Shows and TRP-an article in Times of India.

They are on different channels and time bands. They peddle as different stories as well.

Though it might hold true, on closer inspection, most shows on the small screen follow a hackneyed screenplay. Be it the 'time-standing-still'eye-lock between the couple, dupatta flying in the air or even the love-hate relationship between the lead pair'the scenes are rendered common in almost all shows on the idiot box today. One is left asking if the ploy is to simply follow the formula or a lack of creativity. "In that case, most of the films follow the same formula as well," defends co-producer Raakesh Paswan of shows like " Sabki Jodi Wohi Banata... Bhagyavidhata" and " Baba Aiso Var Dhoondo."

"If a show runs for a year, it's because of the content. The competition on the small screen is tough. Yes, to a certain extent the stuff is similar but then all shows need to have a nice romantic angle," he reasons. "I wouldn't really call it lack of creativity," says producer Sudhir Sharma of "Miley Jab Hum Tum." "If the show is a love story then the aim is to establish the lead couple and that must be done aesthetically. Some people resort to clichs while others try and break from them, both of which are fine because both work if done well," says Sharma. Yashashri Masurkar who plays the lead in "Rang Badalti... Odhani" feels that the clichd romantic track in TV shows work in a big way. "Simple romantic sequences work well on TV. The hero and heroine are different, but the flavour remains the same."

However, Saurabh Tewari, Senior VP and head of programming for a GEC agrees that there is a lack of creativity. "Television today lacks creativity. There are few writers and channel heads interested in doing different stuff. This kind of story telling is being blindly followed, because in the past few shows on similar lines worked. What nobody realizes is content should decide the TRPs and not the other way round," affirms Tewari.

While the shows play catch-up with one another, the pattern they follow render them looking similar, even though for a few scenes. This, is an area of concern. "Yes, sometimes people do get confused because of the similarity in scenes. However, the concept of these shows is not the same," argues Paswan. But Tewari is more critical, "Today most shows look like carbon copies and that's the reason the success ratio is 1:10. Only one in every 10 fiction shows launched succeed because the rest simply follow it."

With the attention span of the audience dwindling, aren't the makers taking a big gamble with hackneyed screenplays? "The golden rule on TV today is ' when the show works, stay with the story. You spend the story when you have a floating audience," explains Yash Patnaik, co-producer of the show ... "Odhani". "I don't think the attention span of the audience is short when it comes to romance. Everyone loves to watch it even if they have seen it in slightly different way. Basically love stories rule,"says an optimistic Sharma. Tewari however, has a word of caution. "It's a big gamble. But most of them still decide to go with it because they feel it's safe. The most unsafe thing in television today is to play safe."