The ReelReal Buzz (Indian Dramas)

So what is the truth folks? Do we enjoy watching the lives we can't have, or desire to? What is the purpose, are they teaching the adolescents in our houses the right thing or wrong? Bring some statistics! Is it just a brainwashing tool? What kind of indian soaps would you like to see? One for all, and all for indian drama say I! =)

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How an Indian "Drama" Can Be Interpreted As Satire (by prettyguria)
The use of satirical devices are evident in Indian Soap Operas. My background has always been of such where the importance of values and carrying on a family heretical legacy is very important. Therefore, my first language was Urdu and I have always been exposed to traditions, customs, and even entertainment of such. A type of entertainment that is widely popular of our culture is "Bollywood." Bollywood's smaller versions shown everyday is called "Indian Dramas" which fall into "Tellywood."
Many indirect satirical devices such as travesty, burlesque, and farce. A lot of times the director is playing with out general knowledge. First of all, the notable soap makers believe that they will have good luck if their shows start with a certain letter. It might sound ridiculous, but as you flip through channels all the names seem very similar. Usually you will know which director created which show because of the title. Now coming to the storylines, which are so repetitive. A basic scenario would be of such: There is a girl, who falls for a bad boy, who then turns good because of the girl, but then the parents don't like the girl, meanwhile the girl's guy friend has also fallen for her, then she mysteriously gets pregnant, and then has a miscarriage, then another girl hates her so she conspires a plan to kill her; therefore she falls off a cliff and has plastic surgery (merely a replacement for the actress) and comes back to life, and this story repeats again with her kids. Couple remarriages, couple people who come back from the dead, etc.
Going back to the plastic surgery scenario, realistically plastic surgery can't be done over 3 times. The other scenario is the possibility of coming back to life more than twice after burning in fire. The irony in this is that Tellywood copies straight from American shows. Shows like, "Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, Deal or No Deal, and Fear Factor" are copied to Indian shows and modified.
The next portion to Indian Shows is it that it never ends. There are shows which have lasted 8 years, and the story is self-repeating as I mentioned. Basically it's like: There's a set time for the show everyday in the evening from Mondays to Fridays. Then the next day during the day the same episode is repeated twice. Another concept of Indian drama and especially Bollywood is that we take pride in our music. Literally for every song whether new or replayed in a "drama," there are special steps and there has to be at least 8 songs in a movie otherwise it is incomplete
Whatever the case, there has to be a reason why viewers watch them. I just wish they could be a bit sane sometimes. Bollywood has come a long way and is more realistic than fantasized, but Indian dramas have a long way to go.

i think .....those serials gained so much popularity in those days was becuase there was a TV boom in the country... moreover if u notice prior to the saas bahu sagas there were only very limited categories of soaps....same concept with a different name....

infact every channel started playin the same stuff again and again......

but to be frank the only shows i have watched on Indian TV are comedies...whether it be dekh bhai dekh (on you tube).... or Sarabhai vs Sarabhai....apart from the usual Mahabharat and the Ramayana...(the oldies....on you tube....obvioulsy not the one created by ekta....i might be crazy at times but not that crazy to watch ekta ka mahabharat.....that was more like a fashion show...and the costumes looked more greek than indian.....)

recently i started watchin Bandini.....on Imgaine.... but as is the case with most soaps....It started on very good notes and then suddenly ka-boom....back to square one with multiple pasts and divorces and kitchen politics and the protaganist shedding 3 litres of tears every scene ...(apparantely they must not be having salt deficiancy..... and they can even start selling the salt....will make them good profits...😆😆) and in the end everything turns back to normal thanks to the heroine who might be as stupid as a goat but then due to her extra intellligence (which comes in instalments and only for certain periods) evrything is perfect again.... and they happily lived ever after.....

then i decided not to waste my time on any of these serials any more.....and tata-bye bye....maasalam...
khuda hafiz.....(becuse i realized i could write better stories than them.... and since i knew the end (the most perfect happening) )

now the only serial i am watchin is taarak mehta on sab....thnk god they still can make u laugh (otherwise even comedies have become like the saas bahu sagas ...old wine --- new bottle )....and there are no multiple marriages and divorces in the serial.....

here, let me pose a question: i know senior citizens in a community in houston who are SO INFLUENCED by these soaps they feel as if their bahu is conspiring against them, so they created programs to keep them out of the house. how does this affect the typical family at home and their thinking?

I have always been wondering about the purpose of such shows which feed nothing but rotten fodder to the audience.I had once come to the conclusion that the production house,actors need money and hence they would agree to do such shows.But what's wrong with the whole audience who not only merely watch the show but enjoy and fall prey to whatever senseless things are shown?

To trace back the advent of television boom in India we will be presented with our old,trustworthy doordarshan which telecast ed meaningful shows like Chanakya,Malgudi Days,Bharat Ek Khoj,Neem Ka Ped,Hum Log,Mirza Ghalib which initiated a really strong viewership and fed some thought to our brains.They were of social relevance and emphasized simplicity.Rarely are such shows being aired these days.The olden days Ramayan,Mahabaharat were a epic in themselves on the television.The maturity shown in directing and portrayal of the character by the actors were really close to our hearts.I remember there were people who worshipped the actors as Gods and used to perform Arti while the serial was shown(now I do agree that's a bit extreme 😆).

The scenario hasn't changed much today regarding the worshipping of serials: People tend to push back their daily chores and seat themselves to watch mindless madcapers.Some may defend their choice of watching such shows by the name of entertainment but do these shows really entertain people??As you have stated what do marriages and remarriages,divorces,rebirth and redeath mean?I would never dare to categorize them as fantasy.I've seen four yr old tiny tots with a better imagination than those people directing these kind of serials.Till today I've not found the reason why there is a large section of audience which is so addicted to such monotonous grabs.

The latest trend is to copy American Reality Shows,Indianize them and telecast.A large proportion of audience have heartily accepeted this change which surprises me.There were these purists who hated watching unreal soaps so lo and behold! we get to watch really real reality shows which are enveloped in thick dramas.Gosh! does being a celebrity really cost too much?And there's this sudden explosion of singing reality shows.The only satisfactory thing here is that they are tolerable.

With so much drawbacks I did appreciate(rather brave myself) watching some shows like Prithviraj Chauhan(which was a fantastic show in the beginning and as time passed which lost its previous lustre),Baa Bahoo aur Baby(which was quite nice atleast for some time) and KBC(despite the fact that it was a borrowed show).Right now it is Aap Ki Antara I find worth watching.It has a fresh concept,watchful directing and simply awesome actors.Even the children stand out brilliantly.I hope they aren't going to ruin this too.

BTW I must meet the person who coined the term soaps for these serials---atleast the one we use to wash ourselves melt away in the course of time;but these things shown on TV-which produce expansive insensible froth-do they ever?😆

nice write up -

For me, serials have been a mix of fakeness and reality. I've seen saas-bahu drama, girls being thrown out of the house, and vamp-ish nakhra's in my family. Saas-Bahu drama does happen in families, and though in shows it is quite far-fetched, it isn't completely fake.

As for to protagonists falling in love;

agreeing to ~*LoVeLy*~

i agree with this
Most of the time though we know whats gonna happen nxt, still we tend to watch the Epi just becoz of the potrayals.

The treatment to given to the shows vary though the story might be the same. Like for Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai though it too had a Saas and a Bahu, they too had the daily tiffs but the treatment given to it was different with no vamps but situations played a important role there.
So i believe the Base of the show might be same but potrayals are different.
About them being never ending(8-10 years) .... well it too depends on the Audiences...if audiences watch the show with same interest then Y would anyone think of shutting it Off??? People are getting thier daily earnings ..... and thats what matters to them. Then whethere the tracks are repeating or with no-sense 'it makes no difference.
Today's time is such that People look for Entertainment ... then it does'nt really matter if they get it through this never ending shows or Saas Bahu Drama or Reality Shows. What they look for is some sort of relief from happenings around them and TV is the only Instrument that entertains them(Of-cource Movies included). Some watch the shows for fun, some for basic entertainment and some are hard core serial watcher's who watch it for storyline, Some watch it for thier fav stars. So we have many types of ppl who watch it with different reasons

I use 2 like indian Drama a loads b4. but nw i m fedup of everythng abt drama. dere r only limited drama .whch u can enjoy n feel it's fresh 1...