India’s Version of ‘Millionaire’ Gets a Competitor

When promos started for Sony Entertainment TV’s new show “Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke” (Winnings Through the Roof), more than a million callers jammed phone lines for a chance to be on the program.

The draw? A chance to win apparently unlimited amounts of money (although Sony executives are being coy as to exactly how that will work), in an entertainment-cum-game-show format headed by Govinda--one of the top five male movie stars in India.

Think of it as Brad Pitt on a television show that features jazzy music, striking sets and vivacious dancers. Then throw in contestants vying for lavish prizes that include apartments and cars, insurance endowment funds, and round-the-world trips for a family of four. Then slot the whole lot for prime time on July 4, and watch as the ratings go through the roof.

That, at least, is what top executives at Sony in India are hoping for as they launch their most ambitious show yet tonight, India’s Republic Day.

“Chappar’s” launch comes in the wake of the phenomenal success of the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire--”Kaun Banega Crorepathi?” It debuted on Rupert Murdoch’s STAR TV satellite channel in July and in the months since has sparked a game-show fever on the vast subcontinent.

“Crorepathi”--generally referred to here as “KBC”--is still pulling in as much as an 80% viewership in the predominantly Hindi-speaking parts of the nation, and a still significant 40% in the Tamil-speaking southern states (an area that has its own game show, “Koteeswaran,” for non-Hindi speaking Indians). After six months, with erstwhile leading man Amitabh Bachchan at its helm, “KBC” shows no signs of slowing.

What has transpired since resembles a typical Hindi soap opera, where rivalry, bitterness, greed, failure, stacks of cash and big names conspire to keep the Indian viewing audience on their toes. And all waiting for today’s events--Indian Republic Day and the premiere of “Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke.”

Kunal Dasgupta, CEO of Sony Entertainment TV in India, said he had never invested as much in a new show as he has in “Chappar”--around $15 million a year--nor charged such high advertising rates for any program; with “Chappar,” he expects to bring in $5,000 per 10-second slot. But he is nothing if not confident.

“It’s more than a game show,” he said. “We’ve decided what works in India--and that is a big star and big prizes and a strategy that makes it easier to win from a contestant’s point of view. Even the viewers get prizes.” Dasgupta said he has no reason to be discouraged--not even by a monumental failure by Zee TV, a home-grown cable channel, to replicate the “KBC” success. In October, Zee launched its own game show, “Sawaal Dus Crore Ka” (The 10-Crore Question), which basically offered to pay 10 times more than what a contestant might win on “KBC.” (A crore is worth about $220,000.)

Some two months later, after much mauling by critics and viewers, “Sawaal” was pulled. This despite Zee having confirmed an almost $2.2-million deal with the two hosts--actor Anupam Kher and actress Manisha Koirala. Kher, while a respected screen and TV star in India, is no Amitabh Bachchan. And Koirala, both beautiful and a household name, added nothing to the show except “a bit of fluff,” said critics.

“Boring and lousy game plan,” said one viewer, Mumbai-based fashion designer Sunita Harjani, about the recently dumped “Sawaal.” “It was too complicated.” But she, like most of her friends, remains an avid fan of “KBC.”

There has been speculation that Zee will try again, but nobody at the Mumbai or Delhi offices could be reached for comment.

Dasgupta remains unfazed by the “Sawaal” debacle. “Ours will be different. It has to be,” he said. “Govinda is a leading man, and around him we have built a show that has both entertainment and the game-show element. There is music and stand-up comedy and interaction with the audience and contestants. Then there will be questions that lead up to a certain set of prizes. Contestants can win millions in cash, home appliances, cars, apartments, an insurance policy of any amount.”

Sony’s Indian programmers have also included touches of successful Latin American nighttime variety shows. And while Dasgupta says the idea might sound like a mishmash, it will, he contends, turn into “major entertainment. We flew in a lighting engineer from the U.K., game-show experts from the U.S., and we have great sponsorship from prize-givers. We have to be confident” (especially because Govinda is rumored to have signed a contract for more than $4 million for an 18-month stint on the show).

Despite Sony’s bravado, the company is “very concerned given the massive failure of Zee’s attempt,” said one television executive. “If you do poor imitations, expect poor results,” he said. Others say there is plenty of room in the viewing market for another contender.

“There’s always room for more good shows,” said Steve Askew, executive vice president of programming for STAR TV, headquartered in Hong Kong. As with “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in the U.S., ratings have slightly softened for “KBC,” but Askew said that was expected. “We opened with Super Bowl-type numbers,” he said. “If you are showing the Super Bowl every night, well, expect to get some viewer-softening.” “KBC” is now marginally behind a nightly drama serial, which also runs on STAR and which has become the most-watched show in the country.

“If it had only been ‘KBC’ that had worked, that would have been nice but it would not have achieved our goal to drive the success of the show right through the schedule,” he said. “Since ‘KBC’ first started airing, STAR now dominates television viewing in India.”

As with Regis Philbin’s show, there have been Indian celebrity millionaire programs featuring the hottest names. But at least one thing is sure: The new, much-hyped Sony show will not be going up against “KBC,” but instead will be shown an hour earlier. “To go up at the same time as us,” said Askew, “would be the kiss of death for them.”