Article: New faces just for pumping up TRPs!

Daily soaps are like a crowd. Besides the two protagonists, no serial has less than 10 supporting characters. That's just the beginning. As the story moves forward at snail's pace, more characters come in; be it an NRI, the hero or heroine's ex, the other woman, a distant relative, boss or just a friend who stays with the family until he finds alternative accommodation. The following are a few examples:

In Uttaran, Rohit Khurana, who earlier played Ichha's husband Vansh, has been brought back in another role. Kuch Toh Log Kahenge has seen two new entries in Nitesh Pandey as Dr Ashutosh's friend Arman and Rohan, played by Karan Wahi. Ram Milayi Jodi has brought in protagonist Sara Khan's co-star from Bidaai, Angad Hasija, as Aditya. Meera, played by Neha Kaul, has come in as the other woman to disturb Krishna's marital life in Pratigya. Navya has a new boss in Gagan Malik as Amar Sir, besides a few snoopy office colleagues. The list is pretty long and winding.

Are the new entries that happen part of the original concept? Do they add value to the story? Or are they after-thought additions to drive ratings when a show hits roadblocks or story starts stagnating? "New characters add drama to the story and make it gripping.

As the audiences enjoy more, the ratings impr-ove as well," says producer Siddhar-th Tewary of Navya. About the show he adds, "Navya needed new tracks, so a few characters have been added to take the story forward. Characters and tracks move forward depending upon the storyline." So feels actor Angad Hasija.

According to Zee's fiction head Sukesh Motwani, character addition is not an uncommon occurrence. "As stories start depleting, fresh pegs are added to take it forward with new characters. Not that every fresh entry helps drive ratings, but it helps in moving ahead with the plot," he explains. No one denies that new entries often happen when ratings drop.

"Mass entertainment is all about reaching maximum eyeballs. Ratings come if the story is interesting. To keep the audience's interest alive you need to constantly innovate the plot," defends producer Pintoo Guha of Uttaran. Admitting that everything happens for TRPs, Gautam Rhode says daily soaps don't have fixed storyline. "When you are dealing with family issues, you can never sell a show with same tracks and faces week after week. So you have to experiment with new faces. Of course, it is a gamble that works most of time."

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/tv-guide/new-faces-just-pumping-trps-469