Rewind

English television shows,like Friends,Sienfield and Lost,have long enjoyed prime position in the home video market. However,in the recent years,old Hindi shows have been trying to replicate their success. In 2009,Shemaroo launched DVDs of Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and Guldasta,a series based on Munshi Premchand’s stories. Soon,Reliance Big Home Video released Malgudi Days and Tenali Raman. Ultraindia released The Sword of Tipu Sultan and Kabhi Yeh Kabhi Woh. Moserbaer tried to cash in on the eternal popularity of mythological shows and released DVD collections of BR Chopra’s Mahabharat,Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan and Vikram Betaal. The Chanakya series too has been converted into an eight-set DVD format by Pen Video.

These DVDs,however,are not just about entertainment. Madhu M,head of merchandising,Landmark,says,“They serve as good gift items. NRIs often buy them as souvenirs. Malgudi Days has been very popular among parents. But,Ramayan and Mahabharat top the overall demand.”

In spite of the demand,the choice of content by manufacturers has to be well-measured since the concept of buying television series is still new to Indian audiences. “The challenge is to choose a show that people would pay to own. So,we conduct informal surveys and look for the most loved shows,” adds Gada.

In fact,Shemaroo launched Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi DVDs after it topped the survey.

Despite the steady sale of these DVDs,it is too soon to quote a sales figure or measure the profits. “Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi has been on the racks for over a year,and evidently has sold the highest when compared to the news collections. Besides,they are premium products and their sales cannot be compared to that of movies,which sell faster,” says Gada. Malgudi Days is another show which is in great demand. For Sweta Agnihotri,CEO Reliance Big Home Video,the reason behind this is obvious. “With every generation new viewers are born who have not seen the show. Parents buy these for their children because of the social message and values they carry,” adds Agnihotri.

There is a flip side to the popularity of these DVDs. As most of these shows belong to the ’80s,the original tapes have suffered the wear and tear of time. “It costs a lot to re-master these old tapes,” says Agnihotri. He,however,admits that the customers have not complained about the quality of the DVDs till now. “Some sections of old tapes could not be re-mastered despite latest technologies. But customers have been very understanding. Whereas,with movies we receive immediate complaints,” adds Gada. Manjul Sinha,the co-director of Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi says “the audience that has grown up watching the muted yet the intense family dramas like Hum Log and Buniyaad doesn’t mind investing in these videos,regardless of price and quality,” she says.