'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 will reshape the way India looks at content,' says Sumanta Bose
As Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi gears up for its reboot, Sumanta Bose, Head of Cluster, Entertainment, JioStar, talks about how it will change the landscape
Ektaa R Kapoor is bringing back the magic of nostalgia with a reboot of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, with Smriti Irani and Amar Upadhyay reviving their original roles of Tulsi Virani and Mihir Virani respectively. The show will air on Star Plus and on JioHotstar both, and Sumanta Bose, Head of Cluster, Entertainment, JioStar believes it is going to pave a new path for Indian television.
Sumanta says, “The entertainment landscape in India is at an important inflection point, and I think that's what the expectation with this show is going to be, on what it will do in order to reset, both in terms of creativity as well as in commercial terms, linear TV and the way people consume OTT.”
The executive adds, “It's a show which is just not only about entertainment. It was a character (Tulsi) who fought patriarchy, who taught how to do right parenting. So, it was so ahead of its time and the new storyline that we have embarked on creating, it's going to reshape the way India looks at content.”
On the competition of TV with OTT, Sumanta says, “While we are filled with so much of noise and so many pieces of content that is dropping at all of us, with this progress that is happening, the first casualty is values. This show stood for those kind of values and India is defined by relationship and values.”
He states with more facts, “There is too much noise and chatter around digital medium. There are 49 trillion minutes of content that it watched on a monthly basis on TV alone. There are live sports which get consumed in the similar fashion. And in entertainment, TV is the medium. It reaches to far wider and deeper set of people. In western countries, their penetration of TV is about 90%. In India, it is still 65 to 70%. So, there is still a lot of headroom for TV to grow.”
{{/usCountry}}He states with more facts, “There is too much noise and chatter around digital medium. There are 49 trillion minutes of content that it watched on a monthly basis on TV alone. There are live sports which get consumed in the similar fashion. And in entertainment, TV is the medium. It reaches to far wider and deeper set of people. In western countries, their penetration of TV is about 90%. In India, it is still 65 to 70%. So, there is still a lot of headroom for TV to grow.”
{{/usCountry}}But how is he combatting the transition of TV vieweres to streaming platforms? “While there is a device that has flexibility and choices, TV also brings in community viewing. It's that whole family experience. TV is part of a drawing room or dining room. If you create a story which is riveting and which draws in the entire family, the family sits together, and understands values. If you're able to push the envelope and be an inspiration and talk about the values that are fast disappearing in our society, it would be magical,” he responds.
{{/usCountry}}But how is he combatting the transition of TV vieweres to streaming platforms? “While there is a device that has flexibility and choices, TV also brings in community viewing. It's that whole family experience. TV is part of a drawing room or dining room. If you create a story which is riveting and which draws in the entire family, the family sits together, and understands values. If you're able to push the envelope and be an inspiration and talk about the values that are fast disappearing in our society, it would be magical,” he responds.
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