When Beyond Dreams’ Nagarjun ‘rocked’ on Twitter
Yash Patnaik’s Beyond Dreams has certainly lived up to expectations, when it comes to its newest launch, Nagarjun… Ek Yoddha on Life OK.
Well, the opening day of the show saw few dreams getting fulfilled, and new records being set on Indian TV.
Yes, Nagarjun reigned supreme on Twitter with its trending hitting the roof top. In just few hours, the trending of Nagarjun took to the numero uno position as it was #1 in India on twitter. And it trended at World No 31, with a huge number of nearly 3600 tweets, 4 million unique reach and 35 million impressions.
Wow!! Awesome for a start, isn’t it?
We talked to Producer Yash Patnaik to know how he felt over this amazing achievement. “It was overwhelming. At a time when online audience is getting so important, something like this is exceptional. We have heard about Arnav Goswami trending in Twitter, but a TV trending like this nationally and internationally are almost unbelievable. 4 million unique reach and 35 million impressions were unthinkable. I kept getting news of Nagarjun trending from 8PM. It opened at 4th in India and climbed up to 1st by 9.10. By the time the telecast ended we were 31st in the World. Hundreds of fans were uploading pictures with their TV sets playing Nagarjun. I must thank the audience for the support. I am still recovering (smiles).”
So was this the first time an Indian show got such a reach, especially on the very first day? “I have been told it is the first time something like this has happened. It was a prime time for news channels with all the big national and international news breaking. Nagarjun not just toppled all the news, but it stayed at the top for over two hours.”
Talking about the speciality of the show, and the feedback received so far, the Producer stated, “Nagarjun is a daring dream. When I thought of doing a superhero show, many cautioned me. People asked me ‘how can you do a superhero in TV and how will you sustain 5 days a week?’ I saw that as a challenge to be taken. Fortunately we managed to get a supporting channel like Life OK who believed in our vision. It took us 2 years to get the show on air and almost one year of pre-production. We started creating VFX properties almost 8 months in advance. I am blessed with a great team which stood by my madness for a year.”
On the apt cast of the show, he spoke at length saying, “After we crafted the story and created the characters, the biggest road block was casting. To start with, I wanted to get the super villain in place before the hero. Who else in India other than Nikitin Dheer? He has such a massive body and a great screen presence. I had loved him as Thangabali in Chennai Express. He was brilliant in that film. After Nikitin we zeroed in on Anshuman Malhotra as Arjun as I wanted a very young and vulnerable actor for Arjun. He has a very unique combination of innocence and anger. He has surprised us with his brilliance on screen. I can say that he has the potential to become the next superstar of television. After Arjun I wanted to get the anti hero right. That’s how I thought of Mrunal Jain for Shankachurn. He has never played a negative role. Somehow I was very sure he is my Shankhachurn. He has that raw appeal which I needed for the character. He has been a revelation. With Shankhachurn I am sure he will redefine the concept of ‘bad man’.”
So how does it feel to have four shows on air? “It is a great feeling and with it comes lot of responsibilities. 2016 has been a great year. More than the number of shows, what is interesting is that all four shows are from different genres. Nagarjun is a superhero series; where as Sadda Haq is youth romance. Jana Na Dil Se Door is a drama and Kuch Rang is a slice of life. This is very satisfying.”
May Nagarjun rock the TV world and create history!!
