Gaurav Chopra is not worried about his fantasy Zee TV show Aghori’s lackluster ratings run. “We are stable at 0.5 and have not dropped. The real worry for Zee is one and half hour DID 7, which precedes us. Despite having huge B-town names (Kareena Kapoor), this oldest reality show is now just like us. At first, it was 0.8.”
“If audiences are not liking something, they might switch channels, which will obviously affect us downstream.”
So can it be that the channel might take a call on your show?
“Well, we have not had any such conversation. Rather, we are told not to bother about numbers but focus on quality. Our work has been somewhat praised as well. This is a far cry, given that channels are very miserly in saying good things about actors.”
“Last but not least, you need to understand that our show was always a 50-episode limited series.”
Point out that the story is moving very fast. Could it be an attempt to give the story a quicker logical end
“But this pace has always been our USP. Every weekend, a new mystery opens and gets solved, followed by something else.”
“Also, as I have always maintained, our story is not supernatural but a superhero. And physically shooting scenes such as lifting cars or uprooting trees is a task, as we don’t fall back upon Chroma CG,” says Gaurav, who is also dabbling in web with Love Lust and Confusion.
“The best thing I feel is the unique love story of Aghori. My character Advik wants to kill Kamakshi (Simran Kaur) despite loving her. She too has fallen head over heels in love with him in spite of knowing my true intention.”
Coming back to numbers, Gaurav, whose last TV show was the super hit Uttaran, says, “Today, TRP ratings alone don’t count. Digital traction also plays an important role. I am not sure of Aghori’s position in Zee5, given that it is not an original. Yet, many fans message saying we have binge-watched and loved your efforts”.
“Also, channels have bigger strategies in mind. Maybe Aghori and DID were just the starting point of their new weekend game, which will get a further fillip when another sci-fi show Haiwan starts very soon at 7 pm, increasing their weekend programming hours.”
He also added, “We actors are just opening batsmen in channel matches. We are not sure how much the later players add.”
“Last but not the least, at my current career level, ratings don’t really affect my brand, which only gets hit when my performance is questioned. Luckily, I am safe in that zone.”