Whose idea is it anyway?
Speaking about originality and creativity in films, Mahesh Bhatt once said, "There are only a few original stories. The rest are copies. There is no originality left because only the faces are new whereas minds are old." The maverick filmmaker who is known to speak his mind knows how and where many Bollywood films are sourced from. Like Bollywood which heavily depends on Hollywood, Indian television sources its stories from blockbuster Hindi films. Several serials have either been 'inspired' or based on films. That's not all. Characters and plotlines/tracks have been lifted from films with great impunity.
Take for instance Ekta Kapoor's Kahani Teri Meri and Koshish Ek Asha. The former was based on Devdaas and the latter was a copy of an old Jeetendra film. Smriti Irani's Waaris was a remake of Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkaar. Ekta's recent shows Kis Des Mein Hai Mera Dil and Tujh Sang Preet Lagai Sajna have similarities with Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Saudagar/Parampara respectively. Uttaran is said to be inspired by Mira Nair's Kamasutra. The only difference is that in Uttaran the poor-rich girls' friendship has child protagonists. In the coming months NDTV Imagine will launch Seeta Aur Geeta which is a remake of Hema Malini's hit film of the same name. A few years ago, B. R. Films had made a daily called Kamini Damini with Hema Malini in a double role which was also inspired by Seeta Aur Geeta. Bidaai which is rocking on rating charts is inspired by Rajshri's Shahid Kapoor-Amrita Rao starrer Vivaah. Even Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai is said to be inspired by an old Rajshri film.
Why channels, which take programming cues from the West for reality shows are so heavily dependent on Hindi films? "It is really sad and it's time such mass copying stopped," says Sandiip Sikcand, ex-Balaji creative head who is currently working as a freelance creative consultant for dailies like Maa and Bandini. According to Sandiip, the trend started with the advent of dailies. "As finite stories were turned into never ending soaps, people started running out of ideas. Hence the easiest way out was to lift stories, characters and plots from popular films," he adds. Producer-director Rajan Shahi of Bidaai and Yeh Rishta doesn't deny that he is a great fan of Rajshri's films. "But there is a difference between getting inspired and copying. If one takes six to eight months to set up a show you are not going to look for references elsewhere," he adds.
Shailja Kejriwal, senior creative head of NDTV Imagine, is of the opinion that in a medium of storytelling inspiration comes from any source, be it a personal experience, real-life incidents/situations or films. "Bollywood borrows heavily from Hollywood and South Indian films. We all know the original source of Ghajini is Memento. The germ of idea can come from anywhere but how it is weaved into an engaging story is a matter of creativity. In the Indian context, Bollywood is a tried and tested form of popular entertainment and hence a reliable reference point," she explains. According to Sony's creative head (fiction) Sanjay Upadhyay, the modus operandi is simple. He explains, "Either take the core thought from a film and build drama around it or take character/s from a hit film and put them in a different milieu."
Sanjay blames the lack of good writing talent. "Most of the writers lack literary depth. Since they don't have enough exposure to good literature it is easier for them to source stories and characters from popular films of the 80s and 90s because again there exposure to films is also very limited," he points out. Veteran story, screenplay and dialogue writer Mir Muneer holds wholesale writing responsible for overdependence on Bollywood. He elaborates, "It is not easy to write a daily and it is a tall order to write two or three dailies simultaneously. When you write more you tend to think less and the easiest way then is to steal from films." However, Sanjay doesn't blame writers alone. "Even channels and viewers are to be blamed equally. Most programmers are of the same calibre as the writers. And since viewers' entertainment quotient is low they find it easy to relate to stories and characters which they have seen in films," he adds.
Sandiip admits that he is guilty of copying plots and characters from films. "I have done it blatantly. But then I was asked to do it. I think everyone has a reason to do it. But if you do it correctly and sincerely it is not difficult to churn out 300 episodes," he says. But the problem, according to him, is that lately it's happening so blatantly that people are feeling cheated and getting alienated. "We need to revert to original form of storytelling. The change has begun to happen with Balika Vadhu and Bandini," he says, adding, "Television is slowly heading towards originality. But it will take some time." Till then audience will have to suffer with remakes, inspired stories and copied plots and characters.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
