Click to play videoMumbai: If you are in your 20s, chances are your parents have told you the story.
The streets cleared out at 2050 hrs (IST0 every Friday night and the same tune would emanate from every home- the theme music of Ramayana, the TV series based on Valmiki’s Ramayana and Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas.
It was the mother of all TV soaps in the late 80s, the mega mythological that three generations sat down to watch together.
And 20 years later, Ramayan has returned to television with grander sets and new faces, hoping to grab the attention of a new generation -- a generation of channel-surfers.
“Thirty-eight million people are below the age of 20. They have just heard that streets used to be empty, traffic used to stop. Even in Karachi it used to be the same. Now this generation needs to experience the same magic,” says producer, Ramayana, Prem Sagar.
Cosmetic, superficial changes notwithstanding, the new Ramayan is expected to have the same spirit as the original one, and will be told in much the same melodramatic style, say the show's producers, the Sagars, who also brought us the original show in 1988.
For die-hard mythological fans including your grandparents for example, the most obvious change will be the absence of familiar faces.
However, don't expect to see old favourites including Arun Govil and Deepika playing Ram and Sita, and there are no chances of Dara Singh returning as Hanuman.
With rising production costs and the fact that TV actors today are better paid that they have ever been, it's no surprise the new Ramayan is a more expensive show to produce.
Technology has improved considerably and that naturally comes with a cost. The flipside however, is that unlike the original show, this one will face fierce competition in a saturated television market.
Ramayana 1988
- Shot on 2000 SEG Sony Camera, 8mm.
- Edited on low-band cut-to-cut machines.
- Wages for leads: Rs 500 per episode.
- Cost of digitising series: Rs 3 crore.
- Ramayana was market leader as DD was the only channel to air it.
- Shot on HD cameras.
- Edited on Smoke and Avid.
- Wages of leads: Rs 50,000 per episode.
- Cost of digitizing series: Free (including editing cost).
- Ramayana faces tough competition with other shows on satellite channels.
Ramayana 2008
Reflecting the giant leaps in animation and CGI, the new Ramayan will merge live action and animation -- particularly to create Hanuman, the much-loved monkey-god and faithful friend of Lord Ram.
But despite the new look and fancy sets, it's clear the biggest challenge for the new show will be the obvious comparisons between the actors then and now.
So in these times of cutthroat channel wars and TRP-driven programming, the big question is, will the new Ramayan retain the simplicity of the original show?
However, more importantly, will the show succeed in taking a new generation back to its roots?
We will know the answers for sure when ratings come in next week.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.