Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The infotainment menu in India just got newsier and more interesting
Incredible India has a great deal of TRP appeal. Stories about the country as the jewel in the crown,the land of maharajas and snake charmers,where doe-eyed beauties dance in temples and fakirs cheerfully doss on beds of nails have always been a hit on TV.
Similarly,National Geographic too will be airing Inside Mumbai Terror Attacks.In the past,the channel aired Mumbai Mega Floods,an examination of the massive floods that paralysed the city on July 26,2005. The timeliness of our content is very important. During the monsoon,people look back to that fateful day when Mumbai came to a stand-still and wonder whether theres going to be a repeat this year. So we chose to air the relevant documentary during that season, says Sudha Sadhanand,vice president of programming,National Geographic Channel and Fox History and Entertainment.
The trend goes beyond looking for a news peg. There is greater insistence on throwing light on lesser-known aspects and stories of the country,which are nonetheless,very compelling. Sadhanand stresses that her channels focus is on showcasing India as it is. Our weekly spotlight,which is called India,brings together the best documentaries that have been made about the country. Whether its Indias Lady Boys or The Man Who Became Pregnant,the stories are all about real India. These are relevant from the point of view of cultural anthropology.
A noteworthy effort in this regard has been started by Fox History and Entertainment,together with INTACH. The project encourages school children to write in about interesting,relevant and little known aspects about their cities and the five winning entries will be filmed for the channel. This is an effort to study the history of the country in depth,and not just skim the surface, says Sadhanand.
The appeal of these shows goes beyond Indias boundaries. According to Johri,India- centric shows are gaining a rising viewer-ship abroad as well. We had a documentary about the Delhi metro which has become such a hit that its now a part of the show Manmade Marvels,which is broadcast globally. Even the lifestyle shows on Discovery Travel and Living,such as Manish Aroras Adventures of the Ladies Tailor or Vir Sanghvis Asian Diary are doing very well abroad.
It doesnt mean that there are no longer any takers for shows about exotic India that takes viewers through stories about Moghul emperors and colourful festivals. Johri clarifies: The appeal of such shows cannot die. They remain as popular as ever. In fact,one of our most watched shows is The Story of India,which delineates the history of our country. Sadhanand,in fact,refuses to categorise stories on the basis of whether they exoticise India. What matters is how truthful the documentaries are. Whether its exotic or not,is hardly the point.
