| Published on 31-05-2007 In National | | Viewed 2334 times | | Family squabble sets satellite skies afire |
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| Written by
R. Bhagwan Singh | 
The biggest news in Tamil Nadu in recent months was the war that broke out in the state's first family. It ended in chief minister M. Karunanidhi getting his DMK high-power committee asking Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to sack his IT and Communication Minister Dayanidhi Maran, the blue-eyed grandnephew of the Dravidian patriarch. But did the war really end there?
Perceiving a challenge to his authority within the DMK and his own household from his 'darling' grandnephews, media baron Kalanidhi Maran running the massive Sun TV network and the successful Dinakaran Tamil daily and Dayanidhi heading the plum IT and Communication Ministry at the Centre, Karunanidhi hit back with vicious ferocity uprooting the younger Maran from his cushy Cabinet post and then targeting Kalanidhi's media empire by launching a rival Tamil TV channel.
Kalaignar TV , so named after Mr Karunanidhi's title of littérateur, is expected to provide the DMK an effective propaganda vehicle to fill the vacuum caused by Sun's ejection from its most favoured media status, besides attempting to win over Maran's hugely popular entertainment content and the stranglehold on the advertisers. With the Central Ministries clearing the licences double-quick and the beaming transponder readied a couple of days back, Kalaignar TV is all set to take off on August 15. The test telecasts will begin shortly and the emerging channel war will certainly be a do-or-die duel.
Kalaignar TV drew the first blood buying up the rights for the much-awaited Rajni starrer 'Sivaji, the Boss' against stiff competition from market leader Sun TV and the cash-rich Jaya TV owned by former chief minister Ms Jayalalithaa's close friends. AVM Saravanan, who produced the film, was reportedly pressured into selling the Sivaji rights to Kalaignar and if insiders are to be believed, conveyed his regrets personally to Kalanidhi, with whom he has had a long and fruitful business association.
The new TV company is said to be on a buying spree picking up the rights of one popular flick after another---jubilee hit Imsaiarasan 23am Pulikesi, Veyil, Guru and the yet-to-be released Ajit-Trisha starrer Kireedam to name a few---in what is clearly seen as an attempt to choke the Maran channels of their entertainment software inflow while creating a content bank for itself.
Confirming that he has sold the Sivaji TV rights to Kalaignar TV, AVM Saravanan clarified that under the producers' guild guidelines, the channel can telecast the movie only three years after its release in the theatres.
Another coup of sorts was getting former operations chief of the Sun group and Mr Kalanidhi's estranged bosom pal, Sarath to lead the Kalaignar TV. Classmates and close friends from school days right up to the business school in the U.S., the two had steered Sun through difficult times to see it rise as the phoenix in the south Indian entertainment industry. The two fell out a few years back and Mr Kalanidhi bought out Mr Sarath's shares to ease him out.
Launching a TV channel was one of the first things that Mr Karunanidhi's family took up for discussion and decision-making when the showdown with the Marans peaked with the publication of the provocative opinion poll running down elder son M. K. Azhagiri in Dinakaran and the subsequent violence in Madurai on May 9. The family first wanted to tie up with Raj TV to open up a news-entertainment channel for Kalaignar by expanding its existing infrastructure but the move was reportedly given up considering the past experience with the Raj owners.
Next, an influential DMK minister brought in a proposal that his brother, a big name in the advertisement arena, could be given the task of promoting the new channel. However, this too was shot down because the Karunanidhi family decided it would be imprudent to allow an outsider enjoy the fruits of official patronage and the DMK clout to emerge as a powerful media house and make big money in the process.
Finally, it was decided to launch a new company with sons Azhagiri, Stalin and Tamilarasu, besides daughter Kanimozhi, as directors. Another daughter Selvi is declared persona non grata for pleading the case of the Marans as she's married into the Maran family.
Insiders said an influential NRI has offered to invest in the new company for settling scores with the Marans—a land deal is being mentioned—and worming his way back into the corridors of power. The DMK headquarters Anna Arivaalayam on the arterial Anna Road, where a large portion has been rented out to the Sun TV network, is providing space for Kalaignar TV. With the DMK trust serving notice, Mr Kalanidhi has started the hunt for space to shift Sun out of grandpa's party property. Not just that, he also needed to talk to important producers of serials, such as Ms Radhika Sarathkumar of Radaan, besides top advertisers to ensure they did not migrate to grandpa's channel, whether for more money or due to political/government pressure.
The family war and its spillover into TV channels have predictably caused much excitement amid the entertainment industry and also the Tamil public. The galleries are fast getting filled to watch the two gladiators draw blood.
"We are aiming at nothing less than the number one position and we are confident of getting there," said Sarath, speaking about the huge challenge taking on the goliath of the south Indian TV industry. "We will come out with a very healthy mix movies, daily soaps, cultural programmes and specials for children. You will like it," he told this writer.
"We will demystify the Tamil media belief that entertainment is all about cinema and soaps by shifting the focus from celebrities to real content," said Fr Jagath Casper Raj, a close associate of Kanimozhi on the socio-cultural platform and involved in the success of the recent Chennai Sangamam cultural event in the city. "We will democratise the content by making it people-centric with culture, infotainment and reality shows," said the activist-priest, who is widely expected to influence Kalaignar's content.
However, there are many in the industry who are unwilling to place their bets on the new challenger to the well-entrenched Sun group; such as former IAS officer N. Murugan, who had launched the liquor baron Ramaswamy Udayar's GEC TV which changed hands to Vijay Mallaya and has now ended up as Star Vijay. "If anybody thinks that deep pockets make a successful TV channel, they must take a look at Jaya TV, which never had any shortage of funds but could never take off financially. Sun's huge success is directly due to the business acumen, managerial skills and sharp instincts Kalanidhi in devising hit programmes," said Murugan, declaring that in a level-playing field, "nobody can come anywhere near Sun TV."
Observers are also quick to point out that Sun's early-bird advantage and the rich content in its huge entertainment bank—some say Kalanidhi has the rights for over 4000 films—will ensure it remains a leader. "The minimum gestation period for a new TV channel to evolve is three years and in that period, anything can happen in Tamil Nadu politics," said an 'expert' requesting anonymity.
"Besides, a TV house depending almost entirely on its political clout will find it difficult to manage the vagaries of alliance politics. At the same time, you must not forget that Sun has weathered many storms even during the tough reign of Jayalalithaa," he said.
With the Karunanidhi family thus getting ready to take its own TV channel to the already crowded living rooms of the entertainment-obsessed Tamils, it remains to be seen whether the Marans will take a beating such as experienced in the political arena facing grandpa's wrath. It is unlikely, considering that this time, the war will be on Kalanidhi's familiar turf. |
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