She's not kidding

2009 was a tough year for UTV television. But with Emotional Atyachaar getting the TRPs, Zarina Mehta is sure that 2010 will be better, she tells Abhilasha Ojha

Zarina Mehta, the petite 47-year-old chief creative officer of UTV Networks, works a gruelling schedule. With four channels — UTV Bindass, UTV World Movies, UTV Movies and UTV Action, launched last month — under her charge, Mehta has her hands more than full.

Especially now that Bindass, the youth-centric entertainment channel that UTV launched in September 2007, has emerged as something of a dark horse in the race for TRPs, riding on the success of its reality show Emotional Atyachaar. “The show has already left programmes such as Roadies, The Player and Splitsvilla on MTV and Channel V far behind to emerge as the leader among youth channels,” says Angad Bedi, its host.

 

But Emotional Atyachaar is not just a hit show, it’s something of a phenomenon among the youth today, redefining the way we look at relationships, at love and fidelity. Some may find it scandalous, but like it or not, they cannot ignore it. The programme has become a trend-setter, a pointer to, among other things, the desperate need of youngsters today for instant gratification.

But aren’t Emotional Atyachaar and other Bindass shows like Big Switch (in which children of well-to-do families give up their creature comforts for two weeks to live and work in a slum) and Destination Love (a dating reality show which went on air last month) setting off a dangerous trend of youngsters who’ll do anything for two seconds of fame on prime time television? Mehta disagrees: “The idea of a show like Emotional Atyachaar is to hold up a mirror to the youth. It is a path breaking show which has evoked both positive and negative reactions.” The team, she continues, has been thanked many times by people who believe that the channel “saved lives” by showing them the truth about their already-vulnerable relationships. “People watch the programme because it is so real. Yes, it does show that today’s youth are seeking change at a pace that has shocked the rest of us.”

Bindass’s growing success vindicates Mehta’s vision — to create an iconic youth channel under the UTV brand and infuse some energy into Indian television. Bindass’s launch came soon after UTV sold off Hungama, the popular children’s channel that Mehta had been the driving force behind, in 2006 to Walt Disney for $30.5 million (around Rs 180 crore). Disney, it was rumoured, had even made Mehta an offer to head the channel’s India operations, but Mehta chose to follow her vision.

That’s only natural — given that it was Mehta who, along with her husband, Ronnie Screwvala, started UTV in 1990 and worked hard to make it the Rs 220 crore (and growing) company it is today, a leading player in the media and entertainment space with interests in films, television, gaming, world cinema and more.

Despite Emotional Atyachaar’s success, Mehta is not resting on her laurels. In fact, she’s working overtime on several new initiatives. Bindass will soon start a new programme covering college fests and shows. Then there’s UTV Action that will showcase, “the best of Bollywood and Hollywood action flicks, with superb dubbing”. Says Mehta, “Our plan is to build UTV Action into a franchise, a brand unlike any other movie channel.” Besides UTV Action, there are two other movie channels already in the fray — UTV World Movies, one of the first few Indian channels dedicated to world cinema, and UTV Movies, which shows the latest Bollywood hits.

This year will be crucial for UTV’s broadcasting business since 2009 was a particularly bad year when, hit by the recession, revenues from this division dropped to Rs 24.6 crore from Rs 35.6 crore the year before. Without going into details, Mehta admits, “Like many other companies, we went through a very tough period during the recession.” However, Mehta is we want to rip it to shreds,” she says.

Needless to say, life’s pretty hectic for Mehta. To destress, she has of late turned to Vipassana. It has changed her fundamentally, she believes. “I’m grateful that I have come into contact with this completely scientific study of the mind. It’s pure meditation, shorn of all religion and has helped to see things from a completely different perspective; it has taught me to understand others,” she says. Another plus — it has also “helped in controlling my horrible temper”.

Any free time, especially the precious weekends, is spent at home with her family and pet dog, a Sunday meal of her favourite dhansak, or simply sitting out in the balcony reading a book, while sipping endless cups of chai.

A self-confessed bookaholic, Mehta enjoys reading Swami Vivekanada but her all-time favourite is the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy by J R R Tolkein. “I dislike large parties and avoid them as much as possible,” she laughs. “I have to say that maintaining a balance at work and at home is very, very tough. But I am blessed with a husband, a family and wonderful friends who understand when I disappear or become super-grouchy for weeks on end. The only one who sulks regularly is my dog,” she says, ruefully.