Sarabhai vs Sarabhai fans, if you are expecting a quick third season of your favourite show Sarabhai Take 2 on Hotstar, then your wait has just become longer. Reason? If sources are to be believed, the planned shoot of the third season scheduled to go on the floors in October (2017) has been put on hold for now.
Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take 2 caught the imagination of the digital audience and its content was much appreciated by one and all. However, rather than hustling with another installment, it seems OTT platform Hotstar is taking cautious steps.
Armed with the above nugget of info, we buzzed Rajesh Kumar aka Roshesh who shared with IndianWikiMedia: “I have no clue why the delay, this question is better posed at the channel. As an artist I feel we did our job of replying to the constant urge of bringing back Sarabhai after 12 long years. Though as you must have seen the recent season 2 ending leaves enough scope for more.”
So what could be the probable reason for the delay? Lack of response, which of course was in abundance, or lack of viewership? Well, the digital viewership metrics is yet to find a concrete shape, hence the barometer of success is as per the perception and standards set by the content creators.
On the query, Rajesh (currently part of Comedy Ka Dangal on &TV says, “Ideally, we should have waited for few episodes to get audience feedback rather than pre shooting all 10 episodes which constituted season 2, as it happens in TV which gives us time to change thin which might not be liked. The best thing about the web is that we get instant feedback via comments. So if 7/10 say we don’t like one particular element, it is safe to assume it not being universally appreciated. Also, we need to keep in mind that web is still nascent, not all mobiles and PCs are 4G or WIFI connected. Even my Patna based folk did not watch all episodes.”
He continues, “While more or less Roshesh was appreciated, some did not like the cheeky dialogues (net allows for the same), others felt I was doing too much poetry. Hence I referred to break in shooting as all these concerns can be addressed. I agree certain location might have seen me doing more poetry but then the editing might have seen more getting dumped in one episode.”
In closing Rajesh says, “I am hopeful that reruns will make Sarabhai Take 2 as big as it happened with original on Star One, the craze is already starting. This format builds on people. Having said that even if it does not, our lives don’t end. We have made a name of ourselves.”
Interestingly when we spoke to producer, of the show, JD Majethia (Hats Off Productions) he denied any plan of season 3 being considered in the first place.“So where is the question of putting it on hold.”
On the numbers he says, “We have surpassed 10 million hits.”
Ajit Mohan, bossman at Hotstar did not comment on our query till the time of putting the article to bed.
The digital medium is indeed a baffling space. If a cult show like Sarabhai vs Sarabahi too finds hard to find a footing, then indeed the audience taste & preferences in the space hard to decipher, until a thorough research is being put. Or else, one will learn and evolve from trial & error.
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