Is Star Plus betting big on regional adaptations?
The channel has tasted success with Imli and Anupamaa, both adaptations of Bengali shows, after they figured in the top five programmes in Hindi GEC Urban and Overall Market
Regional variations in shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Bigg Boss, Dance India Dance, SaReGaMaPa indicate that adaptations are not a new phenomenon in the television industry.
For many years, broadcasters have either dubbed or remade regional shows into Hindi and vice versa. Therefore, it seems like the successful adaptations of these shows encouraged broadcasters to make more remakes of hit shows. Some of the popular shows include Pavitra Rishta, which was a remake of a hit Tamil show and was among the most popular shows on Zee TV as well. Bhutu was another remake that Zee TV had of its Bengali show.
Following a similar trend, Star Plus launched two shows Anupamaa and Imli Hindi adaptations of its popular Bengali shows Sreeymoye and Ishti Kutum (on Star Jalsha- network’s Bengali GEC).
However, this is not the first time that the broadcaster remade a regional show in Hindi. Launched in 2018, the show Kulfi Kumar Bajewala was again a remake of a Bengali Show- Potol Kumar Gaanwala. In 2014, the channel also remade a show named Gustakh Dil inspired by its Bengali version Bou Kotha Kao. Other Bengali adaptations include Sasural Genda Phool on Star Plus, Jai Kanhiya Lal on Star Bharat and Meri Maa on Life Ok ( Now named as Star Bharat).
After Kulfi Kumarr Bajewala's success, is Star Plus banking more remakes of Bengali shows? The channel has already pulled the plug off a few shows due to low ratings.
Shailesh Kapoor, Founder & CEO Ormax Media said, “Bangla shows, in particular, lends itself better for Hindi remakes, because there are more cultural similarities between Hindi markets and the Bangla market. The success of Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala seems to have encouraged Star Plus to look at the Star Jalsha catalogue more keenly in the last year or two”
He added, “Given that only 25-30% shows manage to get respectable ratings and have a decent run, remaking a successful show is definitely a proposition that carries lower risk than an original show, provided cultural nuances are adapted well, as is the case with Anupamaa. We can expect more remakes in 2021-22 to be announced, given the success of Anupamaa and now Imlie.”
As per the Broadcast Audience Research Council (India), the show Anupamaa on Star Plus which was launched post lockdown on July 13, 2020, is currently the top-rated show in the Hindi GEC Urban and ranked third in Hindi GEC (overall market).
The channel garnered 8811(000s) weekly average minute audience in the Hindi GEC Urban market. Whereas another show Imli, which was launched on November 16, ranked third in the urban market whereas in the overall market of Hindi GEC it ranked fifth.
The popularity of a show in a certain region doesn’t always assure the success of its remake. As for advertisers, it is all about viewership.
“The advertisers look at it purely from the reach and rating point of view. India is quite a diverse country and certain nuances may work in some regions but it might not be the same for others. Usually, the content is good and if it's presented well and it gains viewership then advertisers definitely will latch onto it. Maybe there is less element of risk because it has succeeded in one place but I don’t think because of that success is guaranteed,” said Dinesh Singh Rathore, CEO, Madison Omega.
Agreeing to the same, Kapoor added, “The advertiser is not that concerned with a fiction show being an original or a remake. They eventually pay for ratings and will back shows that are rating well, irrespective of whether they are originals or remakes.”
With some shows, for instance, Sreeymoye, which has been adapted in several languages including Hindi, clearly indicates that the success rate of this show is quite positive.
“These are trends were always there. Earlier it was done in the form of dubbing and now given the time, the broadcasters are able to invest and remake these shows. Similar trends can be witnessed in movies as well. The kind of content offering these regional content platforms have whether it's movies, web series, or TV shows is very different whereas Hindi content is correlative. The advantage here is that the broadcasters are assured of the success ratio because of the audience’s acceptability. There are the initial trends and it will keep on happening,” said, Karan Taurani, Vice President, Elara Capital.
On the making of Anupamaa, Director's Kut Productions' founder, Rajan Shahi said that it's not an adaptation. The show is, in fact, inspired by Sreeymoye. Shahi has also remade the same in Marathi- Aai Kuthe Kay Karte. Shahi said, “When I heard about the show and its adaptation I made it clear that I will only hear the gist of the show but I would like it to give a complete turnaround to it. Sreeymoye is a brilliant show but adaptations have to be made according to the audience it's made for. I was confident about the subject and the spin was given to the entire show. Anupamaa is not a gimmicky show, it's a simple one with simple characters.”
