Oh brothers!

With nine programmes currently on air, the Adhikari Brothers can justly claim to dominate the tele-scene. Playing out this success story is ...

With nine programmes currently on air, the Adhikari Brothers can justly claim to dominate the tele-scene. Playing out this success story is Gautam the director8217; and Markand, the administrator8217;.

The origin of Adhikari Brothers dates back to the days when Gautam attended the JJ School of Arts and later worked at various ad agencies as a commercial artist. In 1984, Markand 38 joined him and they established a small ad agency, Surya Communications, which made cinema slides, posters and press ads for quot;chaiwallas and hingwallas.quot; Gautam 45 was the creative force while Markand8217;s job was to chase clients. He had an all-lines railway pass and travelled to the remote corners of Mumbai 8212; briefcase in one hand and clutching on to dear life with the other hand in the overcrowded second class compartment. Once he even fell down on a platform and was quot;dead for half an hourquot;.

But the brothers never stopped dreaming. quot;What you think is what you become. And we always had big dreams,quot; says Markand. Oneof their dream was to make programmes for DD. quot;But at that time, we were too small for Mandi House,quot; adds Markand. The situation changed in 1988 when regional programmes went on air and the Adhikaris exploited that opportunity to weasel their way into TV. They established Filmcraft Software and launched the Marathi serial Bandhini, which clicked as did the deluge of other regional programmes that followed. When Zee TV appeared on the horizon, they sensed an opportunity to shift gear from the regional to the international. Under the banner of Adhikari Brothers, they launched the Hindi serial, Commander. It was an immediate popular success. Later, using the satellite springboard, they jumped back on the DD bandwagon, with Hindi serials like Shrimaan Shrimati and Marshall. In January 1995, the company went public and today employs over 125 people in Delhi and Mumbai.

For the Adhikaris, satellite channels will always remain the second option. quot;On satellite TV, you are just acontractor. But on DD, we can create our own library and media assets,quot; explains Markand. The DD programmes can be rerun, rehashed, dubbed, sold abroad8230;in fact, Markand claims that their library is currently worth Rs 25 crore. quot;That is the advantage of DD,quot; he insists.

The brothers have churned out programmes in all genre 8212; from thriller, sitcom, soap, countdowns..even to to current affair programmes with Karan Thapar. They now produce his shows. In the pipeline is a sports-based programme with a quot;prominent cricketerquot;. The Adhikaris attribute their success to keeping a quot;tight watchquot; on everything from scripting to marketing of their projects. They do not believe in brainstorming session or strategy planning committees. quot;That only leads to confusion. Here, the two of us decide everything,quot; says Markand. He believes he has got a his finger on the viewer8217;s pulse. quot;If I look at programme I can tell whether it will be a hit or not,quot; claims Markand, adding that he has scrapped four projects 8212; one forwhich ten episodes were shot 8212; merely because he was confident the program would fail. And Gautam believes in giving what the audience wants.

quot;If they want Aring;ldquo;!, then we will give it to them,quot; he says, scatalogically speaking. His is a great fan of directors like David Dhawan who are not into arty8217; projects. quot;Anyone can make an art film. But to make a successful commercial film is the most difficult art,quot; he says. Another key to their success is that the brothers stuck to their core competence and never switched their job profile 8212; Gautam never dabbled in administration and Markand never tried his hand at direction. quot;We don8217;t believe in such risky experiments. If I take up direction, the company will wind up in no time!quot; laughs Markand.

The Adhikaris believe that the Indian market is saturated and the time has come to look elsewhere. quot;There are 10,000 pilots floating in the market.

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Indian Airlines need not ever worry about pilots going on strike!quot; puns Gautam. So, the plan is to diversify intoneighbouring SAARC countries with locally-relevant programmes. The other forest they seek to cultivate is Bollywood. But Markand does not believe in chasing film stars for dates or hanging outside their AC cars. quot;I am not a struggler, we are running a corporate body. I will designate someone as Vice-President, Films, and he will do the running around!quot; he quips.Also on the dream boat, is a one-stop shop outside Mumbai, which will contain everything from shooting sets to cinema halls to amusement parks. quot;We will diversify into all fields of entertainment. Adhikari Brothers will become the Warner Brothers of India.quot; claims Markand. And a decade later, they may even have their own satellite channel. 8220;If people want good programmes, they have to come to Adhikari Brothers,quot; insists Markand. We don8217;t know about good but certainly, popular8217; is their middle name.