Imagine turns AGGRESSIVE

If uniqueness is what works on television then here comes yet another young protagonist who could possibly make an impact with her story of rejection and ridicule. Anandi was 12-year-old when she was married off into a rich house. But Bharati is 20 and has been raised with all the luxuries of life. She has never been made to feel that she is lacking in any way. But she yearns to be accepted and loved for the way she is because she stands at only 3.5 feet tall. Bharati longs to find a man who will love her despite her physical condition,but faces shame and rejection because she is a dwarf. If Balika Vadhu was inspired by incidents of child marriages in Rajasthan and other North Indian states,reel life will merge into real life as Bharatis role is played,not by a trained actress,but by an ordinary girl who is also dealing with the same problem in real life. Debutant Juhi Aslam from Shekwa-bad,a small town near Agra,is playing the character thats very close to her real life.

Juhi admits that she has been an easy target for jokes and unkind comments. She is a bright student,studying for her graduation in science but has put her studies on hold to play the protagonist in Baba Aiso Varr Dhoondo. She was approached for Bharatis role through a coordinator. I couldnt believe my luck. However,I gave an audition. After a few days,the channel came back again for another audition. I accepted the offer because it is almost like my own story, she says. The show was conceived eight months ago. Saurabh Tewari,head of programming,Imagine says the show couldnt have been done without a dwarf girl playing Bharati. Initially,we thought of using computer-graphics and special effects to make the character look like a dwarf but gave up the idea because it wouldnt have looked real. So we decided to hunt for a dwarf girl. It took us eight months to find one, he informs.

Talking about the show,Saurabh says that the uniqueness of Baba Aiso8230; is the premise,protagonist and conflict. Television is about characterisation. Its not easy to carry a story for one year without strong characters. The story is always finite but characters help carry forward the story, he adds. Juhi was not put through any formal training. We wanted her to be as real as possible. So we explained her only technical details like camera movements,trolley- shots,zoom etc, says the shows writer and co-producer Rakesh Paswan. He believes that Baba Aiso8230; is a potential clutter-breaker. Besides Bharati,there are a few other characters which have not been seen on television so far, he claims.

After a decent start in January 2008,its been an inconsistent journey for Imagine to find its feet in the general entertainment space. Struggling to find one good fiction show that could propel it to the next level 8211; despite working with the best brains in the industry including Ekta Kapoor 8211; Imagines search for a clutter-breaking show has yielded no result. Saurabh admits that Imagine is redesigning its fiction programming. There are so many shows but only a few have created stickiness. Personally,I believe that in the business of entertainment you got to be sure of what you are making. We are working on a few fresh,striking and hard-hitting concepts which will be launched in coming months, he informs.

Clearly the emphasis is on creating TRP drivers through realistic concepts. It is the reason why Saurabh has been brought from Colors to Imagine. Meanwhile,according to a Map data,Baba Aiso 8230; opened with 1.3 TVR. Imagine is said to have better presence in Rajasthan and Gujarat but the show which is based in Western UP has had even better opening in Bihar and Jharkhand.

On the other hand,Gunahon Ka Devta,the other show launched on Imagine last Monday got an opening of 1.4. According to Sameer Nair,CEO,Turner,which owns Imagine,consumer research indicates good response to both shows. Initial consumer feedback is good. But fiction needs time to grow. We expect the shows to create strong traction, he says. Talking about future plans,he adds,We are in the process of overhauling our fiction and non-fiction programming in a phased manner. Two more fiction shows will be launched soon while other shows will follow over time.