Amitabh Bachchan and Ram Kapoor: Superstars of TV

Guess, who is the biggest star on television? You probably got it right. It is the Big B. Mr Bachchan heads the list in the non-fiction category according to the ninth edition of media research firm Ormax Media’s quarterly study Characters India Loves (CIL). He commanded a staggering 57 per cent share in the CIL study conducted in October 2011 among 3477 respondents in six cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Indore and Jalandhar) the 15-44 year age group. Mr Bachchan walked away with the emperor’s title thanks to his phenomenal performance as the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati which has seen Sony Entertainment Television claw back in the top 3 channel pecking order. Ram Kapoor, on the other hand, collected 12 per cent of the votes in the fiction category, beating back strong contender such as Dilip Joshi (Taraak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah), Sakshi Tanwar, among others. Ram raced up the charts thanks to the outstanding storyline and series put out by the Balaji Telefilms creative team in the Sony Entertainment Television show Bade Achhe Lagte Hain. The chemistry between him and his co-star has simply made them the heartthrobs of urban India. Clearly, Sony Entertainment’s star is on the ascendant - at least in the six cities – if one guys by the results of the study. Both the stars who lead are on the channel’s shows. TV fans who are rooting for other stars need not get disappointed. The survery covers only six cities. If a broader study is conducted, there could be some surprises in store in terms of other fiction stars emerging as the leaders. Until that is done, it’s cheers to Big B and Ram!!!