Television is not just for the A-rated

Considering television makes a huge difference to a star’s visibility as well as offers lucrative money,  everyone from actors Shah Rukh Khan to Hrithik Roshan will welcome the opportunity to be on it. But unlike films, it is not just the top actors, who are being offered truckloads of money to appear on television.

Count among them those not necessarily in the top-rung, who are being seriously wooed and pursued by channels to add that extra dash of glamour to their shows. These include starlets Rakhi Sawant, Mugdha Godse, Yana Gupta among others.

Deepak Dhar, country head of a production house, says, “Stars, whether big or small, need to connect with their audience and television gives them a much better reach. Of course, the remuneration is also lucrative. All these factors motivate them to make appearances on TV. But they shouldn’t be forced to fit in a format where they are not likely to be able to do justice to the show.”

Another source from a top channel echoes the opinion: “Today TV, as a medium, has grown by leaps and bounds and reality shows have hit an all-time high. Stars have huge recall value and people watch a show if their favourite actor is on it. It becomes a win-win situation for both the actors as well as the channel.”

Like in films, stars are being replaced by one another on TV too. Actor Mallika Sherawat, who made her first appearance on TV as the judge of a dance reality show, was shown the door in a few days of the show going on air and promptly replaced by actor Urmila Matondkar. Reason: Mallika apparently started throwing tantrums on the sets. Lara Dutta, who was approached for another reality show, apparently quoted an exorbitant amount and, last heard, Preity Zinta was finalised to host the show.

Often actors, who have been missing from the film scene for a while, find it easier to get back and connect with the audience once again through TV. Actor Madhuri Dixit, who was away in the US raising her family, was flown down to judge a dance reality show and has turned out to be a hit factor with the audience.

Ashvini Yardi, programming head of another entertainment channel, says, “Television as a medium is evolving and so are the viewers. Given that today television reaches out to over 68 million households in India is a testimony to the fact that it is no longer the ‘small screen’.

The content on the small screen has become bigger and better and most of the shows are now shot using high definition format to give it a cinema-like feel. Celebrities not only bring novelty to the show and help build curiosity, but they also get to interact with a wider audience. But there is no point in force fitting celebrities with shows just for publicity. The association has to be meaningful and mutually complimentary.”