As a regular viewer of Indian television serials, one thing I’ve noticed in each and every serial is that every other serial has to end with a happy ending. I always think that how the writers show that everything gets sorted out so easily in the end everyone lives happily ever after ? Really ? It looks so unrealistic. Why cant there be sad endings or maybe bittersweet endings in the show ? Now I’m not saying that every other show should have a sad ending, but every other show also should’nt have a happy ending. It should depend on what will look more convincing, sad ending, happy ending or bittersweet ending.
For example, Naagin was a show which should have ended with a sad ending rather than a happy ending because it would have looked more convincing.Shivanya and Ritik should have been separated in the end. The show and the couple would have become more popular due to that and people would have more excited for Naaggin season 2. The most important reason why writers opt for a happy ending rather than a sad ending is because of the viewers.
Happy ending is more in demand, everyone likes it no matter how much unconvincing or unrealistic it is. Now why viewers like it, I dont know, there can be different reasons. Maybe because a happy ending is feel good. So I’m mentioning the reasons of why sad endings r better than happy endings and should atleast be preferred in some Indian TV shows:
1.Sad endings are more realistic than happy endings- Agree or not, sad endings most of the time make more sense than happy endings.
If the ending is happy but forced and unbelievable the story wont feel complete.
2.Sad endings are more emotional- Sad endings always strike a chord with the audience. It makes u feel for the characters .
Happy endings r more commercial and commonplace. That doesnt mean it has to be purely depressing. Maybe a bittersweet ending that both saddens and leaves off with hope.
3.Sad endings are more memorable- Sad endings give u a long lasting impression in minds and hearts. You’ll not forget the sad
moments in ur favourite characters life. For example, if in the end of YHM Ishita dies while saving Raman and Ruhi from someone or something, will it not be more memorable than the whole Bhalla family living happily ever after.
4.Sad endings are learning curve- If something bad happens in ccharacter’s life, they can learn from the experience. Even if the character remains the same, it might teach the audience something about life. Having an unhappy ending can show u all of the wrong things to do in a situation.
5.Sad endings are not copout- Happy endings most of the time feel rushed and thrown together. Most of the time, this happens when the writers create a magical circumstance that leads to all of the characters getting what they want.
6. Sad endings are more connectable- We can connect with the sadness of the characters because everyone has seen sadness in their lives. While most people couldnt connect to happy endings because they they think that they have never felt true happiness.There r pieces of everyone’s lives that r depressing to think about When u see a sad ending in a show u feel familiar to it. When u connect with the characters, it makes the story a lot better.
7. Sad endings are unpredictable- For example, If the ending of Ishqbaaz is like Om, Shivaay and Rudra get marrried with Ishaana, Anika and Soumya respectively and have kids and live happily ever after, it will be so predictable and forgettable. But if the ending is with one of the brothers dieing in the show in the end it will be unpredictable and stay with u longer even after the show ends.
Having said that I dont want every other show with a sad ending, Making a sad end just for the sake of it is also not good. If the story demands a happy ending it should be happy ending
and if the story demands a sad end it should end in a sad note. Although there r few shows like 24 which had a sad ending but it is very rare.
So do u guys agree with me, should there be some stories which should have a sad ending or bittersweet ending. Are sad endings better than happy endings or r happy endings better ?
If u think a happy ending is better then do tell me the reason.
5 Comments
Dream girl had sad ending ..it was aired on life OK …. and jamai raja season 1 too ….. mahabharat ..everyone died in that …but I like happy ending only …its just that we are connected with characters and we really don’t want them to see heart broken 🙂 🙂
Hi Luna..Even I’m a bit inclined to sad endings..Happy endings are not always necessary..I don’t know which serials should get sad ending as I don’t have patience to watch the serials till the end because of the illogical behavior of characters in one way or the other and the stories are dragged so much that I leave them after watching very limited episodes..But agree with you about giving sad endings when necessary..Nice article BTW.. 🙂 🙂
i think a sad ending every once in a while would be alright but i do like happy endings better. if a show did have a sad ending then it should have a season 2 to start off with the sad ending then probably the season 2 should end happily
Yeh I agree but they don’t tend to give season 2 ?
well i hate sad endings and love happy endings but is true that sad endings are also needed in some story. Like yes u right for naagin it should have been a sad one not a happy one, the ending was kinda ridiculous and shows like piya rangrezz(season 1), pyaar ko ho janne do really needed a sad ending and they did so as those stories i feel yes needed a sad ending and they did so, at the same time there are some show which should have happy ending like manmarziyan wont have been that good if it had sad ending it needed a happy ending, but some shows like qubool hai season 1 and 2 deserved a happy ending instead of sad ending this is my thinking on how the ending should be based on the promos i see