The normal TV practise of following the herd comes unstuck sometimes. Something similar seems to be happening with Colors’ supernatural show, Tantra, which was supposed to give hit STAR Plus show, Nazar, a run for its daayan money in the late night 11 pm slot.
But alas, this Siddharth Kumar Tewary-produced show never gained traction from day one. There was a huge chasm between what Nazar was raking in and the very modest numbers that Tantra, despite boasting huge names such as Juhi Parmar and Manish Goel, could ever garner.
As it happens when ratings don’t add up, channels go into a tizzy and bring in wholesale changes. Tantra was not only moved to the super prime slot at 9.30 pm, but even the director was replaced.
Unfortunately, this bold move has not really impacted, despite the numbers doubling up. The original rating was so low that the show still remains deep in the red. Sources have said that the channel is getting increasingly edgy and if there is no huge rise in numbers this week, some harsh decisions might be on the anvil.
Here, to be fair to Tantra, the other vishkanya show, Sitaara, which preceded it is also not happy hunting. Colors’ FPC changed post Bigg Boss and the wrapping up of Bepannah, which was still giving much more than what Tantra is grossing at 11 pm.
We spoke to Juhi, who while denying the going-off-air threat, refused to comment on the low numbers, saying, “We artists are not the right people to comment on these things.” Lead actress, Sargun Kaur also did not reply to our message.
Let’s hope that Siddharth, who is a past master of fiction (his RadhaKrishn and Mahabharat are super hits) is able to deliver. For if there is someone in the TV space who can turn things around, it is him. And like it is said, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
