Hindi TV writers blame audiences-but who is actually writing?

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@LAV2725

Rocker

+ 3

Posted: 7 years ago

We keep discussing & complaining on forums and other online media sites about how regressive, repetitive, far from reality, crappy, disconnected, falsified Hindi fiction TV soaps writing has degraded of late though they setup their stories in current times..and we wonder why TV writers have such low key opinion about Indian audiences and their IQ levels??

But they in turn blame it on audiences.. but who is actually writing all these story plots, screenplay and dialogues for various tracks for ongoing TV soaps?? are renowned writers employed by notable production houses who get paid hefty actually involved with daily episodes? 😕

I found an interesting well researched article that throws light on various factors of writing..read it on 😊 (no its not from any gossip sites) It gives room to discuss on factors which get suppressed for long..

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/entertainment/the-predicament-of-hindi-tv-serial-writers

However, the audience does not know one glaring fact about the writing industry. Here, writers often don't write. They leave the writing to assistants. Anybody wanting a hold as a writer can join as an assistant to these writers and do their work. These assistants are never invited to any channel meetings. They are not spoken of. They are not credited or paid much. This helps the main writers to accept more shows and earn more money. Effectively, this shows that the quality of TV writing is such that anybody with a basic grasp over the language can write the script for a show.

Edited by LA2725 - 7 years ago

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Frequent Posters

Cerealgirl

@Cerealgirl

Rocker

Posted: 7 years ago

I think when a show is new, writers actually write the script till the show stabilizes in ratings and popularity. After that, the assistants may be doing most of the writing because viewers are hooked to the show and they know whatever crap they write, people watch it.

Yeah, I agree that viewers are the ones who are regressive. How else can we explain KKB is still in the top 3-5 shows!!

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Sahithi.A

@Sahithi.A

Voyager

Posted: 7 years ago

Originally posted by: Cerealgirl
I think when a show is new, writers actually write the script till the show stabilizes in ratings and popularity. After that, the assistants may be doing most of the writing because viewers are hooked to the show and they know whatever crap they write, people watch it.

Yeah, I agree that viewers are the ones who are regressive. How else can we explain KKB is still in the top 3-5 shows!!

And recent surveys as shared here, show majority of this regressive audience in 18-30 age group.. can we still have hopes for a progressive society for coming generations?? I doubt..

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nitarata

@nitarata

Achiever

+ 3

Posted: 7 years ago

I think they are correct in blaming the audiences. I don't know why the soap audiences keep watching crappy plots and even the social media audience keeps its interest in the show no matter what they show. Is the audience so desperate to watch just about anything?
If a soap is rejected and TRPs are way lower, they do shut down. But then the TRPs remain quite okay for a lot of shows for years. Ultimately TRPs and revenue that comes in ads runs these shows and the audience contribute for it.

PS: The point that even assistants can write and run a show, speaks more about how much crap the audience takes really.

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Harshawardhini

@vlhs12993

Dazzler

Posted: 7 years ago

Audience are regressive no other reason can be said. That's why shows which try to show new things go off air with in few months.

NDTV imagine which tried to show different content couldn't get the ratings and had to shut down.

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@LAV2725

Rocker

+ 3

Posted: 7 years ago

We need to look at things in a much broader perspective..

I still maintain what I said earlier, urban Indian audiences can't be blamed alone for producers/channels and writers lack of proper understanding about who their fiction show's target audience at different time slots are, still not reshuffling age old shallow market research patterns and still undermining that its majorly illiterate middle aged or senior citizens that are hooked to TV sets with low IQ levels in current information age, which isn't the ground reality..😛

The main reason I earlier shared an interesting survey report on this forum about who in India is currently watching TV more, underlines the same. But not to forget youngsters in Indian households in 15-30 age group don't necessarily sit alone in drawing rooms and watch prime time TV shows, they may be joined by different members at different time slots be it friends, children, adults, parents or grand parents. So these fiction TV writers & their interns or assistants need to get harsh reality checks as they are still stuck a decade and half back in their mindsets..thus lamely pushing blame onto audiences to hide their laziness, money mindedness and creative vacuum..

Since people brought up cases of TRPs here, pls remember out of about 180 million Indian households subscribed to cable/satellite TV, only few thousands select volunteered households in few regions are used in sample data collection for weekly TRP calculation with barometers fixed to their set boxes..

Also want to remind end of 2017 few renowned TV producers and channel heads gave media interviews as to why non-fiction shows worked far better than hindi fiction shows in 2017, and how not any new fiction launches could sustain viewership or audience engagement for content / characters / concept for a long duration. I couldn't trace old post shared in Dec/Jan on this forum, so trying to reproduce.. pls see my next post below.

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@LAV2725

Rocker

+ 3

Posted: 7 years ago

Synopsis of 2017 wrt hindi TV.

Only long running or notable daily soaps like YRKKH, YHM, KKB, Shakti, Udaan etc. continued to get some viewership to sustain well in 2017 even in weekly urban TRP charts. Main reasons for this were stated as below; (not necessarily due to writing, content or twists)

1. Brand name of the soap, its popularity, viewers familiarity with main leads and other characters.

2. Viewers deep connect with main leads, their amazing onscreen chemistry with an add-on that there were NO changes to actors/actresses playing lead roles in the above said soaps.

3. Almost fixed sample urban households still being used for viewership measurement by BARC between 2015-2017 with main increase in sample sizes being in rural regions.. so its same set of viewers habituation for a given channel and time slot.

4. Not finding any interesting alternate soaps to hook on at similar time slots when above soaps are aired..(when some viewers got bored with YRKKH they found KDB as an alternate at same time slot which is not so depressive and almost recycled version of old KKB, not to forget viewers did embrace this show last year)

5. New fiction shows launched in different genres that failed in 2017 weren't promoted properly, not packaged well on a weekly basis, concepts weren't exciting enough and weren't aimed at right set of target audiences..

PS.

If problem rests solely with so called regressive mindsets of current age modern Indian audiences, then last 6 mths with same sampled urban households, variety of hindi fiction shows like Ishq Subhanallah, Nimki Mukhiya, Kulfi, Ishq mein marjaawan, Aap ke aajane se etc. with strong characterizations and different concepts won't even get chances to appear in top 20 list in weekly TRP charts, but they have been gaining in terms of viewership, revenues, feedbacks and connect with audiences and thus slowly increasing their foot hold.

Edited by LA2725 - 7 years ago

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nitarata

@nitarata

Achiever

+ 3

Posted: 7 years ago

I don't think the urban audience should be spared! Regressive thinking may not have much to do with IQ. Everyone has a role in this rural audience and urban.. and of course even makers. There are producers, actors and writers that are women and they are still shooting mundane episodes after episodes. Because the makers know it works. They are safe, they get money.. and audience is okay with it. Only when the audience rejects these shows, there will be some major change. But I have very little trust in audience these days.. which includes young and old. Looking at what they love and make a hit...

Well, thank God.. there are still some indie film makers, some rebellious directors and these days some web series has good content too.. but they are so few in number!

Edited by -Tia- - 7 years ago

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Sahithi.A

@Sahithi.A

Voyager

Posted: 7 years ago

Now that Netflix is making shows for Indian market and directors like Anurag Kashyap and actors like Radhika Apte are willing to feature, I am positive digital content becomes more mainstream..

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Hindi TV writers blame audiences-but who is actually writing?

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