Colors to share Jai Shri Krishna with Nick, but with a different touch

The mythological serial will be aired on Nick in a narrative format, minus the violence

Viacom's channels, Colors and Nick, have decided to share content, but with a different touch. Nick will telecast a modified version of Colors' popular soap, Jai Shri Krishna, starting next Sunday. Colors is a general entertainment channel and Nick is a children’s channel, so the content has been customised to suit Nick's target group.

Jai Shri Krishna is a mythological soap aired on Colors at 8.30 pm from Monday to Friday. The show is based on the life of Krishna, a Hindu god and a character in the mythological epic, Mahabharata. Along with commanding a family audience, it also has a substantial following amongst children. Airing it on Nick was thus a strategic decision.

Starting January 18, Jai Shri Krishna will be aired on Nick at 9 am every Sunday. A repeat telecast will be aired on the following Saturday.

The differentiator is that Nick will showcase a faster-paced, crisper and simpler version of the original show. It will be free of violence, with new packaging to which kids can relate easily.

Each episode of the hour-long show will be narrated by a grandmother, who will introduce the characters and demystify the mythology for the viewers.

Talking to afaqs! about the redesigned epic show, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, senior vice-president and general manager, Nick India, says, “We wanted to include a mythology show to the channel's programming mix. That’s how we came up with the idea of airing Jai Shri Krishna minus the violence.”

“The show will narrate an uncomplicated story – from a kid's point of view,” she adds.

Nick has re-edited and customised the show to make it more engaging for children. “True to the standards of Nick, we have deleted all the bloodshed and violence from the show. With this show, kids will be able to relate to a real-life kid rather than a cartoon character,” says Jaipuria.

Nick has also come up with a catchy music video and a contemporary title song created exclusively for the show and sung by a young boy. The background score of the song has also been altered to suit kids’ tastes. The show has a new montage as well.

Facing a global meltdown, Nick is adopting a strategy to leverage the resources of its network. Jaipuria says that in order to provide good content, the channel plans to optimise resources and leverage the strength of its network.