Sep 29, 2005 02:55 PM
4831 Views
(Updated Sep 29, 2005 02:56 PM)
Indian Television has undergone a complete turnaround with the advent of endless Saas, Bahus, Devranis and Jethanis…
What started out a medium of wholesome good entertainment for the family with Doordarshan as the primary channel has today grown to over 100 channels offering a hotch-potch of over dramatised offerings. Topping this list is the Saas/Bahu genre.
Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kumkum, Kyunki Saas Bhi, Kkusum, Kavyanjali etc etc etc…every TV channel is riding the high wave.. oh! So tiring… these serials have been on air for donkey’s years and the bahus and saas don’t seem to age… only the children do… I sometimes wonder what these serials set out to promote – because the writers of these serials deviate from the plot so often, that I think they are dictated more by ups and downs of the TRPs than the thread of the story… everytime the TRP rating fall… we have a crucial protagonist of the serial either being killed or kidnapped or facing a big crisis in his/her life… I guess the glycerine-wallahs, saree-wallahs and cosmetic jewelers must be making hay while the sun shines…?
The stories are regressive beyond words… Women are either portrayed to be chaste, husband respecting traditional “sati savitris” or the manipulative, modern, urban, husband snatching vamps... Sindoor and Mangalsutra have become order of the day… A wife swears by her Mangalsutra and vows to bring her errant husband back in track… A wife who will put up with any amount of insult (read extra marital affairs, illegitimate children etc..etc..) even from her own husband to save her husband from the clutches of an evil mother… … which world are we living in?? C’mon… if only these marital identities could save a marriage in real life…
Another aspect that I find unbelievable is the strength and the courage the members of serial families demonstrate in facing crisis in their lives… There is normally atleast one calamity waiting round the corner while they are fighting to keep their sanity alive with the current crisis… Every time I see these serials, I sincerely pray to God to give me even 1% of their courage… I am amazed… and not to mention that each issue is even bigger than the previous one they managed to sort out.
Making trips to the police station and staying in the lockup, fighting legal battles is like child’s play to these serial protagonists. Most of the stories are based on business families and we have members talking only in crores… There is Aggarwal Group of Industries, Virani Group of Industries, Wadhwa Group of Industries, Bajaj Group etc..etc.. the list is endless…
I sometimes wonder whether the choice of the Indian audience is so bad or has the television menu made them to savour anything they see on TV.
Why cant we think of doing something different rather than traversing the road traveled over and over again?
