TOI rakhi kicks off festive season on daily soaps

Gajra Kottary, writer of Balika Vadhu and Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera, says that many a time, makers run the risk of losing TRPs if the festival sequences are aired on the day of the festival. "Since people are celebrating the festival, they don't actually get to watch the episode that is aired on that day. This is especially true for festivals that are celebrated at night, like Diwali. So, makers don't mind if they have to celebrate a festival a few days after its actual date," she says.

Rajen Shahi, producer, says that celebrating a festival a few days before or after the actual date sometimes helps viewers connect with a show more. "We have observed that people tend to feel nostalgic if they watch a festival on screen after it has been celebrated. Also, viewers get more excited about festival preparations if they see a festival being celebrated in a TV show before the actual date. So, it's a win-win situation for us," he says.

But even though festivals help in generating TRPs for the TV show, makers ensure that they don't compromise on the storyline of the serial. "We try not to make a standalone episode on festival celebrations, so we incorporate them in the storyline. For instance, in Balika Vadhu, we will be showing how Shiv and Sanchi will get emotional while celebrating Rakhi since Sanchi is set to get married to Jagdish and it's her last Rakhi before her wedding. It's essential that viewers connect with the episode that is aired a day before and a day after the special festival episode. Sometimes, it so happens that we don't celebrate a festival on the show because it doesn't gel with the storyline," says Kottary.