Ghar Ki Baat Hai’s six-month contract with NDTV Imagine is almost over and the show will soon take a seasonal break in July. Whether it returns for a second installment all depends on discussions between the production house, Red Chillies, and the channel.
Ghar Ki Baat Hai is Shah Rukh Khan’s first sitcom and it is based on the old TV serial
Yeh Joh Hai Zindagi. It premiered in the end of January but despite getting good responses, it has never featured among NDTV Imagine’s top five shows with the highest ratings. The original show aired just two seasons. Though the first installment was a hit with audiences, the second did not match up to expectations.
However, director Anant Mahadevan is optimistic that his show will not have the same fate as the original. He talks about what he describes as a slow but steady climb in viewership, saying, “It happens with comedy shows. After three months of airing, then they start picking up. And it is happening with
Ghar Ki Baat Hai too. The most surprising fact, however, is that even during the IPL, audiences were so loyal that they did not choose the matches over our show. That made me really happy. And working with Red Chillies has been a luxury.”
As for the seasonal break in July, he says, “We have a six-month contract that ends in July. All these months we’ve been getting TRPs of 0.80 to 0.91 but I don’t consider TRPs a parameter for popularity. I am sure the production house and channel will have a discussion and decide on a second season.”
The director is most thrilled that his peers have appreciated his work for
Ghar Ki Baat Hai. He says, “So many people are aware of the show. I have film directors, actors and theatre personalities coming up to me and telling me that they like the show. In fact, a US magazine’s awards have nominated us in five categories. We’re getting a good response abroad.”
Sumeet Raghavan, who plays Rajdeep Yagnik on the show, echoes Anants sentiments, saying, “People have started recognising us now. They are responding positively. It is slowly picking up. We are never relaxed and always have our guards, from our director to our creative team. The same thing happened with Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. Initially, people could not connect with the characters but then, slowly, they became habitual to it. We have not got any negative responses and a few of our friends from the industry have complimented us. So the going is good so far.”
Ghar Ki Baat Hai airs twice a week at 9pm for an hour.
05-31-2009, 04:03 AM
Seasonal break for Ghar Ki Baat Hai, will it return?
