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After the super success of Sex & The City as a movie, even Friends was touted as a 35 mm project. Can Indian soaps be made into reel stuff too? BT explores....
KHUSHBOO CHAWLA
Popular international sitcoms are being made into movies, which are scripting box-office records. Sex & The City for example, isn't just a small screen classic, it has also grossed $300 million worldwide in terms of box-office collections (in its big screen version) and still counting.
Even the evergreen classic Friends was considered for a big screen version, until the star cast of the show turned down the studio offer. But if Indian soaps could be immortalised into a Bollywood film, which one would the TV frat opt for? Read on to find more...
MAANINEE MISRA:
It's a scary thought. I beg all the serial makers not to make their dishy serials into movies. Honest to God, our serials live beyond their shelf life anyway. Foreign sitcoms have content, and keep the curiosity alive till the next episode. I don't know if any Indian serial has that suspense factor, that greed to know, which keeps the audience interested. Serials have a certain format of writing which is linear progression and movies have a different format — 'start-middle-end'. I could think of the old serial Alpviram and the recent Instant Khichdi being made into movies because they have a finite story line, superb writing and flawless characters and casting. Not any other serials please.
It's a scary thought. I beg all the serial makers not to make their dishy serials into movies. Honest to God, our serials live beyond their shelf life anyway. Foreign sitcoms have content, and keep the curiosity alive till the next episode. I don't know if any Indian serial has that suspense factor, that greed to know, which keeps the audience interested. Serials have a certain format of writing which is linear progression and movies have a different format — 'start-middle-end'. I could think of the old serial Alpviram and the recent Instant Khichdi being made into movies because they have a finite story line, superb writing and flawless characters and casting. Not any other serials please.
JENNIFER WINGET:
The idea has its merits for sure. Will a movie version of a TV show work? Its success will depend on a lot of factors. It's a risk that one has to take. But if it happens, it will be a great boost for the television industry which is already doing very well. So far we have copied from movies, we see a scene and we like it and incorporate it in our format. Films doing that will be so cool. It would be a step ahead towards success as it will bring the TV and the movie industry at par. Given a choice I would like to see Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai as a movie.
The idea has its merits for sure. Will a movie version of a TV show work? Its success will depend on a lot of factors. It's a risk that one has to take. But if it happens, it will be a great boost for the television industry which is already doing very well. So far we have copied from movies, we see a scene and we like it and incorporate it in our format. Films doing that will be so cool. It would be a step ahead towards success as it will bring the TV and the movie industry at par. Given a choice I would like to see Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai as a movie.
VIVAN BATHENA:
I don't see any particular Indian show with such distinct individuality. Ekta Kapoor with her budget could probably make a movie but I don't see saas bahu sagas like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi making a huge difference. TV is a different medium and it should be kept that way. A sitcom of a different genre (like Chhoona Hai Asmaan) could still me made into a movie. These shows have exploited every possible angle of the story. What else will they do? Get all characters married and divorced in those three hours?
I don't see any particular Indian show with such distinct individuality. Ekta Kapoor with her budget could probably make a movie but I don't see saas bahu sagas like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi making a huge difference. TV is a different medium and it should be kept that way. A sitcom of a different genre (like Chhoona Hai Asmaan) could still me made into a movie. These shows have exploited every possible angle of the story. What else will they do? Get all characters married and divorced in those three hours?
CHAITANYA CHOUDHRY:
Foreign sitcoms have proper story lines and characterisations which have a long lasting flavour to them. They go on for 10 years and so many seasons and are popular. In India, soaps consist of family drama more than anything else. One scene is over and you are waiting for the next. There is no recall value unlike shows like Friends where fans remember each utterance. Sex And The City and Friends were landmark shows. Maybe some old serials did have the capacity to be made into a movie but definitely not the new ones. But if a movie has to be made, shows like Remix, Left Right Left, FIR could be decent alternatives.
Foreign sitcoms have proper story lines and characterisations which have a long lasting flavour to them. They go on for 10 years and so many seasons and are popular. In India, soaps consist of family drama more than anything else. One scene is over and you are waiting for the next. There is no recall value unlike shows like Friends where fans remember each utterance. Sex And The City and Friends were landmark shows. Maybe some old serials did have the capacity to be made into a movie but definitely not the new ones. But if a movie has to be made, shows like Remix, Left Right Left, FIR could be decent alternatives.
DEVEN BHOJANI:
Yes, why not? Indian shows can be made into movies. We are making Instant Khichdi into a movie. The work has started at the script level. Aatish Kapadia would be directing it. We will bring in the Hindi film commercial aspect of hero-heroine to the movie but in a Khichdi way. This will fetch us large audience base and add a new freshness that's required. We are very excited about this and hope for the best.
Yes, why not? Indian shows can be made into movies. We are making Instant Khichdi into a movie. The work has started at the script level. Aatish Kapadia would be directing it. We will bring in the Hindi film commercial aspect of hero-heroine to the movie but in a Khichdi way. This will fetch us large audience base and add a new freshness that's required. We are very excited about this and hope for the best.
SANJEEDA SHAIKH:
In India, TV sitcoms are inspired from movies. For instance, producer Ekta Kapoor is highly inspired by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Karan Johar and others. When explaining the treatment of a scene to her directors, she refers to movies. I feel my show Kayamath is a copy of the movie Aaina where I play Amrita Singh. I think TV serials can copy from movies but they cannot be made into movies.
In India, TV sitcoms are inspired from movies. For instance, producer Ekta Kapoor is highly inspired by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Karan Johar and others. When explaining the treatment of a scene to her directors, she refers to movies. I feel my show Kayamath is a copy of the movie Aaina where I play Amrita Singh. I think TV serials can copy from movies but they cannot be made into movies.
A still from Sex & The City
Source: ePaper Times of India
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