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It was inevitable - one of these days the rural bubble on Indian television was set to burst, and three months into the New Year, it is happening! Shows that dominated Indian television so far have had an overarching rural backdrop. But off late, the audiences seem to have gotten bored.
The New Year saw a new leader emerging among the GECs. The No 1 channel that ruled the roost for long with rural themed shows is now at No 3 position. In what is seen as a victory of the underdog, the GEC that was languishing at No 3 slot for long, shot to No 1 position and the second place was occupied by another who didn't have many rural based shows. "Pavitra Rishta", based in Mumbai, has been the clear winner for a long time. "Saath Nibhana... Saathiya" and " Sasural Genda" propelled the channel to No 2 position. Surprisingly, it's "Laagi Tujhse Lagan", based on a gangster backdrop, that's been the saviour for the channel at No 3 position.
Industry buzz suggests that GECs have gone into a huddle to bring about a change in their program strategy. So much so, that the Hindi adaptation of a Tamil daily "Kudesan"- reworked to be based on land grabbing in rural Punjab, has been scrapped. "Shows with rural settings worked. But people's taste changes from time to time and likewise the content of television," quips producer Siddharth Tewary. Accepting that the writing's on the wall, Tewary says, "It depends on how interesting the story is and how it's told --- be it rural or urban. There have been many rural backdrop shows around, so obviously makers and audiences want change." Incidentally post " phulwa" Tewary's new show is "Navvya". "It has a middle class urban backdrop," says the producer.
What's also interesting to note is that many existing shows, that were once the TRP drivers, are slowly but surely shifting the scenario to a big town and urban setting. "Naa Aana Iss Des... Laado" has shifted from a Haryana village to delhi, "Rang Badalti Odhani" traveled from Bhuj to Mumbai, "Balika Vadhu" is now concentrating on a city-based track, "Sanskaar Lakshmi" is about a village girl married and adapting to her new family in the big bad city. "I agree that there has been overdose of rural concepts in the past three years. It's a phase. Besides, success formulas are replicated everywhere in the world," says producer Yash Patnaik.
Explaining why "Rang Badalti Odhani" shifted to the city, he says, "It was originally planned to move to the city after 20 episodes as the story revolves around a South mumbai boy and Bhuj ki ladki. Plus the channel caters to urban audience," he explains. Producer Rajan Shahi feels that the change was inevitable, "Well, I have been noticing the trend. The TRP charts say it all. It was bound to happen because all the shows on TV had the same template and began looking similar. Nine out of 10 dailies were rural. The one that stood out had some town flavour, so it grabbed eyeballs," he explains.
With the GECs going into a huddle, a new programming template is about to be put in place. And more dailies might get scrapped if the current trend continues.
The New Year saw a new leader emerging among the GECs. The No 1 channel that ruled the roost for long with rural themed shows is now at No 3 position. In what is seen as a victory of the underdog, the GEC that was languishing at No 3 slot for long, shot to No 1 position and the second place was occupied by another who didn't have many rural based shows. "Pavitra Rishta", based in Mumbai, has been the clear winner for a long time. "Saath Nibhana... Saathiya" and " Sasural Genda" propelled the channel to No 2 position. Surprisingly, it's "Laagi Tujhse Lagan", based on a gangster backdrop, that's been the saviour for the channel at No 3 position.
Industry buzz suggests that GECs have gone into a huddle to bring about a change in their program strategy. So much so, that the Hindi adaptation of a Tamil daily "Kudesan"- reworked to be based on land grabbing in rural Punjab, has been scrapped. "Shows with rural settings worked. But people's taste changes from time to time and likewise the content of television," quips producer Siddharth Tewary. Accepting that the writing's on the wall, Tewary says, "It depends on how interesting the story is and how it's told --- be it rural or urban. There have been many rural backdrop shows around, so obviously makers and audiences want change." Incidentally post " phulwa" Tewary's new show is "Navvya". "It has a middle class urban backdrop," says the producer.
What's also interesting to note is that many existing shows, that were once the TRP drivers, are slowly but surely shifting the scenario to a big town and urban setting. "Naa Aana Iss Des... Laado" has shifted from a Haryana village to delhi, "Rang Badalti Odhani" traveled from Bhuj to Mumbai, "Balika Vadhu" is now concentrating on a city-based track, "Sanskaar Lakshmi" is about a village girl married and adapting to her new family in the big bad city. "I agree that there has been overdose of rural concepts in the past three years. It's a phase. Besides, success formulas are replicated everywhere in the world," says producer Yash Patnaik.
Explaining why "Rang Badalti Odhani" shifted to the city, he says, "It was originally planned to move to the city after 20 episodes as the story revolves around a South mumbai boy and Bhuj ki ladki. Plus the channel caters to urban audience," he explains. Producer Rajan Shahi feels that the change was inevitable, "Well, I have been noticing the trend. The TRP charts say it all. It was bound to happen because all the shows on TV had the same template and began looking similar. Nine out of 10 dailies were rural. The one that stood out had some town flavour, so it grabbed eyeballs," he explains.
With the GECs going into a huddle, a new programming template is about to be put in place. And more dailies might get scrapped if the current trend continues.
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