Chief Business officer of ZEE5, Manish Kalra says his core philosophy is simple, he believes in good relatable content which keeps his audience happy.
While interacting with media on the sidelines of a promotional event, Manish Kalra said, “I just want to keep my audience happy; they are my consumer, I want to keep them happy and, in the process, if we’re able to create good content for them, and cater to everyone with great producers, actors and everyone, great. It is a tough job, but I am at it.”
When asked about the parameters he keeps in mind while acquiring or producing shows. Manish added, “For us it is very simple, if the content is good, if the plot is good, it will connect with the audience, and it doesn’t matter to me if I am acquiring or producing, it must connect with the audience, period. Now what kind of plot is that, how much intrigue it got, what kind of layers it got, what kind of actors we will get for the story, we consider all this, but the framework remains the same, it’s just about the content, nothing more.”
ZEE5 is known for setting trends, sharing details about staying ahead of the curve, Manish said, “I think consumer is ahead of all of us, they are changing by the minute and trends evolve, I mean topicality evolves, what you see tomorrow, is planned today, we all try that, the stories we pick should be relevant, even if we’re making it 2 years from now, it should stay relevant, it should be real and relatable, the characters are nicely portrayed, the world should look authentic, we try everything, but obviously there is a lot of data, we’re a digital platform, there is lot of data what watching habits and streaming, but ultimately it has to be great content and a lot of gut, it’s not science, I wish I could say that, but it’s a lot of guy and consumers behavior.”
Talking about ZEE5 latest offering, a thriller series Gyaarah Gyaarah, based on time-travel concept, Manish said, “It’s a very unique concept, lots of intrigue, it will keep our viewers engaged and it’s something they have never seen before in India, it’s like once in a lifetime thing, which Guneet and her team has made, I am glad to collaborate with them, and I am sure the audience will love it.”
Gyaarah Gyaarah is an adaptation of the Korean drama Signal. It features Kritika Kamra, Raghav Juyal, Dhairya Karwa, and Aakash Dixit. It is produced by Sikhya Entertainment and Dharma Productions and directed by Umesh Bist. The show will be released on August 9, 2024, on ZEE5.