TOI: What ails daily soaps?

Indian television probably had never seen such outpouring of emotions when Barun Sobti decided to quit the hugely popular show 'Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon'. The show went off the air breaking millions of hearts. Following Barun's 'quitting', are Ankita Lokhande, Shivaji Satam, Pawan Shanker, Sriti Jha and Harshad Chopra, who are all leaving or are on the verge of leaving their signature shows. The reason that the actors offered when it came to leaving their respective shows halfway might vary from 'moving on to better career prospects' to 'refusal to grow old on screen' but it also raises the same old debate, do Indian TV soaps run out of steam after a certain amount of time, causing a sense of fatigue for viewers and lead actors?

In the initial heady days actors were thrilled to be part of saas-bahusoaps and even stuck to the show till it went off air. But times have changed since then as the landscape of the Indian television industry now boasts of more GECs which means a fractured viewership that's changed the rules of telly viewing.

Actors need to stay on
When a lead star quits a show, it sends the producer/broadcaster in panic mode. The most obvious answer is to get a replacement actor. Scarred by the rejection of new actors stepping into shoes of popular leads, producers are wary of treading the same path and prefer to either 'send off' the lead or 'kill him/her off'. Actor Aditya Redij says, "I quitNaa Aana Is Des Laado as I had inhibitions about playing an 18-year-old's father. If the makers keep an actor creatively happy, why will he/she quit?" Aishwarya Sakuja shares, "An actor playing the lead has to be available for a long period as the story line revolves around him/her. But, if an actor feels a sense of monotony, then there are many waiting to be in their shoes."Karan Kundra says, "It is impossible for me to be a part of any show beyond a year. When I started with Kitni Mohabbat Hai, Ekta Kapoor was clear on not extending the story beyond a point and we wrapped season one gracefully and came back with 160 episodes of season 2."

We'll be back after a season break Shows with returning after a season break has always worked in the West. Following the footsteps of popular shows like Sex And The City, Grey's Anatomy and Lost, some popular Indian TV shows have also tried the 'second season' experiment In the past soaps, seasons of shows like Karamchand, Baa Bahoo Aur Baby, Kitani Mohabbat Hai, Na Bole Tum have been aired, with mixed results, says, "Yes, introducing a second season is definitely a good option. When shows come back on a fresh note, it definitely works. There is no point dragging the soaps without any relevance. Second season of a show like Na Tum Bole Na Maine Kuuch Kaha is awaited by fans eagerly."

In the end, it's not a jaded story line but a mint-fresh story line evolving continuously with powerful performances that does the trick. But with tracks being changed, altered story-lines, lead characters quitting the show — you never know in which way the show takes a turn.