Television's getting real

Television producers are turning out reality shows with gusto

"I think he has the sweetest smile," declared Hindi film actress Kajol and several of her colleagues, including Shilpa Shetty and Juhi Chawla. If you think the person in question is some popular Bollywood or Hollywood star, you are mistaken.

He is Abhijeet Sawant, the 20-year old Mumbaite who was declared the winner of 'Indian Idol' on Sony Entertainment Television's (SET) reality show in March 2005.

If you were a part of Sawant's transformation of a gawky, shy youngster to a confident, stylish star, you may not know that behind Sawant's success was also the effort of production houses Optimystix and Midi Tech Productions, along with the US-based Fremantle Media, that put together this show for SET.

As reality shows continue to become a regular fixture in the programming mix of channels, production houses, both Indian and international, are looking to encash on this opportunity.

Star One recently concluded its 'Lakme FashionShow' culminating in fashion legend Donatella Versace picking up a winner. Then Zee's 'Cinestar Ki Khoj' picked up two winners. Channel V's 'Super Singer' also concluded recently with the winner picked by an eminent panel that included A R Rehman and Adnan Sami.

But what's attracting channels to this genre? Says Vipul Shah, creative director at Optimystix: "Television is all about novelty and currently reality programming seems to be the order of the day. As a production house that is aiming to be a one-stop shop for all genres, reality programming is an integral part of our strategy." It is currently working on a daily soap 'Yeh meri life hai' on SET.

Midi Tech Productions has been in the reality programming since 2002. It flagged off its entry with an adventure game show 'Raaah' for Zee and 'Roadies' 1 and 2 for MTV.

Clearly, for most of the channels and production houses, the reality is that this genre is helping them break away from an industry dominated by soap operas of all hues. Even international production houses are eyeing this format in India.

Take Fremantle Media for instance. The US-base company recently set up its India office in Mumbai to cater to the reality genre. Says Gavin Wood, director of productions at Fremantle Media: "The present Indian television scene in India offers a huge scope for programming in the reality genre."

There is also the UK-based FBC Media which concluded 'Lakme Fashion House' for Star One.

What exactly is reality television? It can be defined as a televised account of any event which could be running for months or weeks. It also means going to different places and giving ordinary people a chance to do something extraordinary, making it interactive.

Karun Prabhakaran, director, operations at the Siddhartha Basu-owned Synergy Communications, better known as quiz specialists, believes that one of the first experiments with reality shows was Channel V's 'Popstars 1'.

Then, in 2001, SET launched `Kahin koi to hai', hosted by film actress Madhuri Dixit, where she played a matchmaker.

Says Wood: "It's proven that excellent reality shows have been the reason to view television. This has also benefited the lead in and follow on programmes.

They also provide an excellent platform to promote the channels' other shows and their time slots." For example, when SET's 'Indian Idol' was aired at 10 p m, its 9.30 pm serial 'Jassi jaisi koi nahin' saw its television rating points (TRPs) go up slightly from 4 to 5.

Also, TAM Media Research, which monitors TV viewership, reports that reality shows have enjoyed a higher rate of success than other programmes.

The TRPs can go as high as 11 and 12. The final episode of 'Indian Idol' clocked 22 points for Mumbai with the national average at 17. Even Zee's reality shows clocked 4.7 points, while its earlier programmes on the same slot hovered between 0.5 and 2 points.

But the production of a reality show is unlike any other. Adds Prabhakaran: "The production is a completely different proposition altogether. It involves extensive research, groundwork publicity and promotion of an audition. The event comes much later."

He adds that despite KBC being a studio-based event, things like telephone lines and audience co-ordination require a lot of effort on the part of producers.

Events like 'Indian Idol' or 'Super Singer,' spread across different cities, involved more legwork. Says Niret Alva, managing director of Midi TechProductions which was involved with 'Indian Idol:' "For reality shows like 'Indian Idol', one also needs to recognise winners early on the episodes and track them through the show."

As it did with the Bhilai-based contestant Amit Sana, the 'Indian Idol' runner-up, who arrived at 4 a m for the Kolkata audition.

Also, formats and their localisation play a crucial role in the production of a reality show. As of now, most of the popular reality shows on Indian television are based on international formats.

According to Wood, globally, nine out of 10 shows have been successful based on original formats. 'Indian Idol' is the domestic version of 'American Idol'.

That doesn't mean that all reality shows hit the bull's eye. Wood believes one of the important elements in the success of a reality show is the localisation of the format, keeping in mind the cultural sensibilities of a country.

According to Optimystix's Shah, they had to make changes in 'Indian Idol' keeping in mind local sensitivities. For instance, in the original format, it's a free for all between the participants and the judges.

Both criticise each other and even hit below the belt. "In India, judges are considered to be gurus and participants accept their decisions come what may," says Shah.

Even the anchors' scripts were toned down with very little of tongue-in-cheek repartee.

Adds Alan Friedman, chairman of FBC Media: "I see reality show programming in India at the start of a three to four year cycle, similar to where the reality fad was in America about four years ago. India will go through the talent shows, the makeover shows, the various hybrids of reality formats with a Hindi flavour."

Does this mean that Indian formats may not work at all? So far, broadcasters are playing safe. Prabhakaran concedes that despite having Indian formats,broadcasters choose to adapt only the tried and tested international formats.

"It is purely a commercial decision as channels have to invest significantly for a reality show," he adds. They attract investments of more than Rs 30 crore, which is usually the channels' budget for a full year of programming.

"When the stakes are high, channels prefer to go with a known devil," says Prabhakaran. But production houses like Optimystix are also looking at developing their own formats which they plan to market overseas in the next three years.

Adds Fremantle's Wood: "India easily has the potential to produce the next worldwide reality hit; the odds are that it will come from somewhere in Asia as the western world seems to be running dry at the moment. When someone thinks of the next big idea, Fremantle Media would be happy to distribute it worldwide."

Ditto for FBC Media that is working on a reality format in India with plans to transport it to Britain. Says Friedman: "We learned that 24 x 7 does work, and one can pull off a sophisticated operation with 32 cameras and a hardworking team. And the key is to never take your eye off the monitor because every moment can be a magic one." Like it or not, that's the reality.