Investigation on Sony's CID, 'most wanted' for 12 years

In a time where most Television shows are ruled by either done to death concepts like the typical family drama sagas or the mind numbing soaps which involve doctors falling in love literally at a drop of a hat, the longivity of C.I.D, a crime thriller for the last 12 years is an unbelievable feat! It is amazing that it is still different from the other existing serials, in terms of story line and interest.

Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has been airing C.I.D, the longest running series on Indian television since January 21st 1998. The average TVR for CID during the last 14 episodes is 3.09 % according to the recent TAM results.

ACP Pradyuman and Inspectors Abhijeet, Daya and Fredericks who are a part of the cast since the very first day, are now part of games that children play, right from the cities to the villages. The concept behind C.I.D is so simple that everyone from a child to an adult can identify with and follow it enthusiastically. The basic idea is to show how the cops capture the criminals and to take the viewers with them in every step of the process, thus making the viewers feel involved and a part of the team.

Over the last twelve years, the show has seen very little change. The premise is always kept the same that is the C.I.D cops can solve any crime and also the idea is kept simple. However with time, the changes have been in terms of production. "The kind of technology that is available, now is different. We are showing more forensic science. The kinds of crime are changing.Terrorism wasn't a theme earlier but today it is a theme very often. And also the pace, today we shoot on high definition cameras. However the essence of the story remains the same,", said Ajit Thakur, SET's Executive Vice-President and Business Head

Earlier this show was limited only to Bombay and Delhi, but today with the growth of audience, even C.I.D has grown and is marketed to many states like UP, Rajasthan etc. Today C.I.D even has plans on going international.

C.I.D Gallantry awards is an initiative that was announced last year to encourage acts of bravery and social good within the society. This year, the entries are already open with eminent personalities like Farooq Sheikh, Sabrina Lal, Air Marshal Padma Bandhopadhyay and crime journalist Shams Tahir Khan on the jury. It is a high profile awards ceremony which is usually on Republic day or Independence Day.

"In future also we want to build the marketing for C.I.D on two aspects, one is delight factor which is content driven and the other is brand extension which will engage the society in a way which is little larger than just entertainment", said Danish Khan, VP and Head of Marketing at Sony Entertainment Television

Apart from this, there are plans to launch C.I.D comic books which will be in the market by the year end. A full length feature film and animation series of C.I.D are also in the pipeline. These will be produced by Sony television. However as of now, there are no merchandises associated with C.I.D, though it is under discussion. | By Janees Antoo [janees(at)adgully.com]