UTV Bindass to launch a counter-terrorism show

You're going to see "Dada Vishal' lashing out his anger through his colourful vocabulary one more time. Youth channel, UTV Bindass, has launched yet another reality show called Commando Force: Dadagiri Against Terrorism. The channel has partnered wth ex-Army commando captains namely Capt Albert Louis, Capt Kshitij Sharma and Capt Dharamveer Singh to train 14 young Indian citizens by throwing them in military situations.

By announcing the launch of Bindass D3 Commando Force: Dadagiri Against Terrorism, the channel says it reinstates its spirit of speaking the youth language by moving in for a head-on collision to tackle terrorism. The show is scheduled to live on UTV Bindass, starting May 8th. UTV is expected to pump in Rs 40 million to market and promote the reality show.

The interesting and wildly exciting fact is that Bindass D3 Commando Force is going to be the first reality show on Indian television to use real weapons, tactics and discipline of military units. The contestants are going to put up at a state-of-the-art training centre in Kolwel, near Goa, and will be put through arduous tasks lined up for real-time commando training such as jungle survival tactics, water landings, night navigations, bootcamp drills, fitness and weapon training, all designed to put them through a tough journey.

The channel got an overwhelming response when more than 6500 civilians turned up for the auditions. In an official statement, Nikhil Gandhi, Business Head, UTV Bindass said, "D3 Commando force is our answer to the rampant acts of terror, on the rise in our nation. Setting off with an objective to educate the torch bearer's of tomorrow, D3 Commando Force is dedicated to imparting knowledge on being socially responsible, fearless and intrepid, in today's times. Joining hands with the Indian Armed Forces, we take this campaign against terrorism to an-all-new-level and hope to create a new breed of young, confident and capable citizens, who will be armed to fight this war of terror"

Adding to Gandhi's statement, Shalini Sheth, Programming Head, UTV Bindass said, "We take pride to be the pioneers in conceptualizing a reality show on terrorism. Setting the stage for an experience-of-a-lifetime, the ideology to make 14 contestants undergo the trials & tribulations of the Indian Army, UTV Bindass offers the nation a peek into their lives. Making the show participants empathize on the pride that flows through their veins, the channel urges them to revisit the defense forces as a possible career option."

UTV Bindass took to a mix of aggressive on-ground activities and during the audition phase, warzone like set up at the malls were designed and on-lookers participated in live commando training sessions. To further cement the show's popularity, extensive promo push activity was initiated from 1st April onwards on Bindass and the network channels. As a promotional campaign, the channel aired 40-second promos during Kasab's verdict on channels like CNN IBN and NDTV 24x7. The show promoters also entered into a deal with radio channel Radio Mirchi in Mumbai, Delhi/NCR, Lucknow, Pune and Ahemadabad sections. The promotions are slated to run on Friday and Saturday every week till 22nd May. In addition to the print-based promotion, UTV Bindass is going all-out and indulging in internet activities like site capture and e-mailers. There is also an aggressive OOH promotion designed for the reality-show.

Adgully connected with Kanika Mohan Saxena, AVP ' Marketing, UTV Bindass, and speaking exclusively with us, she zealously said that the show is essentially going to be for everyone, despite of being targeted to a particular age-group. "We are targeting sections A and aim to enter 1.2 million households. But since it (the show) talks about combating terrorism and abuse, it is for all," Saxena said.

Talking about the budget involved in its promotional activities, Saxena shared that 40 million is the allocated budget which has been divided into 2 phases. She said, "One was the audition phase and now, before the launch of the show, is the current phase."

The show has 11 episodes spread over a span of 11 weeks, with two audition episodes, eight main episodes and one grand finale that will be shown airing from May 8, 2010 onwards. Giving out this statement as a special message, Saxena urged the nation to support the cause and said, "This issue plagues one and all. Instead of blaming the government, we should take action ourselves and raise our voices against abuse and terrorism. Only then can we bring about a change in the society."