TOI: High voltage drama ruling TV-Rajan Shahi

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It's daily soaps that add much froth to the small screen. And an element of drama has always been a part of soaps to keep the viewers glued to the screen. But it has gone a notch higher as it's 'high-voltage' drama happening across for General Entertainment Channels (GECs). Spice it up and grab more eyeballs — that's the mantra GECs swear by to survive in a highly competitive TRP battle. And this time it's going to be tough as the spotlight is on December 19, 2012 when the cumulative TRPs for straight eight weeks will be out. And to get the maximum mileage, all the producers and channels are leaving no stone unturned.

Talk of any show, be it Diya Aur Baati Hum where the main track of Suraj supporting Sandhya's career interest is being worked out, BalikaVadhu's Anandi and Shiv's wedding spinning out twist and turns,Madhubala where RK's ex-flame will try to woo him, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? where Khushi gets to know Aarav is Arnav's son, PavitraRishta's Manav and Archana's conflict with her sister to have their son back, or Mona and Pradeep's divorce issue in Kya Huaa Tera Vaadaand lots more. All the shows are in a mad rush to make it more racy, spicy and gripping.
Ask the soap makers about the need for adding so much of drama? Producer Rajan Shahi shares, "Drama is important for any daily soap. And in any daily soap, there's a high point after every few weeks for the ongoing track — also, there is a lot of excitement in the air during the festive season, hence high drama. Drama, conflicts, and problems in protagonists' lives are the obvious things to be portrayed in any story." Agrees producer Saurabh Tewari. "Currently, it is the last quarter of the year — so the performance will decide on the survival and future of any show. New shows will be taken up by channels after this quarter end. Moreover, during festive season, one needs strong storylines to hold people's interest."

So, is by any chance the cumulative TRPs of eight weeks the reason to this dramatic situation in daily soaps? Producer Sudhir Sharma says, "I don't think cumulative TRPs is the only reason. Viewers love their share of drama in soaps and new tracks are introduced from time to time. It enhances the pace of storyline and since no TRPs are coming, most producers are now experimenting. TRPs will indicate what audiences loved and what they ignored. Since weekly TRPs are not coming now, tracks are being worked out on a longer term basis." Shahi shares, "Collective TRPs are not a reason for high drama because our stories are planned out a couple of months in advance, so this was all of a sudden decision from TAM India and that doesn't bring in any change in content for us."

Though it is clearly visible that cumulative TRPs are the anxiety factor for channels and producers (hence the drama effect). The TRPs will surely tell on December 19 who's winning the battle in the end.