Rekha Nigam

“My Sony is different from Ravina’s”
A power failure at the Sony office delays our appointment with Rekha Nigam, the new senior VP, programming and production. But her wide smile and warm personality makes up for your sweating and fretting and soon you settle for a cosy talk. Only to find Rekha very guarded about what she says. "I have just joined, you see" she says apologetically. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting tete-a-tete

Is it a coincidence or is it deliberate. How do you explain your show Dreamgirls and Nine Gold’s Tribute to Golden girl happening at the same time?
I wouldn’t like to comment on their show but all I will say is that we had planned it well in advance. It’s a part of our events which we telecast on weekends. And we had shot all our schedules much earlier. Only one was taken recently that too because the heroine was not available then, that’s all. Besides, Dreamgirls showcases the songs of many yesteryear heroines unlike Nine Gold’s tribute to one actress. We are telecasting the show across two weekends. The first part will be shown on October 14.

What are your other plans for the channel?
To tell you frankly, right now I am just taking a look at the various aspects of programming. It’s only 15 days since I joined the organisation and it’s too early for me to make any announcements. But one thing I want to do is infuse a new breath of life into existing programmes. For instance, in Movers & Shakers I have started a home campaign where Shekhar Suman makes a surprise visit to people’s houses. The episodes are already on air and you should see the kind of reactions we get from people. They are overjoyed to have Shekhar Suman and some of them can’t believe their eyes. Right now, Shekhar is only visiting people in Mumbai, later on he will move to other cities as well. Even in Boogie Woogie which is a top rated show, we are infusing freshness by getting prominent celebrities on the show. Recently, we had Govinda and Anupam Kher as judges. As for Movers & Shakers, I have planned something special for the Diwali episode but I can’t disclose it right now.

You have started giving away cash prize of Rs 50,000 in the show. Is it a move to lure your decreasing viewership?
Movers & Shakers, is a very popular show with high TRPs. Still, as I told you earlier I wanted to bring in novelty into the show and that’s why I started this campaign. It will increase viewer participation too. As for cash prizes, that is just one part of the show. Besides, the questions are related to the show only, so it’s fun.

Is the show going live?
Not in the near future. We have discussed the concept but the logistics involved are too high.

After KBC, Zee is starting Sawaal Dus Crore Ka this month. When will you come up with your show?
As yet, we haven’t worked on anything. No doubt, KBC is a huge success, but it does not mean that gameshows spell success. One has to find out whether it is Amitabh Bachchan as a host that’s worked or wheth-er the way it has been produced has impre-ssed viewers or whether it’s the money that has clicked. Money is one factor but it’s not the biggest. So, right now, I am just looking at all concepts. One thing’s for sure. What works with the viewers is novelty. They are always looking for something new in the programmes. We have to find out what kind of novelty does the viewer like.

What about the rumours that Govinda has been roped in to host a big show on Sony?
I have no idea. Since the time I have joined we haven’t talked about it. But if it has been discussed before I came in, I don’t know.

Do you think that the advent of gameshows means it’s goodbye to serials at primetime?
Not at all. We Indians love telling and listening to stories. And serials are an extension of that. Just look at the number of serials that are topping the charts. But yes, with the success of KBC high standards have been set and you cannot take viewers for granted. Their expectations have increased. It’s important that we show serials of a high quality. If you look at the new shows that we have introduced on Sony recently, you’ll find something unique in it. We are shooting Shaheen in Bhopal because we could create the Lucknow ambience there, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi is shot in Lonavala, so you’ll see a lot of greenery in the serial, Milan which has a Punjabi backdrop is being shot at Panvel where we have recreated Punjab.

The point is we are taking the viewers beyond Mumbai just to give a fresh look. Our aim is give the viewers a feel of watching a mini movie. Ot-herwise, all the serials have the same staid bungalows, so much so that even viewers have started recognising which is which.

Recently you changed the timings of your primetime shows by bringing Ek Mahal Ho Sapnon Ka to 9.20 pm and shifting the earlier primetime shows to 8.40 pm. Has the gamble paid off?
It’s too early to say anything. Let’s wait for a few more weeks and see the changes.

Were you apprehensive of stepping into the shoes of Ravina Raj Kohli who’s introduced many innovative shows on the channel?
No, I wasn’t apprehensive but I recognised that it is a challenging role. Let me tell you that with all due respects to Ravina, her Sony is different from my Sony. She was here before KBC happened and I am here after this little sudden explosion on TV. Now, the equations have changed completely. So, you can’t say I have stepped into her shoes.

After being in the advertising field for a long time how did you think of coming to television?
It’s a long story. I must have been destined to come here. As a child I was very fond of telling stories. I used to make up stories then. I got into advertising when I was still doing my graduation. I realised that Indian languages were not given importance in the advertising circles and started coining Hindi catchlines. The line Dhoom Machade, Rang Jamade for Pan Parag was created by me. I worked in Everest, Rediff, Contract and Trikaya Grey where I put in 11 years. After a point I felt my creativity wasn’t getting satisfied. That’s when I got an offer from Yash Cho-pra to write screenplay and dialogue for a film. After that, I had also started writing the dialogue for the Hrithik starrer Na Tum Jaane Na Hum when this offer came along.

Does that mean you have left the dialogue writing mid-way?
Yes. I realised that I couldn’t devote time for writing once I got involved in the channel. So, I decided to let that go.

Are you happy with your decision?
I knew this job entailed a lot of responsibility and involvement. But it’s a position I chose to take. It’s been about four months since I got into the television industry. It was as the CEO of Reena Wadhwa’s Karmik Communications that I discovered TV. Before that I hardly used to watch television except for movies. At Karmik I learnt the nitty-gritty of television. And now, I find myself having a challenging and exciting time in Sony.

Chaya Unnikrishnan


TOP