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During the launch of Saat Phere, Zee TV's programming head Ashwini Yardi had stated, "This is the story of a dark girl and she will remain so till the end of the show...she will not have any makeovers!" - Yardi has kept her promise and perhaps this is the reason why Saat Phere has, in six months, become the channel driver for Zee.
A lot has been written about how Saat Phere has been a winner for Zee, but not much has been said about the content of the show that has perhaps played the most important role in its success.
The show is a winner because it's truly different. Viewers in India are accustomed to certain perceptions on television - and these perceptions are directly proportionate to the future of the character in question. If the girl is 'fair, pretty and from a rich family' then she will either be a 'vamp' or will experience misfortune as a result of which she will lose everything and therein the story will track her struggle to gain it all!; again, if the character is 'dark skinned' and 'from a middle class household', then, she will encounter gigantic misfortunes, her life after marriage will be marred by a bitchy sister-in-law and a husband who loves someone else! While in the former a makeover is a choice, in the later it's imperative! What Saat Phere has manaqed to do is break all perceptions and that's why it makes a statement against all prevalent norms that govern television at present.
Saloni is a middle class ugly duckling, even after being six months on air, her makers are not making her go through torturous times- and that's a surprise for viewers of the medium! Her life is normal - neither does her family post marriage want to kill her, nor is her husband having an extra marital affair! This package somehow belies all that we had come to accept as saleable on television - extra marital affairs, melodrama and suffering womankind!
I am in no way suggesting that Saloni has no problems in life - she has problems that any dark skinned girl will have in a high society household. Kaki's (Apara Mehta) reason for not liking Saloni is a case in point - it's known that the older generation seldom has the same reverance for the dark skin as we do ( post Noyonika Chatterjee that is) and her first reaction to the girl was perhaps acceptable. Her change too is obvious, she recognises the girl's good qualities and that doesn't take her years to unearth (somehing that cannot be said about other shows)!
But the show has its share of drama - Shubhra's pregnancy, Ishaan's abduction and the suspense behind the locked door has given the track a certain amount of pace and a sense of urgency that keeps viewers glued to their TV sets. Then there is an imminent sibling rivalry on the cards with Shubra finding out that her husband Neel had a soft spot for her elder sister, Saloni! Then there's trouble brewing on her home front with Kaveri creating a menace...so there's loads of drama to look forward to.
Zee has even launched a contest to involve viewers in the story - this time viewers have to guess what is behind the locked door. Zee's strategy seems clear - give audiences simple fare, in simple words and visuals. Look at the recently launched Zee shows - be it Kasamh Se, Saat Phere and Jabb Love Hua they are all based on one single premise. There are no unnecessary complications. We are not consumed by the labyrith of relationships, tracks and sub-tracks. While Kasamh Se is the story of three sisters, Saat Phere is about Saloni and Jabb.. is about Aanya and Raghu - there's no shift in focus, no digressions. This is the new Zee as we see it now - its focus has shifted to being the trendsetter! With the success of the new shows, Zee's primetime is looking really good and it can only get better.
Also, Saat Phere's production team needs mention for just sticking to the plot. Sunjoy Wadhwa's other show, Don, on Star One too is a tried and tested formula like Saat..but it manages to hold your attention sometimes with dramatic disguises and sometimes wth sheer pace! Sunjoy makes it a point not to hold back...the suspense does not linger more that it's necessary...this skill of his is also reflected in Saat...- there is not a moment when you feel that the track is getting repetitive or a thought is being stretched too far.
So what makes the viewers come back to the show again and again???? The viewers are waiting to see what happens next...they have to tune in to see when Saloni's misfortune befalls her, when the cynics can turn around and tell the others, this one turned out to be the same as the others! I told you so!' The success of this show will primarily depend on how long the makers manage to out think the viewers, how much they can keep giving them reasons to predict the obvious and at the same time dish out surprises....all this even as they fight to resist the temptation of falling prey to the popular idiom.
| By ANANYA SENGUPTA |
Posted on 22 May 2006 4:30 pm | | 
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