Originally posted by: mango.falooda
that is a good serious question but I am not sure if we have the answer. I think the problem lies in having infinte serials.
like bechain mentioned couple of pages back, when we had finite serials, the quality was good. I was not familiar with the serials she mentioned because I only started watching hindi serials during the EK era. however, in tamil, during DD days, we had author written novels translated to serials and so the quality was very high.
however, even now, we do have some good serials now and then. bepannah was high emotional voltage drama but I loved most of it for the actors as well as the writing. it asked the question -- why love isn't enough to sustain a marriage? -- so apt for the modern age and very relevant to think about. so it is not like there weren't good and different serials now and then but they disappear quickly.
when it comes to movies though, I can tell you that I am not generally a fan of independent cinema or award winners. in fact, if I read something is oscar nominated or got awards, I know it will be dreadfullly serious and depressing and slow. so I avoid like the plauge. my personal feel is that commercial cinema like avengers and pacific rim are a masterpiece because it is not easy to create 2+ hours of entertainment. đ
that said, I don't think commercial cinema means it has to be mindless. within south indian cinema, I like the family movies segment where the stories are clean, sweet, funny and still very different. you get great stories that are out of the box but meant to be watched as a family and are not depressing.
I think good storytelling has a lasting quality. I still enjoy watching movies from the 80s and 90s which were extremely well-written and talk about social themes. no matter how many times you have watched them, they are entertaining.
like you said, there has to be a middle ground -- yes, we want to see new stories but the key is it has to be entertaining. many are watching after a long day and that half hour is a way to unwind.
I wish you had seen some of those shows i mentioned. I am sure you would have loved them. That was the golden phase of itv, atleast in hindi region. I am sure many south and other regional shows must have also been made during that time.
Astitva was about age difference love story,
kora kagaz was about a woman tricked by in laws into a loveless marriage,
saans was about EMA and what impact it has on family,
chhoti si asha was about struggles of lower middle class woman after her husband dies
Hasratein was about infidelity in marriage and career oriented woman vs home maker debate.
...all these were very realistically portrayed by actors and these women (characters) were the epitome of grace, braveness, courage and progressive mindset.
And as @Neutral and shalzie pointed out that viewers acceptance and moral- cultural policing, and viewers taste in general is a reason for not making finite progressive shows, I dont agree with it.
all the above mentioned shows were made almost decade or two ago. They were very sensitive and rebellious for that time period but still all were trp toppers. So if viewers can accept these shows at that time then now I dont think they will have any problem.
It seems like we have progressed so much as viewers but itv creatives has gone back to dungeons of regressiveness with passage of time.
I read Ratna pathak shah's interview once and she answered without mincing her words that few big ph are responsible for the sorry state of itv. She was clearly hinting towards the biggies like EK, rajan shahi etc.
She said today itv has become a very organised money making industry. There is no place for creativity and there is no need for story. They just come together, rope in some actors and then continue shooting churning out episode after episode without any logic. Their only aim is to make as many episodes as possible.
And recently Smriti irani's interview has been trending everywhere bringing out the dark side of tv industry. She said actors, technician are made to work day and night in inhuman conditions. They are not provided with good food, no rest hours. She was called to shoot the very next day when she had a miscarriage, this happened with her when she was EK's favourite. Just imagine, the so called czarina of itv treats her fav like this then what she might be doing with other people. Smriti is big politician now so may be she can say it openly but actors who earning their bread and butter from these shows can't dare to say anything.
Still many actors have come out in open accusing these ph of bullying, itv having no screenplay, no script sometimes.
These producer mafias claims they have generated lots of employment but in reality they have ruined everything about itv.
Edited by Bechain_Bulbul - 2 years ago
CID
