Targetting regional audiences,
India's popular and longest running television crime show CID
has now been adapted into Bengali.
With a new set of characters and stories influenced by
the rich local culture of Bengal, CID Kolkata Bureau will be
shown on Bengali channel Sony 'Aath' from November 12.
"Our viewers are the second highest in Bengal and this
motivated us to bring a local version of the show for the
audiences here," said show's director B P Singh.
"We have to make this show better than the one in
Hindi otherwise people will not watch it," he told reporters
here today.
Started in 1998 with actor Shivaji Satam playing the
lead role as ACP Pradyuman, CID has been running successfully
for the past 15 years on Sony TV making it the small screen's
longest running show.
Singh said he is directing the first few episodes in
Bengali after which the entire production team will comprise
local people.
The characters are largely prototypes of the Hindi
series but as they are played by Bengali actors, it adds a
dash of local flavour.
Singh said the Bengali show will remain in whodunnit
format with each story based on seven policemen and a body.
"We are sticking to the format of the show. Just
adding a local flavour, local language and a story set in
Kolkata," he said.
