Big challenge to replace a highly rated show: Raj Nayak on Chandrakanta

Colors is all set to further extend its foray into the fantasy genre with ‘Chandrakanta’. The new show will replace the immensely popular fantasy show ‘Naagin 2’. Produced by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, ‘Chandrakanta’, which premieres on June 24, 2017, will air every Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm. 

Commenting on the launch of the show, Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom 18, said, “For two back-to-back seasons, ‘Naagin’ has enjoyed the status of being a favourite of the viewers. It’s their confidence in our content that has allowed us to explore this genre further. The recent success of costume dramas and fantasy offerings not only on television, but also in films is a testimony that our viewers have evolved and is willing to explore different narratives. We are thrilled to collaborate with Ekta Kapoor’s creative intellect yet again to showcase a unique rendition of a story which, though has been narrated before, leaves a lot of scope for creating a cohesive viewing experience.” 

Laden with myths, legends and magic, ‘Chandrakanta’ will showcase an epic power struggle between two rival Aiyaar kingdoms – Vijaygarh and Suryagarh. The show narrates the tale of Vijaygarh’s lost princess Chandrakanta (Madhurima Tuli), who lost her family and kingdom to a power war waged by Naugarh’s evil Queen Iravati (Urvashi Dholakia). While many believed the family to be wiped out, an infant Chandrakanta was found in a river by a simple and loving aiyaar fishing couple in Suryagarh. Her true identity lost in the war, Chandrakanta grows up to be a strong warrior-like woman, whose focus and strong determination are unparalleled. But, her real journey starts when she crosses paths with Queen Iravati’s son, Prince Veerendra Singh (Vishal Aditya Singh), who finds himself enamored by Chandrakanta’s entrancing beauty and falls hopelessly in love with her when he comes to battle Suryagarh’s Prince Shivdutt (Shaad Randhawa). 

Speaking about the new fiction offering, Manisha Sharma, Programming Head, Colors, said, “As a channel, we are committed to bringing viewers a variety of entertainment – be it ‘Naagin’, now ‘Chandrakanta’ or the upcoming ‘Mahakaali’ that makes for edgy yet pacier storytelling as compared to the daily fiction dramas. The success of ‘Naagin’ tells us that viewers still have a huge appetite for this genre and with ‘Chandrakanta’, we are scaling up every aspect of the show and making it as spectacular and thrilling as ever. True to the ethos of the channel that offers differentiated content, be it weekdays or on the weekend – we hope that this enchanting story will be enjoyed by the audiences as much as ‘Naagin’ was.” 

Balaji Telefilms’ Ekta Kapoor, added here, “‘Chandrakanta’ is a very special show for us and it has very big shoes to fill. That said, we were filled with excitement over the prospect of creating this show. The plot is gritty, complex, passionate and is laced with top class VFX, which will transport the viewers into alternate reality. We hope that Naagin’s ardent viewers and voracious fantasy-fiction aficionados enjoy watching Chandrakanta and support this mammoth venture.” 

In conversation with Adgully, Raj Nayak speaks at length about the promotion and marketing plans for the show, the digital push, advertisers on board, production scale, use of VFX and much more. Excerpts: 

How much has the story been tweaked considering the show is being remade after more than two decades? What new elements have been added? 
It is a completely new and fictional story. The name of our show is ‘Chandrakanta’ because we had registered it and if two people can have the same name, why can’t two shows on different channels have a same name? We believe our viewers watch the channel for a certain reason and we cater to the urban audiences. 

How will the adaptation of ‘Chandrakanta’ be different from what another channel is already doing?
When we plan a show on Colors, we think on what we can do differently and don’t go around looking at what our competitors are doing. We always wanted to do ‘Chandrakanta’, but due to busy time slots on weekends, the show got delayed. Ekta has her unique way of telling stories and the way this has been fictionalised is slightly different from what you have seen before and it will be our version of ‘Chandrakanta’. 

The show was announced towards the end of last year. What took Colors this long to launch the show?
‘Chandrakanta’ is a very big show for Colors because it is going to replace the slot of ‘Naagin’, which is India’s No. 1 show today. ‘Chandrakanta’ has been done many times by many broadcasters in the last decade, so the challenge will always be on how do we make it different and more engaging. We planned the show a year ago, but the problem was where to fit it, as we have so many hit shows on the channel. We have a few more shows that we want to launch and are trying to figure out where to fit them. 

‘Chandrakanta’ will have a daunting task, given that it is replacing a show like ‘Naagin’. What are the challenges?
It is a big challenge, as every time you replace a highly rated show with another show, it is a scary thought, but one has to believe in their product and take that risk. The ultimate decision maker for any GEC is the viewer. We may cast the best stars and actors, have the best storytelling and huge sets, but the final decision on whether the show is working or not will be made by the viewers. We, however, believe that ‘Chandrakanta’ will be as engaging and interesting as ‘Naagin’ due to the suspense elements in the show and both the shows are in the same genre of content. 

Will this be a finite series?
We are looking at ‘Chandrakanta’ as a finite series so far and we have planned for the show to run for almost 52 weeks, but if the content works with our viewers, we will definitely look at a Season 2. 

Please tell us about the marketing and promotion plans for ‘Chandrakanta’?
The main audience for ‘Chandrakanta’ will come from television and that is where our focus lies to a large extent. We have devised an integrated 360-degree marketing campaign encapsulating different mediums, including print, television, radio, OOH, and ATL and BTL activations. The channel has also designed an extensive digital campaign, including #ChandrakantaKiDuniya – a 360-degree video of Chandrakanta’s magical world, #MyMagicalLoveStory – a viewer engagement initiative asking viewers to share their respective love stories in micro-fiction format, a fan e-book and Facebook canvas, and a mix of 3D GIF images, video bytes and behind-the-scenes sneak peek posts. 

Who are the advertisers on board for the show?
Since we have good relations with most of our sponsors, most of them will come on board. But the problem is if we over-commit and the show does very well, then we get little money. We have enough advertisers, although I’m not sure about the exact number. 

What will be the rate for a 10-second ad on the show?
When you launch a new show, people will obviously be skeptical, but right now I think we are selling the ad inventory at Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh for 10 seconds, but it will vary eventually depending on the TRPs. 

Could you shed some light on the production scale of the show since it is a fantasy drama?
The set of the show is spread across a sprawling 32,000 square feet and has been designed by National Award winning Art Director Chandravadan More. The set highlights the regality and opulence of the magical realms. The costumes for the show have been designed by Sameera Ahmad and offer a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours, which add a dimension to the complexity of the monolithic and prodigious backdrop. 

What about the use of VFX?
The use of VFX is extremely high in this show and thus, the cost of the show has also accelerated. All the channels today are moving into another orbit which is good for the industry as with it the scaling of the show increases, production value goes up and the budget increases in such historical shows. 

Historical and fantasy dramas don’t seem to have a low point on television…
Historical and period dramas have always worked in India right from the time of Doordarshan, when shows like ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ were made and this will never stop. The concept of love stories will always work in India, period. Genres such as mythology, historical period drama, fantasy drama, comedy and paranormal series will work, but only if the content is well executed, scripted and casted. 

What are the other shows in the pipeline for Colors?
After ‘Chandrakanta’, we have ‘Khataron Ke Khilaadi Season 10’, which will come after ‘India Banega Manch’. We will also soon launch two new and unique shows on weekends. However, I can’t reveal any details about them right now.