The Hindu Business Line : One for the <I>Roadies </I>

John Abraham's tryst on a bike created Dhoom and made mobike racing a glamorous sport in India. But it was MTV India that started Roadies, the adventure show now in its third season, featuring 13 enthusiastic bikers travelling from India's hottest desert, Jaisalmer, to the coldest desert, Leh, over a period of 40 days.

The channel conducted a poll among 8,000 people as part of its research for the show. Unlike participants in the other music, dance or comedy talent hunt shows on TV, aspirants to Roadies seemed truly `different'.

The poll threw up some interesting insights. For starters, girls in Mumbai and Pune are more inclined to adventures or biking compared to those in Delhi, Chandigarh or Hyderabad.

While most aspirants were in their 20s, nearly 40 per cent were either students or freshers.

Though most male aspirants were `single and ready to mingle', a small percentage was adventurous enough to handle more than two girlfriends! Though they may be the cool dudes of GenNow, half of the respondents also held religious beliefs.

Interestingly, unlike in other talent search shows, money and fame were not the main draw for the Roadies participants. "Adventures, challenges and biking passion seemed to be the key appealing factor for most Roadies," the poll results say. Hence, while other shows promise contracts running into crores of rupees, the Roadies winner takes home only Rs 5 lakh.

Roadies tests not only the determination and mettle of individual participants but also looks at their ability to bond with each other. As seven guys and six girls — who are intelligent, articulate and have a penchant for adventure — take each other on, backstabbing, flirtation; love affairs, lifelong friendships and betrayals are all part of the action. Each episode will have one Roadie voted out, leading to heightened tensions and rivalry.

Says Vikram Raizada, Vice President, Marketing and Digital, MTV Networks India, "While music is the mainstay of the channel, we have gone through a whole gamut of programming — be it fashion, romance or fiction. And we are constantly trying to put a finger on the pulse of the youth in India."

The channel has virtually been a pioneer when it comes to talent search. Way back in 1997, it launched the first VJ hunt in the country. This was followed by a search for new models, as well as faces, for its daily serial, Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi. "Most of our finds have gone ahead and done very well for themselves, be it in the world of music, movies or fashion," adds Raizada.

In fact, some of the concepts and promotions created by MTV India have found favour with the channel's counterparts in other countries. For instance, its Budget Day (created in association with CNBC) programming called MTV Budget Fundas proved to be a hit. "The show talked about budget proposals that affect the young — like which way the prices of cellphones would go and so on. MTV Korea has expressed interest in replicating this show," says Raizada.

He also shrugs off snide remarks about "ageing" MTV VJs. "Being young and being youthful are very different. Today, if you think music channel, you think MTV," he adds.

Wifely concerns

It helped revive the ABC channel in the US. Now, Star India plans to launch the desi version of Desperate Housewives. And many well-known producers seem interested, including Ekta Kapoor.

A primetime soap with a contemporary take on "happily every after," this hit series offers a dark comedic look at suburbia, where the secret lives of housewives aren't always what they seem. The original, currently aired on Star World, has gone down well with audiences here.

The Indian soap factories have been quick to adapt popular international shows and programmes. While some such as Kaun Banega Crorepati and Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, an Indianised version of the Hispanic Yo Soy Betty La Fea, have done well, others such as the clones of Friends (Hello Friends) and Charlie's Angels (CATS) did not do too well.

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