TOI: Mid week adrenaline

Prime time soaps have moved from Friday freeze frame moments to dramatic highs built up in the middle of the week. TOI finds out why

Remember what it felt like when prime time shows froze at a dramatic point on a Thursday (when shows were aired on Monday-Thursday), few years ago? There would be enough nailbiting moments to keep the audience come back for more on the Monday after. Well, that's become passe now. Small screen showmakers seem to have more or less dismantled the freeze frame moment.

Now you have dramatic high points even during the middle of the week. One can't help wonder what the strategy is all about, especially when the Monday episodes are usually uneventful!

Says producer Hemal Thakkar of Ruk Jaana Nahi, "The so-called high points of a show are aired any day in a week. There's intense competition in the prime time band and that makes us try new gimmicks. Plus, I think to keep the audience glued through the week and catching their maximum attention is a must. It's no more just about attracting the audience on Mondays, we need to keep them hooked even in the middle of the week. Today, Thursday/Fridays are as important as Wednesdays. There's got to be constant drama with twists and turns in the storyline. Of course freeze points definitely drive audience to tune in to the next episode."

With more Entertainment channel bouquets and shows on offer, the audience is spoilt for choice and it's increasingly becoming difficult for channels/producers to hold everyone's attention on a regular basis. Series director, Seema Sharma of Na Bole Tum... Na Maine Kuch Kaha, says, "There are loads of shows across various channels, so viewers have a lot of options. Now every episode needs a high point, as viewers want to see drama in every episode."

However, there are some who also feel high points are not necessary in a show and the storyline should have a mix everyday. "There are chances that the dramatic highs of episodes scripted for a Thursday/Friday are telecast on another day. That could explain the freeze frame point on a Wednesday instead," avers producer Raakesh Paswan of Afsar Bitiya and Baba Aiso Var Dhoondo.

However, most channels are unanimous about one thing: a dramatic moment of a show should flow in smoothly with the basic storyline. A freeze frame point is no longer a mandate for soaps. "If the content is dramatic and has a lot of masala, the audience will automatically get attracted. If the macro story is peaking at the right time and not stretched a lot, you don't need these strategies to get your viewers. There are some producers who force high points just to garner more TRPs. The high point should come naturally, on any day of the week," says Sukesh Motwani, fiction head of a GEC.

In the number crunching game, where viewership is fractured and a show is as good as its daily TVR, what matters is to keep the remote control junkie addicted to a show. Freeze frame or not!