Interesting..

It's a daily saga at the Bhatia household. Malini Bhatia grumbles as her husband Dhiru Bhatia sits glued to the tube. It's 10.30 pm and he won't miss what the Virani khandaan is up to.

By the time he's done with dinner and 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', it's time for dessert - 'Kahiin To Hoga'. If you thought it was only the women who couldn't wait for Tulsi or Parvati's plan of action, there's a twist in this kahani. Men too are addicted to it.

"It's the protagonist and one or two other main characters who really carry the serial forth and keep you wondering what will happen next. If I miss a serial, I catch the recap and you figure out most of what has happened," says Bhatia, a freelance professional who started watching serials when he fell ill a couple of years back and had just the television for entertainment.

Interior decorator Inderkishore Khosla rushes back from office in time for 'Kkusum' and 'Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin'. "Though it is an exaggerated family drama, there are times when we can identify with it," he says.

But 28-year-old R Agrawal says it's because of his uneventful life that he's hooked onto it. If he does miss them, his mum fills him in on the eventful half-hour. "Sometimes my friends do ask me why I'm watching these soaps, but I enjoy them. Rakshanda Khan is the one actress who gives the serials the oomph factor," he says with a smile.

The melodramatic lot that Indians are, it's but natural that we enjoy it says businessman Rahul Batra. "I watch them with my mother and sister during dinner - since we're such emotional blackmailers, we enjoy these serials," he explains.

Call Shah Alam at 11 am and he's still watching Hindi soaps. "I have college in the afternoons, so I watch whatever soaps - whether repeats or not in the morning," he says. With every K-serial on the top of his list, he adds, "The storylines are great and if by chance, which is rarely, I miss them, I make it a point to call my bhabhi and ask her what took place."