Colors gets its comic timing right with Kapil

Comedy has been a hit-or-miss genre on Indian telly. But the show on Colors has so far sustained its popularity with audience and advertisers

Comedy has a new destination on TV these weekends with Colors' Comedy Nights with Kapil. But in September, the show suffered a setback when its set at Goregaon Film City in Mumbai burned down, incurring losses of Rs 18 -20 crore.

Raj Nayak, chief executive officer at Colors-Viacom 18 says, "Kapil (Sharma) was devastated and so were we. Within two hours of the fire, the entire team along with Kapil was discussing how to ensure that there is no break in continuity." The show now has a bigger set, after working out of a makeshift set at the Bigg Boss premise in Lonavala.

The urgency to maintain the continuity of the show, featuring host and comedian Kapil Sharma and an entourage of supporting actors, is understandable given its popularity with the audience and advertisers alike.

Comedy as a genre has seen a lot of ebb and tide on Indian television with the first Indian comedy talk-show, Movers and Shakers, not doing well upon its revival. The erstwhile Star One (now renamed by STAR TV India as LifeOK) also found some success with The Great Indian Laughter Challenge with Sharma emerging as one its seasons' winner. Not only in the comedy genre, but Colors has been able to hold its own in the prime-time slot on weekends with Comedy Nights.

It has been one of the highest-rated non-fiction weekend properties for weeks, beating shows like Colors' own Bigg Boss and Kaun Banega Crorepati (on Sony Entertainment Television or SET) (please refer chart).

The show's performance has made it a favourite among advertisers, too. Though it is yet to enter the league of KBC, Jhalak Dikhlaja or Bigg Boss in terms of ad rates for a 10-second slot, a media planner says, "The ad rates on the show will be in the range of Rs 1 to 1.25 lakh a slot. Comedy Nights is extremely popular with the masses. Being a continuous non-fiction show, it demands a premium."

Colors had experimented with Nautanki - The Comedy Theatre earlier in comedy but viewership tapered off. Colors' non-fiction programming head, Manisha Sharma, had felt that the right packaging and positioning of Kapil Sharma would make for a good comedy show. The idea was to present a show that would combine theatre with stand-up comedy.

  Nayak says that while Colors might have hit the jackpot with Comedy Nights, it is not easy staying on course: "Comedy, though growing as a genre in our industry, is difficult because the writing and timing are key elements to make it a success. Putting together a great team who would pull both off was a challenge."

The supporting cast has its own set of fans. The character of Gutthi, for example, played by actor Sunil Grover, has amassed a following on a dedicated Facebook page.

Celebrities, who come on the show to promote their next entertainment venture (movie or serial), are integrated into the show, keeping the comic element intact, by Sharma, who is involved in the creative and production process (he is a producer of the show as well).

While the show has grown in popularity, Colors has not stopped with its marketing endeavours. It is now getting Sharma to travel and interact with his fan following in what Colors calls market visits. The show also sees active discussions on Twitter, with users interacting with Sharma. Nayak says, "We have a huge digital presence and the show is buzzing non-stop on social media. We have launched a mobile app which ranks among the top apps in the iOS store. We will have different initiatives in marketing to keep brand Comedy Nights…on top of the viewers' minds."

Colors' intends to keep a good thing going and will soon air the show twice a week, once the first season of the detective thriller 24 concludes. That would be the litmus test for the show - whether it can break into the big league, comprising non-comedy formats so far, or not.