Film Industry: Highest paid TV stars get the lowest TRPs

Highest paid TV stars get the lowest TRPs

Alot of money might be riding on the veterans in the television industry, but the irony is that none of the highest paid actors on TV today are able to give a Television Rating Point (TRP) boost to their shows. Whether it is Ram Kapoor in Bade Achhe Laggte Hain (BALH) or Rashami Desai’s much-hyped re-entry in Uttaran, the serials with some of the most popular names of Indian television are struggling to maintain viewership. “While this may come as a surprise to many, the insiders in the industry always knew that this would happen sooner than later,” says producer Saurabh Tewari.
    Even Ram Kapoor, who was a hit with viewers, and reportedly commanded a pay package of 80,000 per day, has not been able to sustain the TRPs of his show. “TV channels tried working with old faces and new stories, but it didn’t work for everyone. At the end of the day, it’s the script that rules, not the faces,” says producer Bhairavi Raichura.” Director Ravindra Gautam, adds, “TV stars are a myth, there can’t be stars on TV. Agar aisa hota toh khali veterans ko le lene se hi shows chal jaate.”
    Apparently, working with the stalwarts of the industry comes with its share of woes. “Content is compromised because they don’t give more than 15 days in a month to a show,” says Saurabh.
    Actor Samir Soni says, “What has really happened with shows having veterans from the TV industry is that content has taken a backseat. Director aake bolta hai, ‘please pull the show with your acting,’ but someone should give us the script also na? There’s no innovation in content in shows that have the highest paid actors. Yes, of course there are fans who will watch our shows only for us, but even we have limited scenes in an episode. There are other tracks as well,” he says.
    Samir also says that the time slot given to their shows is also one of the reasons for low TRPs. “Most shows with highest paid actors are aired in the latenight slot, with re-runs throughout the day. So people usually have time options to catch the show,” he points out.