Raveena Raj Kohli
I’m a perfectionist

When Australian media baron Kerry Packer decided to enter the Indian software business, one of the biggest challenges before him was to find the best creative brain in television to head his new company. He chose Raveena Raj Kohli, who was the programming head of Sony TV. Within a year, Raveena Kohli, CEO of HFCL-Nine Broadcasting India, has proved that Packer made the right choice. In a short period of six months ‘Nine Gold’ on DD-2 is an established brand and its serials are rapidly becoming popular. The 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. slot (Nine Gold) displays a diverse range of programmes from fiction

and soaps to comedies and game shows. Recently, Nine Gold launched Kabhii Sautan Kabhii Saheli, a daily soap, to take on the might of Amitabh Bachchan’s Kaun Banega Crorepati. Taking time off from her busy schedule, Raveena Raj Kohli talks about the strategies of ‘Nine Gold’ and related issues in an informal chat

What changes do you see in the television viewership pattern today?
The biggest change in the viewership pattern is the extension of prime time. From an hour, prime time today has extended from 7 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. in the urban areas, and that’s obviously because people have started watching more television. I don’t know whether they just surf or really watch shows but one thing’s for sure, they are spending more time in front of their TV sets. One reason could be that they have more options today. There are entertainment channels,business channels, religious channels, news channels, music channels and movie channels. Every kind of programming is available and they don’t have to stir out of their drawing rooms.

Another trend is the growing popularity of daily soaps. They are more popular than weekly shows and are no longer restricted to the afternoon slot but have taken over prime time too.

You told me once that the image Doordarshan has today is the creation of private satellite channels. Please elaborate.
Well, consider this. When the satellite channels were fast becoming popular, DD did nothing to consolidate its position, improve its content or even its transmission quality. No attempt was made to build its own marketing division with the best talents available in the market. In contrast, the satellite channels invested a lot of money in acquiring content and improve its transmission and packaging. Of course, they had the had the advantage of having a consolidated that DD lacked. But DD could have easily overtaken them. It didn’t and DD’s loss of image was a gain for the private channels. DD’s advertising revenue switched to them.

Given the circumstances you have managed to establish ‘Nine Gold’ on DD Metro in a very short span of time. How did you do that?
We managed to rope in some of the best talent in the country not just in the programming department but in marketing too. Our content is excellent. We’ve also pro -moted ourselves very well. For six months we left no page in the newspapers unturned. We have spent lakhs on promotional campaigns and the efforts are paying off.

Is it possible for you to share some of your future plans? Are you coming up with a big show?
Experiments, innovation and research is an ongoing process for us. Our experiment to make Price Is Right a daily show instead of a weekly one has worked well for us. It gives as big prizes as any other show. It is not essential to start one big game show to counter another. We don’t need to take such risks when we are still consolidating ourselves. We have proved with Price Is Right that we can do better with smaller, more interesting shows.

Has the response to Director’s Cut been as good?
It’s been very good. Short films and tele films have a great future. The two-hour films that we introduced on Director’s Cut have become a big hit with the viewers. They give you the advantage of running a 35 mm film exclusively on television. It’s a trend that has worked very well for us. Now top names from the film industry are approaching us with proposals for films they want aired on Director’s Cut. It gives them a chance to experiment with subjects they wouldn';t be able to when making a feature films. I also gives us a chance to promote new talents. We have proved that talented directors are not necessarily produced by FTII. Recently we produced a film called Jannat Talkies that got excellent reviews. It took us just five months to complete the film.

What should be the ideal duration of such films?
Anything between an hour to two hours. Two hours, according to me, is the ideal time. After that it gets boring.

How much money do you invest in such productions?
Our budget for Director’s Cut is normally between Rs 12 lakh to Rs 30-35 lakh depending on the story and production.

You recently started a daily soap, Kabhii Sautan Kabhii Saheli in the 9.30 p.m. slot. Is it wise to take a popular game show like KBC head on?
I always felt that the KBC frenzy would die out one day and if you consider the TRPs, the downslide has started. People talk of only the special shows. KBC has lost its novelty and become very predictable. A major chunk of KBC viewers started looking for a better option. I saw an opening in the 9.30 p.m. slot and inserted Kabhii Sautan Kabhii Saheli that is produced by Balaji Telefilms. This 5-day serial is younger in its feel and more romantic than Balaji’s other daily soaps.

What kind of feedback did you receive for your special shows like Helen, The Golden Girl ? Are you planning more such concerts?
Special shows and events have always fared well. The only difference is that today you have to make them interesting and watchable. We acquired AR Rehman’s show but produced Helen, The Golden Girl. We have decided to air at least one such special every 3-4 weeks. In the West TV channels have such concerts once or at the most twice a year. But in India the competition is keener. If you want to pull in viewers you have to come up with something new and different every month.

DD has always been hot on mythologicals. Are you planning any?
One of the terms in our contract with DD is that we won’t aur mythologicals on ‘Nine Gold’. Perhaps DD did not want competition for its other mythologicals. But I personally feel that there is an overdose of mythologicals on Indian television. Mythologicals have lost their novelty. Viewers are looking for something else. Another factor is that mythologicals need huge investments and with ad revenues going down everyday that’s a problem.

You are considered the best creative head of any television company in India today, yet producers complain that you are never satisfied with the final copy.
I guess that’s because I’m constantly looking for perfection that I have yet to find (Laughs). Lack of attention to details annoys me. I’m irritated if a scene is longer than required, if there are inconsistencies in the lighting, if the heroine’s make-up and hairstyle is bad, if the colour of the bedsheet is too bright or if it doesn’t match the mood of the scene, if a table lamp is on in the morning...These little errors bother me. Why should a viewer suffer when the fault lies with an unattentive director? I guess, this on-going search for perfection disturbs some of the producers.

Have you come across any near-perfect shows?
Saamne Wali Khidki is the best example of a serial. It has excellent production values. Kundali has a strong conceptual theme and I just love Price is Right. Chonch Ladi Re Chonch is a small-budget, light comedy that is also doing well.

Do you watch shows on other channels? What kind of programmes do you like to watch?
My personal choice is light TV and reality TV. I like true stories with an element of drama. But my job is not to impose ideas on the audience. If they like fiction I give them that. I watch the special shows of KBC but mostly I watch English programmes. News is another favourite. It gives me an idea about what is happening outside my world.

Amitabh Parasher

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