2018 marked a glorious milestone for COLORS, it has grown leaps and bounds on the back of engaging storylines for a decade. It has been a pioneer in storytelling presented through a combination of ‘emotions’ and ‘variety’, that tugged at everyone’s heartstrings. After a decade, COLORS still continues to be the channel which caters to every member of the family through genres like social dramas, family drama, romantic sagas, up-scaled mythological series, suspense and thriller, comedy, reality etc.Breaking the trend of saas-bahu drama through an array of shows, COLORS promoted cohesive viewing highlighting ‘Innocent’, ‘Honest and Real’, ‘Aggressive’, ‘Cultural ‘and Traditional’ values. In its 10th year COLORS’ brought a philosophy ‘Chuno Apne Rang’ that encouraged viewers to choose an emotion that they relate to most and identify that with a specific color, thereby inspiring one to express themselves in their unique way.
Here is a glimpse into some truly engaging moments from 2018 which cemented COLORS’ position as an intrinsic member of the entertainment fraternity.
What Worked Best for Colors…
A breath of freshness
Tough, strong, muscular and in control epitomizes the “ideal” man. Adding a breath of freshness to its existing bouquet of shows and with an aim to shatter these stereotypes, COLORS launched Roop – Mard Ka Swaroop. The show revolves around a boy named Roop who questions sensitivities of a patriarchal society that decides how men and women ought to behave. Along with a thought-provoking story, the show also marked the comeback of actor Shashank Vyas.
While Roop dealt with the hope to change the age old typecast, COLORS’ internet Wala love brought a contempary take on love online. A vibrant and young, new age love story of Jai (Shivin Narang) and Aadhya (Tunisha Sharma) highlights the relevance of social media in today’s generation. The quirky and playful love story revolves around Jai and Aadhya who are like chalk and cheese and how the duo unintentionally cross paths.
A supernatural scenario
This year, the Hindi general entertainment genre has seen a gush of supernatural shows based on paranormal activities, supernatural incidents that are either based on real life or inspired by true stories. As a channel, COLORS also explored this genre by bringing in various shows with resemblance to this trend.
Redefining entertainment for a finite fiction series with supernatural mysticism at its core, Naagin captivated the audience in its first two editions. Taking this legacy forward, COLORS returned with the 3rdseason of Naagin that tells the saga of power, passion and revenge. The new seasontraces back to mythological origins and the belief that if someone kills a naag, its beloved (naagin) will surely return for vengeance. This is depicted through the journey of Ruhi a naagin who performs a ritual and acquire a newidentity i.e Bela to take revenge.Naagin 3 recreated history once again and became the numero uno show on television as soon as it launched.
Along with Naagin 3, COLORS introduced two intriguing tales surrounding the ambit of supernaturaland fantasy i.e Vish Ya Amrit Sitaara:Ek Vishkanya Ki Kahaani and Tantra.Strengthening its association with Rashami Sharma Production, COLORS launched Vish Ya Amrit:Sitaara – Ek Vishkanya Ki Kahaani – a stunning recreation of the Vishakanya folklore that existed from the time of Chandragupta Maurya. The show traces the journey of Sitaara (Adaa Khan) who is oblivious about her identity as a Vishkanya and embarks on a journey that will force her to choose between the good and evil going against the wishes of her mother.
With Tantra, COLORS extended its association with Swastik Production by exploring the untamed world of the unknown and black magic. The show narrates the tale of the Khanna family who falls prey to the clutches of the gruesome practice of ‘black magic’ as their house engulfs them with evil forces. The show features a stellar cast like Sargun Kauractor, Gautam Vig, Manish Goel, Juhi Parmar, Kanan Malhotra, Farida Dadi, Nayan Bhatt, Munisha Khatwani amongst others.
Ruling the Reality Spectrum
After a stupendous success of Rising Star season 1 – India’s first live voting singing reality show, COLORS’ opened the doors to yet another season of Rising Star. The second edition spearheaded the theme #UthaoSochKiDeewar that helped showcase the struggles faced by these talented contestants, who fought stereotypes and were able to shatter prejudices, nationwide. The show saw participation of contestants from varied walks of life as there were no barriers in terms of age, language and social status. The experts – Monali Thakur, Shankar Mahadevan & Diljit Dosanjhreprised their roles as judges in this seasonalong with the talented host Ravi Dubey. In the second edition of the show,India decided to coronate Hemant Brijwasi as the ultimate winner.
Launching a nationwide hunt for the ultimate Dance Deewane, COLORS opened new horizons for dance enthusiasts across three generations (i.e children, youth and adults) bringing them together on one grand stage. Judging and mentoring these Deewane’s were the stellar trio – Madhuri Dixit Nene, Shashank Khaitan and Tushar Kalia along with the host Arjun Bijlani. In 2018, Dance Deewane opened with an average viewership of 7.6 million, highest launch viewership for any dance reality show across Hindi GEC in last two years. The 7-year-old Kolkata boy, Aalok Shaw from the first generation was declared as the ultimate Dance Deewane.
This year’s edition of India’s most awaited reality show, Bigg Boss Season 12, introduced a unique concept of ‘vichitra jodis’ that had a mix pair like policeman-lawyer, sisters, teacher-student etc. As the Bigg Boss house was themed as a beach house, COLORS brought alive this concept by organizing the press conference in Goa adding a beach-y feel to it. This season to witnessed a mix of common man and celebrities form all walks of life. With host Salman Khan mentoring the contestants, Bigg Boss featured task, Winner of Marathi Bigg Boss entering as a wild card, numerous fights, twists and turns have kept the unsuspecting contestants on their toes. After completing 12 successful weeks of endless entertainment, the show will draw curtains with its Grand Finale slated for the end of the year.
After a successful innings with Season 1, COLORS introduced Entertainment ki Raat@9 Limited editioninfused with comedy, tons of drama, juicy gossip and entertaining tête-à-têtes with celebrity guests. Adding oomph and pizzazz to the second edition were the television divas – Saumya Tandon & Neha Pendse along with RJ Abhilash who joined comedians – Mubeen Saudagar, Balraj and child artist Divyansh. The show proved to be a wholesome family entertainment extravaganza.
COLORS’ flagship reality show India’s Got Talent returned to wow viewers with some extraordinary acts in its eighthedition. With ‘Woh Talent Hi Kya Jo Kisi Ke Kaam Na Aye’ as its credo,this season brings audiences stories that need to be seen and heard. Giving all those who dare to dream a platform to make it real, this show stands for talent that rises above sex, age, social status or place.Helmed by a jury that gives judgement par excellence,– the favorite trio Kirron Kher, Malaika Arora and Karan Johar reprised their roles as judges.
Shows that won against all odds
COLORS fiction offerings over the years has grabbed eyeballs with its gripping storyline, extraordinary twists and turns and incredible highpoints. Shows like Udann, Shakti Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii and Ishq Mein Marjwan maintained a strong foothold in the entertainment arena. 2018 also marked a glorious milestone of 1000 episodes forUdann that brings alive the emotion of Freedom from societal norms. Chakor’s journey from a confident little girl to fighting her battles, to becoming a mother and the various struggles she fought with courage for justice has struck a chord with the viewers.Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage! This was proven to be true with the greatest love story one has ever known, Salim Anarkali. COLORS revived this magnum opus with Dastaan -E-Mohabbat Salim Anarkali, a love that shook the very foundation of the Mughal empire, a timeless romance of a
young crown prince and a beautiful courtesan. Salim Anarkali tells the tale of charming Mughal prince Salim (Shaheer Sheikh) and the mesmerizing rakassaAnarkali (played by SonarikaBhadoria) who challenged the norm and chose to fight for their love. Another longest running show on COLORS, Shakti AstitvaKeEhsaasKii continues to appeal its viewers with its heartwarming tale of
Saumya, a kinnar who struggles to lead a normal life despite the discrimination she faces at every juncture in life. The vengeful love story, Ishq Mein Marjawaan with its varied shades of vengeance and malevolence between Deep and Aarohi’s has kept the audiences on the edge of their seats. Consistent viewer support for these celebrated shows made them front runners on television furthering COLORS’ position among its contemporaries. 
Exploring the Extravaganzas
Celebrations were the flavor of the season in the entertainment fraternity! This year COLORS’ witnessed a grand celebration filled with the glamourous and glitzy award shows to honor true talent. COLORS broadcasted the 19th Edition of IIFA Weekend & Awards held at the magnificent Siam Niramit Theatre in Bangkok. IIFA
Awards saw a scintillating line-up of performances by Bollywood’s biggest stars comprising Rekha, Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon to name a few. The event was hosted by Riteish Deshmukh and Karan Johar. The 63rd Filmfare Awards was also broadcasted on COLORS. From dialogues that became catch phrases, songs that topped playlists and signature steps that rocked the dance floor, Filmfare Awards honoured the best of the industry in the grandest event of the year.
A Healing touch
Celebrating the 10-year milestone with a big bang, COLORS extended it brand philosophy ‘Chuno Apne Rang’ from reel to real with the humanitarian drive ‘Roshni – Andheron Mein Rang Bhariye’. This empowering initiative
encourages viewers to take a pledge to make a difference by donating their eyes to brighten the lives of the visually impaired.Also, COLORS continued to support the cause of Breast cancer with the seventh edition of women’s only marathon – Pinkathon founded by Milind Soman. The channel, that has always lauded the contribution of women in a big way, envisages a better future for our women with such associations.
Adieu to a few
2018 was a landmark year; COLORS not only welcomed a plethora of character to its family but also said a heartfelt goodbye to some of its more endearing and much-loved shows.Bepannaah, an impossible love story of two strangers brought together by destiny. The show revolved around Zoya and Aditya’s relationship that started with hate, turned to friendship and eventually to love while they solved the mystery behind their spouse’s death. Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka explored the complexity of modern-day relationship. It revolved around the lives of a married couple Kunal and Mauli and how their relationship dynamics took a drastic turn with the
entry of Muali’s best friend Nandini. The much-loved musical saga, Tu Aashiqui, based on two lovers Pankti and Ahaan’s efforts to unite after a lot of hardships ended on a happy note with both starting their new life. Kasam Tere Pyaar Ki another long running show that explored a deep bond between star crossed lovers Rishi and Tanu, who were meant to be together across lifetimes come to an end. After a successful run of Naa Ana Iss Des Laado, its sequel Laado- Veerpur ki Mardaani also went off air after catching audience attention for a brief span. Savitri Devi College and Hospital, a hospital drama came to a closure and opened the doors for Internet Wala Love. Ekta Kapoor’s fantasy show, Chandrakanta — EkMayavi Prem Gaathcame to an end opening ways for Naagin 3. The mythological series – Karamphal Data Shani and Mahakaali that stunned the audience as they shed light on one of the most misconstrued Lords from the Hindu
scriptures – Shani Dev and on the ultimate destroyer of all limitations – Maa Kaalihad to bid goodbye. The second season of COLORS’ detective thriller series Dev 2 took forward the legacy of its first season and equally engaged the audience with its gripping storyline. A light-hearted comedy series, Belan Wali Bahu that narrated the tale ofRoopa, a clumsy but soft-hearted housewife who tried her best to impress everyone one way or another but ended up doing some mistake. Her clumsiness ended up killing her husband AmarnathAwasthi with her rolling pin (belan).The two seasons of Kaun Hain?that showcased stories based on paranormal activities experienced by people grabbed a lot of eyeballs because of the nail-biting suspense but it came to an end to make way for India’s Got Talent.
Making way for 2019!
As we draw curtains on a fabulous year gone by, COLORS is gearing up for a better future that combines entertainment and progressive storytelling. The channel will welcome the new year with unconventional stories like Kesari Nandan, that will transcend a daughter’s aspirations to fulfill her father’s dream irrespective of the patriarchal oppression. Kesari Nandan will put to focus on how women are capable of anything their heart is set on achieving with the right amount of self-determination.As we have explored various love stories, our viewers are in for yet another joyride with another show Gathbandhan that will feature the many predicaments and dilemmas surrounding ‘marriage’. Gathbandhan is an edgy love story between an IPS officer Dhanak who marries a gangster Raghu. Overcoming with fear will continue to be an integral part of the audience’s lives as COLORS will further its line-up of shows by launching its revered franchise Khatron Ke Khiladi which will be more daring and more entertaining. After Bigg Boss 12, viewers will witness an action-packed weekend with Khatron Ke Khiladi. This year, Khatron Ke Khiladi’s theme is ‘Jigar Pe Trigger’ that will push the 12 contestants out of their comfort zones and strengthen them to perform stunts in the scenic locales of Argentina. With the God of action – Rohit Shetty as the host, the entertainment will only sore high. Justice will prevail as a lot of cases will be discussed in the Courtroom from the crime till the verdict. Courtroom is a fictionalised series of real-life court cases that will showcase the journey of a victim from the crime to the verdict. Revisiting the past, we will have another show, titled Jhansi which will narrate the story of Rani Lakshmibai who fought against the British with all her grit.
