Love tales still hit on tv : ARTICLE

Love tales still hit on TV

Love stories are the best way to attract the audience, be it Bollywood or television. But do TV love shows really click with youngsters? TOI finds

out ...

It's love that's ruling the small screen now. Saas-bahu sagas, family shows, daughter-oriented shows, rural based shows are very much there but love stories are surely making their existence felt in a big way. Well, as they say love shown on silver screen can be India's staple diet.

One of the biggest hits of Indian film industry was Salman Khan starrer Maine Pyaar Kiya. And not to forget Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge or Love Aaj Kal. Youngsters regularly talk about them or refer to them when it comes to love in their real life.

But then, does the same thing happen when love stories are shown on television? "Youngsters do talk about love shows — Miley Jab Hum Tum is discussed and appreciated by youngsters just the way Chunauti and Banegi Apni Baat used to be in the past but the impact is not as much as films. So far as presenting them on screen is concerned, there's a limitation. While Bollywood can express love one step further and they can be more bold in portrayal of the story and expressive, TV shows look dull.

"The new generation is different so they like some episodes in a soap that focus on love but I don't know how much an out-and-out love story works," says director Rajan Waghdhare. Love stories ruling these days are Mahi Way, Pavitra Rishta, Yeh Pyaar Na Hoga Kam, Bayttaab Dil Kee Tamanna Hai, Jeevan Saathi, Do Hanson Ka Jodaa, Love Ne Mila De Jodi, Tujh Sang Preet Lagai Sajna, Jaan e Pehchane se Yeh Ajjnabbi and Miley Jab Hum Tum. Apexsa Patel, an engineering student says, "I really like the love stories that are shown on TV these days. They are different and they focus more on love that is present in today's world. But when it comes to comparing them to Bollywood, I feel there is something lacking in them. Films are big and are done on a huge canvas — actors, money and foreign outdoor shoots. And this is what sets them apart from TV."

So what is the difference between love stories showcased on the big and the small screen? "Films are confined to our sentiments, the new generation films of 2010 are vibrant and colourful, whereas television has to have a solid foundation and theme. There could be lighter moments in the beginning but eventually these stories have to arrive at a more focused point," says producer Dhiraj Kumar. And he feels that youngsters do talk about love stories of the small screen among their friends because "the impact of TV is much more than films on the audience. TV shows go on for one year to three years while films come and go."

Talking to youngsters whether these TV shows are a point of discussion among them, Monali Patel, a 20-year-old says, "We do discuss love stories shown on small screen but it just stops there. If it's a really good story, then the recall value is much more."

So whether it's the small or big screen, love wins in the end.