something different."
When asked about the budget allotted per film, Deodhar clarifies that they are produced on a budget less than what anybody would expect. "While we are using better quality camera and bigger sets, the cost is being kept in mind by sobering down on the costumes."
Each film will be created within a span of 15 to 30 days depending upon the subject and will cast television actors. The ideas for the short stories were taken not only from experienced writers but even the common man which were later altered to suit the channel's needs. As of now, one movie is completed and is set to be aired this Sunday, while two are in production and six to seven are in the pipeline.
However, the channel is still figuring out a few things: when should it air the stories (first Sunday or any other), what will happen to the stories after broadcast (telecast again on the same channel or later on sister channels?).
The 7 pm to 9pm slot on other competing Marathi channels doesn't have anything exciting either. ETV Marathi airs re-reruns of their weekly show Majhe mann tujhe jhale, Mi Marathi shows news while Zee Marathi has regional events.
So will the format be able to garner more eyeballs for the channel? Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan doesn't think so. "It isn't even a new concept on TV channels. Zoom had experimented with one and a half hour short films in 2012 and it didn't fare well for it," she explains.
Adds Mindshare principal partner Jai Lala: "Generally, movie watching is title driven. The main challenge for Star Pravah will be to get movie viewers because many would watch it like a TV serial."
According to Madison COO Karthik Lakshminarayan Sunday at 7 pm is a very weak slot and the channel will have to really invest in convincing people to tune in. "On Sunday evenings, viewing is very sporadic. Getting audiences to watch will be very challenging as people have family time on that day," he says.
However, Deodhar doesn't feel the same. "Not too many people can afford to go out due to the high cost of living," she says with raised eyebrows and adds that the channel has a range of themes such as thriller, comedy, romance and many more to grab viewers' attention and advertisers too.
"If it gets good ratings, it will get advertisers," says Radhakrishnan. On similar lines, Lakshminarayan adds that getting advertisers on board will be a challenging task and if they do manage to get a few it would be at a low rate.
Nevertheless, the channel is hoping against hope for the format and the slot to click for it. "Whatever Pravah does is a new pravas (journey)," says a smiling Deodhar.
Will it rake in the points for the channel or will it die a slow death? Even the channel is waiting and watching.
The first movie to be premiered on the channel is Danga 2BHK produced by Dashmi Creations and directed by Hemant Deodhar. It shows the troubles that a married couple faces because of their cultural diversities. The movie was shot using the Arri Alexa camera at Gemini studios along with a few outside locations. The script is written by Abhijit Guru and dialogues by Milind Shinde. The cast includes Siddharth Chandekar, Prarthana Behere, Uday Tikekar, Suchitra Bandekar, Uday Sabnis and Priya Berde.
Indian Television Dot Com > News Headline > Will Star Pravah's new gamble work?
.
The short stories will have a feel of an actual film but will have a storyline very similar to a GEC show and will be aired on a Sunday every month from 7 pm to 9 pm.
The stories are selected and financed by Star Pravah as well as the concept is given by it. Every film will have a different production house, cast, director and technical crew. Star Pravah Creative director Shrabani Deodhar says, "It is an extension of what people watch daily. The aim was to let people be in their comfort zones and still do something different."
When asked about the budget allotted per film, Deodhar clarifies that they are produced on a budget less than what anybody would expect. "While we are using better quality camera and bigger sets, the cost is being kept in mind by sobering down on the costumes."
Each film will be created within a span of 15 to 30 days depending upon the subject and will cast television actors. The ideas for the short stories were taken not only from experienced writers but even the common man which were later altered to suit the channel's needs. As of now, one movie is completed and is set to be aired this Sunday, while two are in production and six to seven are in the pipeline.
However, the channel is still figuring out a few things: when should it air the stories (first Sunday or any other), what will happen to the stories after broadcast (telecast again on the same channel or later on sister channels?).
The 7 pm to 9pm slot on other competing Marathi channels doesn't have anything exciting either. ETV Marathi airs re-reruns of their weekly show Majhe mann tujhe jhale, Mi Marathi shows news while Zee Marathi has regional events.
So will the format be able to garner more eyeballs for the channel? Helios Media managing director Divya Radhakrishnan doesn't think so. "It isn't even a new concept on TV channels. Zoom had experimented with one and a half hour short films in 2012 and it didn't fare well for it," she explains.
Adds Mindshare principal partner Jai Lala: "Generally, movie watching is title driven. The main challenge for Star Pravah will be to get movie viewers because many would watch it like a TV serial."
According to Madison COO Karthik Lakshminarayan Sunday at 7 pm is a very weak slot and the channel will have to really invest in convincing people to tune in. "On Sunday evenings, viewing is very sporadic. Getting audiences to watch will be very challenging as people have family time on that day," he says.
However, Deodhar doesn't feel the same. "Not too many people can afford to go out due to the high cost of living," she says with raised eyebrows and adds that the channel has a range of themes such as thriller, comedy, romance and many more to grab viewers' attention and advertisers too.
"If it gets good ratings, it will get advertisers," says Radhakrishnan. On similar lines, Lakshminarayan adds that getting advertisers on board will be a challenging task and if they do manage to get a few it would be at a low rate.
Nevertheless, the channel is hoping against hope for the format and the slot to click for it. "Whatever Pravah does is a new pravas (journey)," says a smiling Deodhar.
Will it rake in the points for the channel or will it die a slow death? Even the channel is waiting and watching.
The first movie to be premiered on the channel is Danga 2BHK produced by Dashmi Creations and directed by Hemant Deodhar. It shows the troubles that a married couple faces because of their cultural diversities. The movie was shot using the Arri Alexa camera at Gemini studios along with a few outside locations. The script is written by Abhijit Guru and dialogues by Milind Shinde. The cast includes Siddharth Chandekar, Prarthana Behere, Uday Tikekar, Suchitra Bandekar, Uday Sabnis and Priya Berde.
Indian Television Dot Com > News Headline > Will Star Pravah's new gamble work?
.
