http://www.asianage.com/tv/keeping-soap-war-alive-985Keeping the soap war alive24 May 2014From killing characters and reviving old one, makers of our shows go to any length to stay ahead in the TRP gameDhrashti Dhami with Gunjan Utreja in
Madhubala. Utreja's role was axed due to poor TRPs
The TRP war not only keeps the channels on the lookout for great storylines for soaps, it also ensures that hit shows are never dropped. If the story is not going anywhere or the characters are becoming monotonous, the writers ensure that the proverbial twist in the tale always comes as a savior.
From
revealing the future storyline,
introducing time leaps (
Madhubala) to
killing off characters to
bringing back dead ones a la JR in
Dallas, channels go to any lengths to milk a soap to its last drop.
Sometimes this works, while at other times it backfires.
We speak with directors and writers of well-known shows about the logic behind this.
Writer of
Madhubala and
Rang Rasiya, Gautam Hegde, says, "We have to plan the show when we begin.
For the first two weeks we have to keep a tab on what works and thereafter go ahead with the writing.
We need to judge the pulse of the audiences while keeping the TRP ratings intact. In case certain characters are not picking up, at that point of time we can keep them for revival.
For example,
Madhubala being the title, we cannot keep Dhrusthi (Dhami) away from the show.Thus
after RK was replaced by Abhay Kapoor, when we felt that the character was not working, we decided to bring RK back in."
"I quit
Madhubala recently and I am concentrating on
Rang Rasiya," he adds.
Writer and director of shows like
Kasautii Zindagi Kay,
Uttaran,
Bade Achhe...,
Madhubala, etc. Ravindera Gautam says, "Yes,
as a writer you are asked to make changes in the script quiet suddenly. But we are all used to it and are prepared. It's a part of our profession now...
Conceptualising a show needs a lot of brain-storming between writers, producers and channel authorities. Also, we try to bring in characters in order to bring a fresh feel as well.
And
if the audience's response is good, we continue with it else we try for some different drama and thrill."
Edited by leelaa9 - 11 years ago