Scrolling through TV ratings reports a couple of weeks ago, I could not help noticing Laughter Chefs. The show, launched on Colors on June 1, 2024, is doing better numbers than most reality shows, including established franchises, have managed in the last year or so. A rating of 1.5 on the weekends, over a duration of 1.5 hours (sometimes longer), is no mean feat in a category where 1.5 is now seen as a successful number even for mainline fiction content. And here’s a low-cost non-fiction show that comes without much fanfare, and manages to score very well, largely on account of engagement (time spent).
I ended up watching an episode, and then a few more. The show is irresistibly unapologetic about its loose format, which is in itself a loose adaptation of the iconic Tamil show Cooku With Comali, which created the most unlikely hybrid TV genre ever – comedy-based cooking competition! In Laughter Chefs, a string of TV stars, recognised via their work in fiction series, comedy shows and/or Bigg Boss, take part in a cooking competition, where the rules are limited to the bare minimum.
There’s nothing here that can add to your knowledge, or inspire you, nor strike an emotional chord. It’s pure fun, but a lot of it at that, if you find cheesy Hindi comedy in the mainstream format palatable (all puns intended). I particularly liked the specific use of Bollywood songs in the background to enhance the comedy. It’s not a lazy selection of popular songs, but songs across the decades, including many from the 90s, that have been handpicked to dial up the humor at that very moment. I almost wanted to watch more just for this reason.
Why is this show not being spoken about more? A search on social media only gives you fan posts, where fanbases of stars in the show are propping their favorites. But there is no media coverage in the trade media on this show, and its unexpected numbers. There’s no analysis on non-fiction comedy finally delivering in the prime-time, after The Kapil Sharma Show had faded away a couple of years ago.
This absence of coverage is TV’s growing problem. As it is, not too many GEC properties are managing to make any impact whatsoever. But when one does, it has to rely on native channel marketing and organic buildup of word-of-mouth. There’s no social media or general media narrative at all. In an age of extreme content clutter, a worthy property may never find some of its potential audience, because television has moved out of the pop culture even for the most ‘mass’ audiences, it seems.
Marketing departments at TV networks should be focusing on this as one of their objectives. Because programme, or even channel, marketing will only take you so far, if you are not relevant to the prevailing zeitgeist.
The success of Reality Shows is based on the contestant, the show content and the fans who follow the developments. The show naturally progresses to the finale, where the winner is identified. The finale ends up giving mixed signals and experiences to the fans, and the Bigg Boss 16 finale last Sunday was no different.
Bigg Boss, India’s biggest reality show, will first air on Voot, not the GEC where it’s grown into the phenomenon that it has been.
Explaining the content strategy behind Bigg Boss OTT, Manisha Sharma, Chief Content Officer, Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18, said: “Bigg Boss, over the years, has grown to become a phenomenon that drives conversations across the country. With the launch of Bigg Boss OTT, our digital audiences are in for a treat. The new digital exclusive format will take the show’s fandom to its next level through active engagement with viewers being able to play a part in the show’s progress. The beauty of this show lies in the versatility of format and the massive popularity it commands – both aspects helping us in customizing the show as two different content offerings for the two different platforms while maintaining its core ethos.”
By Sanjeev Kotnala
Bigg Boss Hindi, by far India’s biggest reality TV show, came back on TV last weekend, after having been delayed by over a month due to compulsory quarantines for its participants. While there were no stops put on the accompanying media blitz, the launch attracts and manufactures, this year there is an increased focus on digital rather than traditional media whose consumption has dropped on account of the lockdown.
