As reality shows gain ground and major channels battle for viewers through them, Star Plus has decided to steer away from the trend for their weekend lineup. Their last two reality shows, Survivor and Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, didn’t deliver the expected TRPs and that could be the reason behind the shift to fiction. Nachiket Pantvaidya, GM, Star Plus says, “We are populating the weekends as there’s major competition in that slot. We will differentiate from others by giving the audiences love stories and an action drama. Reality shows are actually audience aggregators on TV.

People who don’t watch serials usually tune into reality shows. Also, traditionally, audiences watch movies over weekends, so we’ll give viewers a new experience with episodic series, which are like short films.”

The shows — an action-crime investigation series titled Arjun and a short film-like format titled Teri Meri Love Stories (TMLS) — will air on August 11 from 8 pm onwards. TMLS portrays gripping stories of people who succumb to the pressures of life and let love take a back seat. About the 90-minutes series set in urban India, Nachiket says, “These short stories will be unlike the long-drawn ones we see on weekdays and they’ll be helmed by different directors. Every episode will draw in a different kind of audience depending on the show. So a variety of love stories will be touched upon.” Well-known directors like Rahul Dholakia will be part of the series. Arjun too is being shot by well-known TV director Gorkhy. The action-crime investigation series will see the protagonist’s unmatched instinct and aptitude to solve cases.