Posted:
Kahaani mein twist
13 Sep 2007, 1525 hrs IST
,NEHAL PAREKH,TNN
As popular television soaps opt for major twists in their plots, AT gets the real picture.
Much like real life, change is the only constant on small screen soaps. From revamping shows with a brand new cast (Kajjal), changing the look of a show (by designing a new wardrobe for the cast in Left Right Left), killing off lead characters (Karan-Nandini meeting with an accident in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi), 'dead' men walking back with new faces (thanks to plastic surgery and replacement actors, like Aman Verma as Om in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Gautami Kapoor as Tulsi in Kyunki... , Ronit Roy as a new look Mr Bajaj in Kasautii Zindagi Kay and Hiten Tejwani as Anurag in Kasautii..., the list goes on). Are twists in the soaps meant to give sagging TRPs a boost?
What prompts shows to have complete makeovers in terms of look? "If a story itself is going through transition then sets and locations need modification. It's not always done consciously or strategically. If shots are taken on new and good locations then it makes the soap more fascinating. Of course, TRPs is a reason too," confesses Persis Temul, creative head of Left Right Left.
Sometimes, lead actors in daily soaps also want a break from playing the same character. Like Kajjal's romantic lead characters —Surveen Chawla and Apoorva Agnihotri — didn't want to be part of the mandatory 20-year leap the soap was taking and opted out. The production house got a new star cast and changed the plot to a reincarnation story. Meesha Gautam, creative head of Kajjal, says, "It's very important to bring in changes otherwise the story becomes stagnant. Moreover, when actors start losing interest, they don't work with the same zeal, for which the entire production suffers.
Agrees actor Vikas Manaktala, "We get bored of shooting the same type of scenes after sometime. Even the audience gets bored of watching the same thing everyday. If a few things are reworked then it helps recreate interest amongst audience. And though such changes are not solely made for bringing up the TRPs, they do help increase viewership." Gautam says, "Adding new twists to existing soaps is better than coming up with a new soap that requires publicity cost.
According to actor Aman Verma, "Changes on soaps are bound to happen as a producer has to deal with things like date problems, actors leaving the soap, TRPs falling and so on." Ashish Kaul, executive vice president of a general entertainment channel, says, "Twists in the story are used as tools to add value to the soap. It's a temporary treatment given for improvisation.
So the next time you wonder what's provoking the twists and turns in your favourite daily soap, look no further.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Kahaani_m ein_twist/articleshow/2365308.cms
13 Sep 2007, 1525 hrs IST
,NEHAL PAREKH,TNNAs popular television soaps opt for major twists in their plots, AT gets the real picture.
Much like real life, change is the only constant on small screen soaps. From revamping shows with a brand new cast (Kajjal), changing the look of a show (by designing a new wardrobe for the cast in Left Right Left), killing off lead characters (Karan-Nandini meeting with an accident in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi), 'dead' men walking back with new faces (thanks to plastic surgery and replacement actors, like Aman Verma as Om in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Gautami Kapoor as Tulsi in Kyunki... , Ronit Roy as a new look Mr Bajaj in Kasautii Zindagi Kay and Hiten Tejwani as Anurag in Kasautii..., the list goes on). Are twists in the soaps meant to give sagging TRPs a boost?
What prompts shows to have complete makeovers in terms of look? "If a story itself is going through transition then sets and locations need modification. It's not always done consciously or strategically. If shots are taken on new and good locations then it makes the soap more fascinating. Of course, TRPs is a reason too," confesses Persis Temul, creative head of Left Right Left.
Sometimes, lead actors in daily soaps also want a break from playing the same character. Like Kajjal's romantic lead characters —Surveen Chawla and Apoorva Agnihotri — didn't want to be part of the mandatory 20-year leap the soap was taking and opted out. The production house got a new star cast and changed the plot to a reincarnation story. Meesha Gautam, creative head of Kajjal, says, "It's very important to bring in changes otherwise the story becomes stagnant. Moreover, when actors start losing interest, they don't work with the same zeal, for which the entire production suffers.
Agrees actor Vikas Manaktala, "We get bored of shooting the same type of scenes after sometime. Even the audience gets bored of watching the same thing everyday. If a few things are reworked then it helps recreate interest amongst audience. And though such changes are not solely made for bringing up the TRPs, they do help increase viewership." Gautam says, "Adding new twists to existing soaps is better than coming up with a new soap that requires publicity cost.
According to actor Aman Verma, "Changes on soaps are bound to happen as a producer has to deal with things like date problems, actors leaving the soap, TRPs falling and so on." Ashish Kaul, executive vice president of a general entertainment channel, says, "Twists in the story are used as tools to add value to the soap. It's a temporary treatment given for improvisation.
So the next time you wonder what's provoking the twists and turns in your favourite daily soap, look no further.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/Kahaani_m ein_twist/articleshow/2365308.cms
Kumkum Bhagya
Cricket
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
