Vampires make a comeback on Indian telly with 'Fannah'

Vampires have been a relatively unknown species on Indian television but the makers of 'Fannah', which depicts a love story between a human and an undead, are hoping to change that with their show.
'Fannah' stars TV's popular faces Karan Kundra, Ritwik Dhanjani and newcomer Chetna Pande. Despite facing criticism from the Indian fans of Hollywood series 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'Twilight', the stars don't see any competition. The show will be aired on MTV from July 21.
"We are not bothered about the comparisons because the similarity between the two shows ends at the fact that they are vampire dramas. Beyond this, our show is original in concept and script. 'Fannah' will be a show of its kind," said Chetna, who is making her television debut with the show.

'Kitni Mohabbat Hai' star Karan Kundra feels the fresh story and the fact that the show will have seasons will attract audiences and says he does not see any competition with the 'The Vampire Diaries' or the 'Twilight' series.
"Our audience is not the one who enjoys this Hollywood show. We are not aiming at any competition with it or the movie. We know people who have already watched this stuff will not see our show, so I would rather focus on making the show enjoyable for the fans who will be watching something like this for the first time," Karan, who plays a vampire in the show, told PTI.

Chetna feels that it is not possible to lift the Hollywood fantasy drama because the audiences are different in India.

"They make the show according to their audience, which will not work here," she said.
Closer home, a human-vampire love story, 'Pyar Kii Ek Kahaani', starring Sukirti Khandpal and Vivian D Sena, aired on Star One and was noted for its similarity with 'Twilight'.
Chetna, however, says 'Fannah' is an original concept.
"It is a package of mystery, magic and it's all together for different show. The way it is being made, it's equivalent to an Indian film. There are so many things, like action sequences, that will be too new for the audience. I feel our show will start from where 'Pyar...' finished. It will be ahead of it. The dark side shown in the promos is exciting," she said.