~Ashish Sharma~New show Discussion Thread#3 - Page 58

People come people go very few leave behind a human par excellence..#DrAPJAbdulKalam rip

@nilanjana_p good luck for yet another story from ur potli #EkThaRajaEkThiRani

@ashish30sharma thank you , Chandu!

awww she call him chandu .. chooo cutu 😳

@ashish30sharma @nilanjana_p wow she is good in presenting history to audience today. #CGM connect .All the best Ma'am for new story #ETRETR

@TeamAshishians @ashish30sharma thank you so much!

Ashish has offers of Ashoka and Siya ke raam in hand and Its likely that he is going to do Siya Ke Ram as he played a similar character to ashoka in Chandragupt Maurya.

Originally posted by: .MysticalWaters

Ashish has offers of Ashoka and Siya ke raam in hand and Its likely that he is going to do Siya Ke Ram as he played a similar character to ashoka in Chandragupt Maurya.

My sources confirm that there are 90% Chances of him coming back with SKR.

Thanku for the news...
Hope he comes with siya ke ram only...

Waiting for official confirmation...

Originally posted by: .MysticalWaters

Ashish has offers of Ashoka and Siya ke raam in hand and Its likely that he is going to do Siya Ke Ram as he played a similar character to ashoka in Chandragupt Maurya.

My sources confirm that there are 90% Chances of him coming back with SKR.

Hey Girls,

Just to fuel further curiosity. Here's a May 2015 article by Shuchi Bansal, the entertainment editor at Mint, India's second largest selling business newspaper.

She says Siya Ke Ram has been in the making since nearly two years now. Wonder why, given that Star Plus has a massive clout in this industry.

The article also talks about how mytho shows are a guaranteed and sureshot paisa vasool.

I think it's a good choice if Mr Sharma has agreed for the lead role in this show... given there is very less respite from saas bahu and naagins on Indian tv..

Enjoy!!!

http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/3I5JftswK4rOxiCItIGOmN/Why-Ram-and-Sita-are-still-hot-properties.html

Why Ram and Sita are still hot properties

Religious epics never go out of fashion and for television channels and advertisers, they are recession-free

Nothing sells like religion. Even on the idiot box, religious epics never go out of fashion. For television channels and advertisers, they are recession-free. Why else would Star India be getting ready to launch Siya Ke Ram, a new version of the popular epic Ramayan, on its flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Star Plus?

The show has been in the works for the past 18 months, according to executives at the broadcasting company owned by 21st Century Fox. The new series comes close on the heels of Mahabharat, another epic, which was telecast on Star Plus between 2013 and 2014. Mahabharat brought Star both commercial and critical acclaim.

Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev, telecast on Life OK between 2011 and 2014, drove up viewership ratings of the channel. It is now the third most-watched channel in the Hindi entertainment category after Star Plus and Colorsunder the new audience measurement system of the Broadcast Audience Research Council. In fact, one of Mahadev's episodes earned the distinction of being the most watched programme across all Hindi channels.

Ten days ago, Sony, the entertainment channel from Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd, launched Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman, a series on the monkey God worshipped by millions of Indians.

Clearly, Hindu mythology still rules Hindi entertainment television, a good 28 years after filmmaker Ramanand Sagar first mesmerized audiences withRamayan on Doordarshan in 1987. The spell continued with B.R. Chopra'sMahabharat that followed on the state-owned television channel.

Variations of Ramayan, Mahabharat and other epics continue to appear on various channels. In fact, they have even moved from the Sunday morning slot to the more mainstream weekdays, thanks to Sameer Nair, who as CEO of Imagine TV first started the trend when he launched a version ofRamayan as a prime-time property. Although Imagine shut shop later,Ramayan did well for the channel and prepared the ground for the genre's move into prime time. In 2008, Colors' decision to showcase Jai Shri Krishna at prime time along with Balika Vadhu helped the new channel"a joint venture of Network 18 and Viacom"catapult into the big league.

Over the years, channels have attempted to expand the viewer base for mythology dramas to include young people. For instance, prior to Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev, the genre resembled calendar art. Mahadev eliminated ostentatious sets and employed minimal props to tell the story of Lord Shiva. He was projected as being cool. Mahabharat on Star, too, touched upon relevant and contemporary issues related to women's position in society.

Programming experts warn that while stories and characters can be tweaked to modern tastes, too much of a digression from the original is a strict no-no. Indian television audiences are still rooted in tradition and steeped in culture"and unforgiving of experimentation beyond a point.

So why does a modern, tech-savvy Indian viewer watch serials based on mythology? "We remain deeply religious, ritualistic, and follow many customs and beliefs that come with pagan worship"the nimbu-mirchi on vehicles (to ward off the evil eye), the breaking of coconuts, the pujas, temple visits, the fasting on karva chauth, and what have you," explains Nair, who now heads television production house Balaji Telefilms.

But these are not the only reasons why people watch mythological dramas on the small screen. Since most such serials are produced on a grand scale, complete with outdoor shoots and special effects, they are widely accepted. The audio-visual medium brings the characters to life, and the added layers of dramatic fiction to the original tale help sustain viewer interest.

The genre is also considered to be the most inclusive of content on television. That makes it easy to sell to advertisers who are guaranteed base ratings. In other words, it is an excellent addition to the mass general entertainment mix and depending on how it is mounted and marketed, delivers a good return on investment for broadcasters. Compared with a family soap, it costs two-four times as much to produce, but channels put a premium on advertising rates.

Some channel heads believe that the appeal for mythological content is high because the lessons that they offer are relevant. Sociologist Ashis Nandy couldn't agree more. Myths are what we keep going back to again and again. "They remain unique. It's not surprising that people watch them. They are instruments of thinking," he explained.

Shuchi Bansal is Mint's media, marketing, and advertising editor. Ordinary Post will look at pressing issues related to all three. Or just fun stuff.

#Ashishians send ur questions to @DharmishthaD by mail to [email protected] for #AshishSharma by Wednesday, she might interview him

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