M&S is a classy, satirical show: Shekhar Suman

Host Shekhar Suman explains why Movers and Shakers' second season didn’t find takers on Sab TV. According to him, people like sticking to their favourite channels and don’t watch their favourite shows on other channels.

Shekhar Suman’s Movers and Shakers (M&S) was a huge hit in the ’90s. It was aired on Sony back then. And when season two was launched on Sab TV this March, everyone expected it to do just as well. But nothing happened.

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“Basically, the channel and M&S’s DNA didn’t match. The show opened at par with the first season’s ratings, but later hovered at 0.7-0.8 TRPs. The channel is very massy and caters to comedy shows. But M&S is a classy, satirical show. Had M&S been on another channel, it might have been more successful,” says actor-host Shekhar.

According to him, Anooj Kapoor, CEO, Sab TV, was a huge help. Both of them were excited about M&S, but they soon realised that the channel’s audience matters a lot.

“It’s like shifting KBC from Sony to another channel. Though it only takes the click of a remote button to change the channel, the mindset is different. People like sticking to their favourite channels. They don’t watch their favourite shows on other channels,” says Shekhar, adding, “The biggest mistake we made was to feature a lot of TV stars. Fans don’t consider TV actors celebrities. These strategic mistakes cost us. Later, when the production house changed hands, they introduced a game show element with celebs, which didn’t make sense.” Though he didn’t say it directly, Shekhar did imply that he may try taking M&S season three to another channel.

Meanwhile, he is hoping to make a comeback to acting. “Dekh Bhai Dekh is in the process of returning to TV. I’m also working on a sitcom with kids.”