The Indian television seems to keep producing ‘new’ content by rote. There is surely a ‘hit-show formula’, and very few producers dare to venture outside it. So what is this formula, and do we need something different as an audience?
The hit theme
Despite the changing generations, a few themes have constantly been dominant on the Indian television. These themes mostly deal with female protagonists in domestic settings, struggling with their romantic/ marital life. One very typical storyline is a woman trying to find ‘acceptance’ at her marital home after an ‘unexpected’ marriage.
A stretched exposition
The exposition, where we are introduced to the characters, generally tends to be stretched out. And why not? After all, a ‘hit’ show on Indian television automatically means a long-running show. So a number of episodes are spent familiarising us with the characters, their lives, their peculiarities, their dreams, goals, etc. Two current chart-toppers – Anupamaa and Udaariyan, have successfully implemented this strategy. They weren’t an immediate success on their launch, but rather took time to establish the characters before introducing the ‘inciting incident’ that will change their lives forever and grab our eyeballs.
Establishing a loyal audience
Every show has its own target audience in different age groups. For a long running show, this audience certainly needs to be identified and the content needs to stay loyal to them, else they risk losing their loyal viewers. Maybe this is the reason why showing the natural order of growth in characters almost never works for a show.
Treatment
Treatment, or approach of storytelling on Indian television, always tends to be melodramatic (where we are supposed to grow over-emotional for the characters), and it always seems to work. Shows, which have tried to experiment by introducing comic-elements and innovative narrative devices, have sadly failed. An example is ‘Naati Pinky Ki Lambi Love Story’, which experimented with the protagonist Pinky breaking the fourth-wall (talking directly with the audience) and unleashing a comic alter-ego named Imarti.
Conclusion
Some things never change on Indian Television because they seem to work for the producers and the broadcasters. But, do they work for the audience too? Maybe for specific subset of the audience, they do! And this is the audience that most ‘hit’ shows cater to.
Meanwhile, a large part of the population goes unrepresented or under-represented on our small screens. Most shows are centred around women who are largely limited within domestic bounds. What about working women, where are their struggles; or even the struggles of men, if one begins to ask? Why are love-dilemmas the only kind of problems that the protagonists face?
Also, do we all enjoy a seemingly infinite and never-ending story? While I appreciate the way shows like Anupamaa and Udaariyan establish an emotional connect with their characters by moving things slowly, they eventually use the same cliched appeal of ‘love triangle’ to lure the audience. Even if it’s a love-story, it can be short and sweet joyride of various emotions (doesn’t need to be a tear-jerker, or an anxiety-inducer), where the characters live and learn through different situations.
The makers are not solely responsible for the lack of growth in television content. We also need to change our tastes and be open to modern stories and dynamic characters (who show emotional growth, like we do in real lives). If we keep preferring nothing but romantic melodramas which never end, we’ll be served nothing but archetypal and larger-than-life tales of dull and lifeless characters, which neither contribute to our cognitive growth nor reflect the rich diversity of Indian audience.
22 Comments
1.They have to stop telling medieval lifestyle as contemporary
2. They should tell success stories
3. They should stop insulting basic family values
4. They should stop to portray mother as God
5. The most missing point is lack of legitimete justice based on current modern rules of laws
6. All love stories are a version of (but not of them are modern) Sita-Ram epics. This is another basic stupidity
7. The stupidy of males leads to a generalization such that males of India are uni-cell brained who do not have the ability to think even at the most primitive level
8. Females of India are shameless ,offensive and disgusting and killers. Thier life goal is to get married. They do it at any cost
9. Stories reflecting real life giving hopes for future is needed
And that the elder ladies of the house and their relatives who come to visit from the villages are very obsessed was testing the DIL , running life threatening games without being questioned by the men of the house or the police
And the relatives of the DIL forget they’ve got a daughter as soon as she gets married and strangers would endorse the tortured beings and sometimes give them new identities to escape the villains who control their lives in marriage name!!
Re-read the last paragraph STRYwrt. Think, in terms of responsibility. It’s a ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ type of question. Rather than the viewers needing to change their tastes (they already are SHOUTING their preferences!…the information is already out there!!)… perhaps it is the people who have the money to actually make the changes require being held responsible. They have the power and the money to make the changes. This is the media after all. They are the ones in charge currently…not the viewers. This writer has done a very good job …and I am sure the writer is truly eager to learn and understand and is positively motivated. I have read comments from the writer and the writer appears to be sensible and kind hearted. So… like any feel good article which allows the viewer/reader FEEL like they are being heard… they walk away beleiving that they matter, they are being heard… change will come. All false. This writer is being trained to work for the current system to remain in place, likely without their own understanding.
You are right #Akituster. I didn’t criticize or appreciate the article published above. I write my thoughts about subject.
Media is in the hand of a few people and audiences are watching whatever they have telecasted. But it does not mean the viewers agree with the content of the product. To develop the content is in the responsibility of the producer the audiences can not be blamed for the quality of the content. If someone checks the serials currently on the public TVs, it will be understood that all the shows are nearly identical. None of them has gained a great appretiation.
One more thing. Why isn’t there any commentator who evaluates the show in terms of content, artistic and technical quality on the contemporary media? Maybe the lack of good examples of critics leads weak articles to come out by ameatures.
Well, STRYwrt, myself and other commentators have done just that in the past. When one focuses singularly on evoking an emotional dance of terror one has the full attention of the viewers and one doesn’t need to bother with quality. Old and simple sales technique. Bait and switch. Then the reality of the product can be seen by those interested and the majority are focused on the emotional ride (good or bad) because every human can identify with the specific emotions being evoked. That’s why I have said/written in past comments that this production could actually be used in healing individual issues if one new how to use the material. More on that, in the future. I wouldn’t speak to it, if I didn’t already know/understand. (some proven knowledge/experience, anyway. I am first and always a student.)
Hey STRYwrt… too bad so many of the actresses decided to focus on the quality of their cosmetic surgeons! My unbound (by personal emotional rhetoric) imagination just creates far too many laughable and sad scenarios. One must laugh or one can forget that the depth of the negative attitude is also equal to the height of honest caring joy/love that is available and the right of every human.
The problem is that they only talk about marriage.
Bravo!!!!! A big bravo to this article writer…exactly I wrote the sane thing about our indian tv …
The most disgusting part of indian serial makers are that take audiences taken for granted …’ki hum kuch bhi dikhayenge audience ussey khushi se accept kar hi lenge, hume content ki kya zarurat’….stop using potentiality of an tv actor/actress for showing them a mannequin , who has no work else than doing tons of marriages and affairs… We in realistic world has goal , career aspirations , dreams to persue…instead of running over one boy/girl which is shown in every serial.
Please try to rectify the content makers ,else you will loose audience forever…
Interesting how you changed the responsibility of the ‘makers’ in your last paragraph to the viewers! Good job! Subtly done! That’s typical thinking/writing to blame the victim rather than deal with the victimizer. You will likely do well in your career, as you are establishing a ‘correct’ response to keep things exactly as they are.
Dear Ash, I write as an observer not to criticise your work or knowledge. All those that have learned the difference in thinking do so only after having fallen for the manipulative method, repeatedly. It’s a learning curve because the education we are currently offered is to support the continuation of ‘current normal’. Please accept my words as an alternate perspective.
Hey, thanks for the constructive feedback @Akituster, @STRYwrt. It was not my intention to put all the blame on the audience. I know lack of imagination on creators’ side has a big role to play in the repetitive nature of the content that come out. I failed to point that out. I am sorry that my writing is not that comprehensive and well balanced. I’ll keep that in mind in the future. By and by, I am an independent and amateur writer. These are entirely my own views on the matter.
Ash your writing was comprehensive and balanced. As ‘writers’, I think that all of us are amateurs. Even so, good writing does appear on this site… repeatedly! i know that in my case, I was hoping that your view would expand. After all, that is why we are here on the planet, in the first place. Best wishes.
Good Luck Ash.
I hope you will be the first critic on Indian media
Having said that, I stand by my view that some part of the blame for regressive content is on us. Media is not all powerful. It’s trying to gratify us. True, a part of us is gratified, and the other ignored. But this model works coz it’s the bigger part.
A large part of audience, if not all, falls for style over substance kind of programs. Can be egg first or chicken problem, coz makers started paying entire attention that content deserved, over to style, but who made them comfortable to continue with it?
And when the broadcasters know there’s an assured audience for current model of programming, why’d they bet their money on something new? I think truly innovative content can only survive in this brutal market, if they’re supported by independent sponsers
There is always, always more than one way to change a system/market… of course all peaceful and within the law ; ) Are you really saying that the broadcasters are lazy and taking advantage of a stable, stagnant system because their income is satisfactory? I hope you speak to that, in your next article. that would be an interesting subject to consider. the more the viewers learn, the sooner they will tire of being used.
Hey @Akituster, thanks for broadening my perspective and challenging me to think more deeply on the subject. I’ll get back to it with (hopefully) more wisdom.
The problem with ITV is that fls are seen as Devis, MLS are seen as spineless men and Villain’s/Vamp’s are seen as the only person with brains and I really want to see the topic of “Good in Evil, Evil in Good and Balance” in these ITV characters but sadly it will never come. That is the reason why I have switched from Colors, Starplus and Zee to Sony Sab, K-dramas and English series/shows.
Woww..Couldnt agree more
I was actually thinking the same, how 4 out of top 5 shows have similar themes- a forced/failed marriage, a love triangle, female protagonist trying to appease her in-laws forgetting her own dreams, letting go of her self respect
At least Anupama, Imlie and Tejo have prioritised themselves now (at least for the time being)
Thanks for this article
The world sees your shows through the eyes of your media, as this is the medium used worldwide. The majority of your shows/films over the years are similar in terms of content or based with the same theme. The industry culture what does it reflect? Why is this? Here are depictions of what is shown and what is seen to other countries via your media representation, e.g.
1. Bad mother-in-law, & sister-in-law etc. If someone is good, they are ridicule for it. Respect is only one way/one sided, not for each other .
2. Poor people always want to marry rich and have rich people money and lifestyle, but quick to bash rich people for being rich but desirous to become them.
3. Poor wife is a wife servant in rich family, and treated as per her status from the caste she came from.
4. For the rich, middle class and poor class always insulted and looked down upon.
5. Wealth is the passion or obsession that people kill or ill treat to get, whether be it inheritance or greed.
6.If you don’t like someone you go to great extent to destroy the person in anyway you can. Albeit if they are successful than you and you share a friendship or relationship.
7. Prayers are offered even to revenge and blessing asked to carry out ill deed.
8. Marriage is at the utmost importance than education, mostly at the behest of others, and hardly for you. For everyone happiness except yours. Also, when one faints its a sign of pregnancy.
9. Should two people love each other and want to marry, woe be onto you should the family not approve. Someone death might happen and its normal. One literally kills for love, or the threat to commit suicide is quickly a forethought to intimidate a response for one’s own selfish desire. If you love someone regardless if they love you, you will go to world’s end to get that person destroying who or whatever comes in your way to prevent you from getting that person.
10. To love someone is not easy to do, trials and tribulations you have to go through before anything can happen. Almost never a smooth transition. It makes it look like love or compassion is never attainable.
11. Once the home has a function, disagreement/confusion takes places in front of everyone invited who is privy to your personal business and feels privileged to add to their voice into your business. Also is everyone lives in the same house, nothing is private or personal.
12. Love is at first sight and that’s it. No getting to know the person just one sighting and love is in the air. And one must get this love that one desires at all means possible. And the list goes on.
Bad or wickedness is the major highlight rather than good or goodness. Does this make sense for good entertainment? Is it the same writers over the years? Or has the creative genes diminished? What about critical thinkers, intellectual minds? Scenes are so repetitive that one can only assume is it the lifestyle been portrayed? The better or shows with valuable content is very few and in between and not given the air time it deserves? Or is it or low media ratings? Jokes/humour are made from these shows laughing at you not laughing with you regarding contents shown. One humor joked about shows and stated that this is all they show in their shows nothing else, this is all you can see.
The people there are beautiful and talented but are being shown or portrayed in a negative way
Media plays a pivotal role in developing the industry and by extension the people who look at it for various reasons. Your mind is fed with the information that it receives. Conflicts etc will always be there however you can change the way it is dealt with before it escalates, instead of revolting. Show positive changes to shows. Media can enhance or decrease your thought patterns. Hopefully this can shed some light as to how viewers outside view the country through the media eyes and hope that it will take a positive image in its portrayal or work towards it. How much harm may be done by doing good?