Ba, Bahu & now the Beti: article

Change is here, in Indian television that is. With the regressive soap, or is that sob, operas of the suffering bahu, scheming saas and the vicious

The bas and bahus are history now, as the betis come under the spotlight in Indian television

sister-in-law giving way to the khatti- mithi tales of daughters, there's a definite shift in audience tastes, and it's showing in channels' TRPs.

As the sheen peels off the Virani mansion and our living rooms move to the outskirts of Haryana or Rajasthan, TOI deciphers the matrix of the paradigm shift in Indian TV content today.

Out goes the bahu
Tales of women dressed in crystal-studded sarees and noodle straps plotting against each other were lapped up by the masses when the saas-bahu serials made their way into our living rooms for the first time. But, as multiple cosmetic surgeries, innumerable marriages and generation leaps became the order of the day, the stories lost their touch. "Almost every channel had at least one such show. So, we had to replace the bahu with the beti. These shows had generated so much negativity, that shows addressing social issues and talking about the girl child instantly clicked with the viewers," says Virendra Shahaney, screenplay writer for shows like Uttaran, Bidaai and Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo.

Shailja Kejriwal, executive vice president, content, NDTV Imagine, concurs, "Till last year, viewers had had their fill of the saas-bahu saga. People grew tired of watching protagonists across channels doing the same thing. Cotton-saree clad women were transported to this world of chiffon sarees, but now they are back to the world that they can relate to."

Girl power
Beti jaisi bahu aur maa jaisi saas ' all wanted but none got, and in the process, the viewers got bored. So everybody found solace in the daughter. Watching Ramlaal pray for a granddaughter (in Mere Ghar Aayi Ek Nanhi Pari) or Kuku Narang yearn for a daughter (in Sabki Laadli Bebo), the viewers suddenly turned into proud parents of daughters. "It may not have been a conscious attempt, but these shows did turn the attention of the audience towards their daughters. The shows send out the message that daughters are no more a liability for the family," says Kanwaljeet, who plays Kuku Narang.

Championing the cause of the girl child, Kejriwal says, "Daughters are no longer the silent sufferers and pitiable characters that they used to be. They are go-getters and they can stand up for what they believe in. Students and working women could relate to Radhaa Ki Betiyaan..."

Identity crisis?

Ever wondered how the story of a family living in the interiors of Haryana, Bihar or Rajasthan clicks with viewers sitting in the suburbs of metropolitan cities? Shahaney offers an explanation. "There are three ways of identifying with a character or serial ' identification, aspiration and distinction. Viewers could identify with the characters of Malgudi Days, Hum Log and Buniyaad. Then came the saga of business class families, which rekindled the aspirations of urban middle class viewers. Today, when somebody watches a Balika Vadhu or an Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, they're able to distinguish their position from that of the protagonist, but are inquisitive about what happens in such remote areas," he says.

Saurabh Tewari, creative director, Colors, credits the success of these serials to curiosity. "If it's not your story, then it's your neighbours'. Everyone is curious to know what's happening outside their homes and offices and that's what establishes that connect between a metro viewer and a mother in a Haryana village who wails when her newborn daughter is killed. These shows have become the window to the world. So a show set in rural Rajasthan generates as much curiosity as one set in an American suburb."

What's the formula?
Social issues, did we hear you say? "There's no formula now, it's a narrative, a story told from the heart, with real characters and real emotions," says Purnendu Shekhar, scriptwriter of shows like Balika Vadhu, Jyoti and Saat Phere. "A girl's fight against the discrimination that she faces because of her dark skin becomes a talking point in the age of fairness creams. A story isn't good unless it conveys a message. Everyone in India knows about child marriages, so, if the story is presented in an engaging manner, it'll surely strike a chord," he adds.
"We are great copycats," confesses actor Kanwaljeet. "While no channel is trying to be preachy, these shows are clicking right now. Many don't innovate and just blindly copy, but those with the courage and creativity to do something new, are certainly the winners."



Powerpuff Girls
Mere Ghar Aayi Ek

Nanhi Kali: A family that prays that the daughter-in-law is blessed with a daughter

Na Aana Is Des Laado: About female infanticide

Sabki Laadli Bebo: About a father who yearns for a daughter

Jyoti: About Jyoti, eldest daughter and the only breadwinner of a family

Radhaa Ki Betiyaan Kuchh Kar Dikhayengi: About Radha and her daughters who shift to Mumbai and how they take on the world

Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo: About poor families selling their daughters off

Hum Ladkiyaan, Saat Phere, Bidaai: About the plight of dark-skinned daughters

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/TV-/Ba-Bahu--now-the-Beti/articleshow/4481839.cms