Yoho!..Women power!;)

Single female protagonist characters are taking over the multi-starrer saas-bahu sagas on TV, finds Priyanka Deladia

Let the league of the 40-plus gentlemen rule Bollywood, but women rule prime time TV slots. Though, this doesn't come as a surprise, considering that women form the very structure of these saasbahu sagas. What's more interesting to note is the fact that serials today are turning their focus on single female protagonist, rather than spinning 10 stories to tell a tale.
In case of a single protagonist plot, the TV serials work as a launch pad for the lead character, who in most cases is a new face being launched by the television channel.
Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin
was a pivotal point in starting this trend, where teaser advertising campaigns were used to build curiosity about the show. That has led to the follow up of many single protagonist shows like Ye Meri Life Hai, to the current — Miilee, Ek Ladki Anjani Si, India Calling on Star One, Kituu Sab Janti Hai,
which are currently doing the rounds on channels.
Going by the conventional plots that soaps follow, it's hard to imagine a single character carry the entire show. As debutant Manasi Parekh, Chandni of India Calling, puts it, "The protagonist is a link to all the other characters on the show. One can say that if the central character didn't exist, the other characters wouldn't exist either. The protagonist is the focal point." (haha..dats for our anu!..yeh anu u rocks!)😉
Does that mean that the central character draws attention away from all the other characters on the show? As Rakshanda Khan clarifies, "The daily soap format doesn't allow only one character to pull of an entire show. There have to be other threads that pull the entire show together. Like, in case of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, there's also an Armaan-Mallika or a Nandu element, which is very integral to the show. It's important to have a central character in any story. There's a central character in a novel, in a play or any other form of a story. Besides, it would be impossible to pull an entire serial for nearly three years based on just one character's life."
Adds Manasi, "Women draw audiences. It is very important to have a strong female protagonist, who has a strong persona and presence. It is easy for the audience to connect well with one character, who they can look up to and want to follow, rather than have 10 characters."(Yupppuu..I agree wid u Manasi..Women are the best...yaya..Nikhil should see this one😳)
The single protagonist shows are also marketed and promoted in a way that builds enough curiosity for the audience, who in turn watch the show. Case in point, the promotion for Miilee and Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. So, is this just another marketing gimmick to get the audience? Deeya Singh, maker of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin says, "There are some who set the trend, while there are others who follow them. Today, TV is as big as films. There is a vast canvas for advertising through television serials. Every new show would want to launch themselves in a novel and unique way. They want to stand out and be different.(Example..Ek Ladki Anjaani Si..😆) At the end of the day, what they are looking at is getting the audience. So, they have to pitch themselves in a manner that is exciting enough for the audience to sit up, notice and connect. Once you've got your target audience curious and excited enough to get their eye balls on the soaps, you take it from there. It is also mandatory that every show has a certain number of characters in the plot, so, that will make your show stand out. This is also determined by how well you promote it. If it lives up to the audiences' expectations, you've got the ball rolling."