Article: Pregnancies push up TRPs

Big fat elaborate weddings and traditional, colourful rituals are big TRP boosters. But of late, pregnancy and miscarriage sequences have been playing a key role in driving TRPs. Take the case of Pavitra Rishta. The two-year-old daily which went through a long phase of wrong marriage turning into a love story, followed by bitter separation because of family pressure and subsequent reunion, needed another prod to take it to the top. This came by way of Archana's pregnancy which gave it the required impetus. Incidentally, the pregnancy track was aired during the Cricket World Cup and IPL season and it still did well. Another show that resorted to a baby track recently during the IPL to push up its ratings was Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. While Archana's pregnancy in Pavitra Rishta is progressing well so far, Akshara of Yeh Rishta had a miscarriage.

The "baby" tracks in both the shows struck a chord with viewers and boosted ratings. But producer-director Rajan Shahi of Yeh Rishta denies that Akshara's pregnancy and miscarriage was a TRP gimmick. "The show is about falling in love after an arranged marriage and what happens after that in a couple's life. It has sensitively touched several aspects of a young couple's life and having a baby is a natural progression of the story," he defends. Zee's fiction head Sukesh Motwani says Pavitra Rishta has dealt with several issues like getting along with one's parents, siblings, spouse, survival and aspirations. "So pregnancy had to happen after two years of simple and relatable story-telling," he adds.

Whether there is a twist in the tale in Archana's pregnancy, is yet to be seen. In Baba Aiso Var Dhoondo, protagonist Bharti is in the family way but her pregnancy will run into complications as she is a dwarf. Writer-producer Rakesh Paswan of Baba Aiso Var Dhoondo admits that his show's protagonist will get pregnant but refuses to divulge details about the complications.

After a lot of ruckus in Kesar's pregnancy in Pratigya, sooner or later, the show's protagonist Pratigya too will get pregnant. Ditto with at least one of the daughters-in-law in Sasural Gende Phool, if not Suhana who has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. It will probably be Suhana because she drives the show and complications will add a fresh twist to the story. Avni of Maayke Se Bandhi Dor is another potential candidate for conception. Whether it is a logical progression or a major TRP booster is anybody's guess, but the "baby trap" works.

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/tv-guide/pregnancies-push-trps-653