The common Joe may think Gokuldhaam Society in Taarak Mehta ka Oolta Chasma somewhat resonates with his own world. *Somewhat*, considering movie stars don’t party with him as often. Oh, well. This is not really about a Utopic Gokuldhaam, is it? No, it is all about you, the television audience and the money-spinners! Recent history proves a movie’s success (financially, albeit) is significantly dependent on its marketing. Slotted promotional campaigns through cinema sections in news dailies, trailers on television, and hoardings on streets are not enough, given oh-so-many entertainment options today. Add to it, the viewer’s challenge to select from a wide array of films churned. Marketing movies has a two-fold advantage; it garners interest from beyond a loyal fan-base and second, delivers quick returns to the financers during the first week or two, irrespective of quality of the movie. But the question is how to market the medium (a TV serial) that is used to market another (a film).
You’ve seen the Khans and the Kapoors judge reality show participants on their crooning, swaying, and cooking talents, when not earning prize money on quiz-shows and collectively donating crores of Rupees to charities. The same stars feature on your favorite television serials too. Historically, if Hindi movie stars were malmal their television counterparts have been khaadi; and both find takers. What’s more if both now stood shoulder-to-shoulder, on the same TV platform? Of course, the idea is to keep you thinking about the movie. Movies and their stars do pull mileage here by creating interest, but what is in it for the serials? Aatish Kapadia, Director of the famous Khichdi series agrees episodes featuring film stars tend to have higher viewership, and the practice adds novelty to a show. It sounds counter-intuitive in the same breath. Think about it, Khichdi has been a runaway hit and probably does not necessitate props like music from recent releases, or appearance of stars with roles woven into the script. Same goes for Taarak Mehta, but they continue to *invite* stars.
So, does a TV serial really need to be marketed through props? May be, if it were in nascent stages or if did not have sustainable viewership. So far, series that have seen cameos by big stars are big names themselves. A Sasuraal Genda Phool or a Laagi Tujhse Lagan, both have loyal fan bases. Given film stars’ penchant for attracting eyeballs, viewership may surge to include more than just regulars, potentially engaging a wider audience for few oncoming episodes. However, once the charm of a peripheral like a movie star fades away, onus is on the content of the soap itself. Viewers who relate closely and/or are curious about smallest maneuvers in fictitious characters’ lives, do continue to view the program anyhow. But viewers outside this bracket easily slide into oblivion.
In conclusion, I fathom that cross-promotional activities help provide positive blips on the graph, but it holds true for any industry that content is king! Jo tikta hai wo bikta hai!
