Why sequels on TV don t seem to work and how Raakesh Roshan and Raju Hirani can be of help!

September was an action-packed month.

And most of the action happened behind the scenes rather than on-screen. And surprise! the dramatis personae were not actors and stars, but Channels!

Yes, with Star Plus slipping just that wee bit on Ratings, Zee feeling all bolshie, Sony temporarily struggling, and Star One and Sony SAB upping the ante, the Channel Wars are hotting up.

Sony and Star One raced neck-and-neck to launch their respective Reality-cum-Dance Shows, Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa and Nach Baliye 2. Sony pipped Star One to the post by barely a fortnight.

Elsewhere, Star Plus and Zee locked horns over Betiyaan. Was it producer Dheeraj Kumar s Show, which he had the right to sell to Zee Or was it writer Rekkha Modi s Concept, which she took to Star Plus after Zee rejected it Accusation and counter-accusation flew thick and fast, the jury is still out, but both Channels are sticking to their guns and launching their respective Shows, albeit with slightly changed Titles.

(No one, of course, addressed the more seminal question: How does one secure Copyright in India )

There is a spirit of aggression in the air. No one is backing off from a fight. A reflection of this gung-ho attitude perhaps is the fact that Zee s Ashvini Yardi (the softest-spoken Programming Head ever!), who shies away from any form of public exposure, has chosen to speak to GR8! in this issue.

Why is there less bang the second time around

Another question that remains unanswered is: Why do Sequels never capture or surpass the thunder and glory of the Original

KBC 2 didn t generate the mass hysteria of KBC 1. Ditto, Indian Idol 2 and Fame Gurukul 2. And now, Nack Baliye 2 seems to be a victim of the same tradition.

Art Director Minaal Pednekar was disappointed with the first episode of NB 2: It had big stars, it had hype and hoopla, it had all the razzmatazz of showbiz but it lacked the soul of NB 1.

It s the same problem with Great Indian Laughter Challenge 2: Everything seems to be in place, and yet something is missing. Sequels do not recapture the soul or they have not evolved or they do not have something spectacularly new

He continues (yes, we do have these soul-searching, metaphysical dialogues in office!): In the West, Shows grow in Ratings and Monies year after year. In fact, I read on the Net that American Idol has recently had its highest viewership in its sixth year! Our Shows struggle in the Second Coming itself!

Staff Photographer Sachin Narkar has a suggestion: One Channel should hire Raakesh Roshan (whose sequel Krrish is a huge hit) as Creative Director. Another Channel should hire Raju Hirani (whose sequel Lagey Raho Munnabhai is another huge hit). Phir kuch baat banegi!

Foreplay is all-important

Sachin may be joking, but he has a point. Let s take just one aspect: Time spent on planning. It is reported that Roshan and Hirani spent around 12-18 months on the table fine-tuning their Sequels before going on to the shooting floor.

According to the book, Billion Dollar Game (which chronicles the development and launch of Reality Game Shows), producers in the West spend as many as 9 months planning the Sequel, going all the way from Consumer Research to Pilot Testing.

One wonders how much time was spent on the Pre-Production of any of our Sequels

But it s early days yet for NB 2.

And Sony SAB is gearing up with Fame Gurukul for its third outing. And that Channel has been pretty savvy in the publicity build-up for its Shows. So, we just might see Sequels delivering more bang (for the viewer) and more bucks (for the Channel).

And this month s Cover Girl Mandira Bedi is all padded up to play her second Extraa Innings on SET Max. The Circulation Dept. Manager P.J. Thomas and his Assistants Kundan Vartak and Pradeep Dhamankar took one look at the Cover Pic and prophesied sagely: This sequel will certainly succeed!

In the meanwhile, GR8! celebrated its Third Coming with a mighty bang at our Third Anniversary Bash. You can catch all the excitement in this Issue.

As we head towards Diwali, we wish you lots of bang (fireworks, festivity, fun with family and friends) and loads of bucks (prosperity).

B R Sharan