Heartbreak

Ekta Kapoor’s show, Beyttab Dil Ki Tamanna Hai, may soon be taken off air. Rachana Dubey tells more.

It’s only been close to eight weeks since Ekta Kapoor’s most ambitious daily soap, Beyttab Dil Ki Tamanna Hai, went on air. But the buzz is that the four-days-a-week show might go off air by the end of December or early next year. Industry sources indicate various reasons, including poor ratings.

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According to sources, the promotion budget for the show, set by Sony, was approximately Rs 20 crore. The channel had made lesser investment on promoting the other show, also produced by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, which started a day after Beyttab... on October 7, titled Pyaar Ka Bandhan.

Sources indicate that the channel doesn’t seem to feel a loss on the latter because the returns in the form of ratings and ad revenue have been fair so far. Danish Khan of Sony says, “The show hasn’t lived up to our hopes in terms of ratings, but I am sure it would pick up. As of now, we are not planning to axe the show.”

A channel insider on the condition of anonymity, however, points out that Sony is planning to review the show in the next 10-12 days and decide whether it wants to continue with it or just shut it abruptly.

When contacted, Ekta Kapoor says, “I have heard rumours that my show might be axed. I plan to review it in January.

It hasn’t performed as nicely as I had thought it would.”