Desi flavour to foreign formats is key to OTT success

India’s tryst with adaptations of foreign formats started with reality shows when private television was still young. Broadcasters adapted foreign shows to create reality TV like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, ‘Indian Idol’, ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ and ‘Bigg Boss’, among others

The second season of ‘Rana Naidu’, the widely watched action crime drama on Netflix is currently under production, keeping Sunder Aaron, co-founder and managing partner at the production firm Locomotive Global Inc, on his toes. ‘Rana Naidu’ is an adaptation of American crime series ‘Ray Donovan’, adapted to suit Indian tastes. Mautik Tolia, managing director, Bodhitree Multimedia Limited, meanwhile, has just put out ‘Gunaah’ on Disney+Hotstar that’s based on ‘Ezel’, a Turkish series. Banijay Asia’s adaptation of British series ‘The Night Manager’ for Disney+Hotstar turned out to be the most watched Hotstar Specials’ show on the platform last year.

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The content slate of Banijay Asia and EndemolShine India, the makers of ‘MasterChef’, ‘Bigg Boss’ and ‘Night Manager’, is almost 50:50 between foreign formats and Indian originals, said Mrinalini Jain, group chief development officer for the production house. The company has licenses to adapt the American series ‘Monk,’ ‘House’, and more recently, they have acquired the rights to the new UK series ‘The Tourist’.

Bodhitree is sitting on licenses for a couple of international shows, the details of which Tolia declined to share though the second season of ‘Class’, the critically acclaimed series for Netflix based on the Spanish show ‘Elite’, is “under development,” he said. Aaron’s Locomotive Global, too, is adapting ‘The Jungle Book’, the award-winning ‘Boat Story’ and another award winning American romantic drama being helmed by Hansal Mehta.

India’s tryst with adaptations of foreign formats started with reality shows when private television was still young. Broadcasters adapted foreign shows to create reality TV like ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, ‘Indian Idol’, ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ and ‘Bigg Boss’, among others. “The Indian broadcast television format did not lend itself to international adaptations of scripted dramas but the influx of streaming services gave that opportunity,” said Aaron.

The proliferation of OTT platforms and the need for vast volumes of content boosted scripted show adaptations even though over time more Indian originals made their way to the platforms. But once again there seems to be a renewed appetite for foreign formats.

While there is no dearth of local ideas, the track record of international IPs makes life easier both for platforms and producers. “’Rana Naidu’s’ original ‘Ray Donovan’ was an award-winning series on Showtime. Basically, the show is mapped out, you know the arcs, the story and the characters,” said Aaron.

Jain said international IPs are tried and tested and easier to sell to platforms. Also, the gestation period of formats is shorter than originals as the story and episodes have a ready reference.

Aaron feels the Indian OTT storytelling industry is still young and learning while the US has been writing scripted premium dramas for 40 years. Good writers, show runners and directors are now emerging with established ones like Karan Anshuman, Nikhil Advani or Neeraj Pandey being much sought after, he said.

Producers and platforms pick formats that resonate among Indians. “Now Turkish and Korean shows are being adapted as they are stories driven more by relationship and emotions,” Bodhitree’s Tolia said. Sometimes a platform is seeking a specific genre. “With ‘Class’ it was clear Netflix wanted a youth show but with a broader base to appeal to the older audiences as well,” he said.

OTTs may increasingly be sticking with adaptations to tide over their challenges. “Globally, there’s been a bit of a slowdown in the streaming business and several platforms in India are subsidiaries of the global companies. So even though India is somewhat insulated, we’re not immune,” Aaron said. Platforms rationalizing expenditures on original series and films in India need reliable shows. “So, while you pay a license fee for the format, you are potentially shortening the development cycle resulting in cost savings,” said Aaron.

Banijay’s Jain believes that viewers don’t care if the show is an Indian original or a foreign format. “Most viewers didn’t know ‘Night Manager’ was an adaptation. They came to see Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor. The key lies in hyper-localization,” she said.

Clearly, the trend is here to stay, especially since there’s greater exposure to well-written international shows from Spain, Italy, Turkey, Israel and Korea other than the US and the UK.

But wouldn’t watching dubbed or subtitled foreign shows suffice?

“That’s a miniscule percentage of viewers. To reach a wider audience, a ‘Ray Donovan’ has to be made as ‘Rana Naidu’,” said Aaron. “Everyone wants to see a story in their own milieu.”