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Anandi has grown up and instead of battling Dadisa for her education,she now packs pooris to perfection and dreams of married life with Jagya.Another serial bites the dust as Balika Vadhu joins the legion of saasbahu shows on television.
Its not the first time either that an Indian soap has begun well, and then fallen low on expectations.
We all remember Mona Singh as the beauty beneath the braces in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin,but does anybody remember how the show ended or, for that matter, how Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi or Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki turned out eventually While the American Ugly Betty makes for interesting reruns, its desi counterpart Jassi enjoys no shelf life as television channels and producers sacrificed content for TRPs.
While the hapless viewer often wonders why a serial maker doesnt just end a show instead of dragging it, those at the helm of affairs defend the trend. Rajan Shahi, producer of Bidaai, which recently introduced new characters after a leap of six years, insists that its a formula that works and audience lap up the kitchen politics. However, he confesses, Television is huge today and so is the money riding on it.Theres definitely a need to experiment and create a benchmark, but beyond a point, I cant take a risk.
In the last couple of years, we have seen reality television push the envelope with shows like Sach Ka Saamna, which brought peoples secrets out of the bedroom and into the public drawing room and Bigg Boss, which in subsequent seasons has had people resorting to their baser instincts to survive. However, the world of soaps remains a sanitised one, with ideal bahus toiling in the kitchen in all their finery.
And,even as we look forward to the next season of reality shows Kaun Banega Crorepati or Dus Ka Dum, soaps continue without a break. Indian shows seem to lack the confidence of imports from the West, such as Friends, Two And A Half Men, Seinfeld and now White Collar that wrap up a successful seas on, knowing viewers will be waiting when they are back.
Writer Vinta Nanda, who launched Tara in the 80s,which was among the first successful Indian soaps and reminiscent of todays dramatic twists and camera angles, remembers the fatigue that set in after keeping it on for five years. She says, After three years,the actors didnt want to act,the writers didnt want to write, but we had to carry on as it was a successful show and the channel didnt want to shut it down. We must get into seasons.People want freshness after 15-20 weeks.
JD Majethia, who chose to have a second season for his successful Baa, Bahu Aur Baby, says, We were confident that the audience would still be interested. They also decided to voluntarily call it a day with the comedy Khichdi reintroduced as Instant Khichdi after a break as we found it difficult to continue being funny on a regular basis.T he script would have suffered. When a show ends well,it remains in the public mindspace.For instance, DVDs of the oldies Yeh Joh Hai Zindagi,Buniyaad or Ramayana are available,and Hum Log is being remade as Hum for Doordarshan. Purnendu Shekhar,writer of Balika Vadhu also blames the viewer.
He remarks,When I wrote Astitva,a love story between a younger man and much older woman, people would tell me Bahut thanda chal raha hai (its quite dull).I wanted to make a show about normal people, and in real life, every day is not dramatic. He accepts though, Its first business, then creativity. A new show may not click; its a big risk. And, if you were wondering why Balika Vadhu was dragging, heres the reason it originally had 26 episodes. Purnendu reveals, Content-wise, it has now reached its fifth episode.
However,things may be changing.While Vinta believes that channels are open to newer ideas, Sab TV has stuck to comedy and social satires,like Lapataganj,inspired by novelistSharad Joshis short stories. While the shows lack gloss,its a start. Anooj Kapoor,business head,Sab,says We have made a decision to stick to clean, wholesome, lighthearted stories. Yash Raj, too tried their hand with new genres on Sony, with the now ended Mahi Ve, about a spunky, overweight girls quest for love and the crime thriller Powder.
Its not the first time either that an Indian soap has begun well, and then fallen low on expectations.
We all remember Mona Singh as the beauty beneath the braces in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin,but does anybody remember how the show ended or, for that matter, how Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi or Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki turned out eventually While the American Ugly Betty makes for interesting reruns, its desi counterpart Jassi enjoys no shelf life as television channels and producers sacrificed content for TRPs.
While the hapless viewer often wonders why a serial maker doesnt just end a show instead of dragging it, those at the helm of affairs defend the trend. Rajan Shahi, producer of Bidaai, which recently introduced new characters after a leap of six years, insists that its a formula that works and audience lap up the kitchen politics. However, he confesses, Television is huge today and so is the money riding on it.Theres definitely a need to experiment and create a benchmark, but beyond a point, I cant take a risk.
In the last couple of years, we have seen reality television push the envelope with shows like Sach Ka Saamna, which brought peoples secrets out of the bedroom and into the public drawing room and Bigg Boss, which in subsequent seasons has had people resorting to their baser instincts to survive. However, the world of soaps remains a sanitised one, with ideal bahus toiling in the kitchen in all their finery.
And,even as we look forward to the next season of reality shows Kaun Banega Crorepati or Dus Ka Dum, soaps continue without a break. Indian shows seem to lack the confidence of imports from the West, such as Friends, Two And A Half Men, Seinfeld and now White Collar that wrap up a successful seas on, knowing viewers will be waiting when they are back.
Writer Vinta Nanda, who launched Tara in the 80s,which was among the first successful Indian soaps and reminiscent of todays dramatic twists and camera angles, remembers the fatigue that set in after keeping it on for five years. She says, After three years,the actors didnt want to act,the writers didnt want to write, but we had to carry on as it was a successful show and the channel didnt want to shut it down. We must get into seasons.People want freshness after 15-20 weeks.
JD Majethia, who chose to have a second season for his successful Baa, Bahu Aur Baby, says, We were confident that the audience would still be interested. They also decided to voluntarily call it a day with the comedy Khichdi reintroduced as Instant Khichdi after a break as we found it difficult to continue being funny on a regular basis.T he script would have suffered. When a show ends well,it remains in the public mindspace.For instance, DVDs of the oldies Yeh Joh Hai Zindagi,Buniyaad or Ramayana are available,and Hum Log is being remade as Hum for Doordarshan. Purnendu Shekhar,writer of Balika Vadhu also blames the viewer.
He remarks,When I wrote Astitva,a love story between a younger man and much older woman, people would tell me Bahut thanda chal raha hai (its quite dull).I wanted to make a show about normal people, and in real life, every day is not dramatic. He accepts though, Its first business, then creativity. A new show may not click; its a big risk. And, if you were wondering why Balika Vadhu was dragging, heres the reason it originally had 26 episodes. Purnendu reveals, Content-wise, it has now reached its fifth episode.
However,things may be changing.While Vinta believes that channels are open to newer ideas, Sab TV has stuck to comedy and social satires,like Lapataganj,inspired by novelistSharad Joshis short stories. While the shows lack gloss,its a start. Anooj Kapoor,business head,Sab,says We have made a decision to stick to clean, wholesome, lighthearted stories. Yash Raj, too tried their hand with new genres on Sony, with the now ended Mahi Ve, about a spunky, overweight girls quest for love and the crime thriller Powder.
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