Special Feature: Five most memorable reality shows on Sony TV

When it comes to some of the most popular reality TV shows in India, Sony Entertainment Television is the first broadcaster that pops to mind! The channel is synonymous for years of hit non-scripted reality shows. As Sony TV gears up for the launch of its original dance series ‘India’s Best Dancer’, BizAsiaLive.com looks at five of the most memorable reality TV shows on the channel.

It is worth noting that shows like ‘Bigg Boss’, ‘Fear Factor’ and ‘Jhalak Dikhhlaa Jaa’ were first broadcast on Sony TV before rights switched to rival, Colors.

Boogie Woogie
One of the most iconic dance shows in the history of Indian television, ‘Boogie Woogie’ fast became the channel’s staple show in India and internationally. It launched in 1996 and ran for seven seasons. Javed Jaffrey was the face of the show as its main judge. ‘Boogie Woogie’ also was one of the first to start special dance championships targeting individuals of different age groups. It was also one of the first to run competitions in the UK, with local participation paving the way for further success on an international level.

X Factor India
Jumping on the success of the UK version, ‘X Factor India’ proved a disappointment for the channel but had the reliability factor for UK viewers. The one and only season, which aired in May 2011 boasted of huge line-up of judges including filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and singers Shreya Ghoshal and Sonu Nigam. Despite this, the show was unable to live up to the success of the UK series, which after 20 years continues to broadcast on Saturday nights on ITV1.

10 Ka Dum
Salman Khan’s interactive game show has in its short run become one of the most popular shows in the channel’s history. The first episode of ’10 Ka Dum’ aired in June 2008 and has aired two further seasons post that. Its recent edition aired in 2018, which once again sustained its popularity. The third series enhanced the show’s interactivity with viewers being able to participate through the channel’s app.

Indian Idol
After getting off to a flying start in 2004, ‘Indian Idol’ is the channel’s flagship singing reality show. The show has churned out some very credible winners over the years including Abhijeet Sawant, Prashant Tamang, Sourabhee Debbarma and Salman Ali, amongst many others. The show initially boasted of a fixed judging panel including Anu Malik, Sonu Nigam and Farah Khan. However, over the years, other celebrities such as Sunidhi Chauhan, Kailash Kher, Asha Bhosle and more recently Neha Kakkar, have taken over seats on the panel. While, ‘Indian Idol’ has proven successful in every outing, it is worth noting that ‘Indian Idol 10′ was the show’s biggest ever, smashing ratings and giving Sony TV a huge boost, not just in India but in UK too. The show has regularly beaten Star Plus and Colors’ weekend shows over the last couple of years. The current series ends on 22nd February 2020.

Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC)
The Indian version of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ moved from Star Plus to Sony TV in 2010. The show has remained core to its original format, with a few tweaks made by its production house Big Synergy Productions over the years. Despite Shah Rukh Khan stepping in as host temporarily during the earlier part of the show’s history, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan has remained one of the major factors in the success of ‘KBC’. Known for its big money win and relateable stories by contestants, ‘KBC’ has made history for the channel, despite the original English series going off-air in recent years. In the UK, ‘KBC’ has regularly beaten rival channels in its weekday primetime slot.

‘India’s Best Dancer’ launches on Saturday 29th February. It features Malaika Arora, Geeta Kapoor and Terence Lewis as judges. As it has showcased over the years, no doubt Sony TV will have another hit reality show on its hands with this particular series.