Saas-bahu drama shifts to court(article)

MUMBAI: One of the longest running soaps that has many a saas and bahu glued to the TV may soon have to script its end. Citing "viewer fatigue", STAR TV is axing Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. But feisty producer Ekta Kapoor isn't ready to wrap it up just yet. She has dragged STAR to court, to challenge the termination notice.

On Friday, the family drama became the subject of a bit of legal drama in the Bombay High Court. Lawyers for Balaji Telefilms sought suspension of the October 10 termination notice that they received from STAR TV. The channel had given the soap until November 10 to change its storyline and end the eight-year-old saga.

Earlier this year, Balaji and STAR had signed an additional agreement to continue airing the serial until March. However, not wishing to drag the soap on after its TRPs fell and the termination clause kicked in, STAR shot off the notice.

STAR said its agreement with Balaji for content supply had been modified this August, linking the show's continuation to its TRPs. According to STAR, its agreement with Balaji clearly said that if TRP fell by 20% of its June 2008 figures in any three months, the channel was entitled to terminate the show. The ratings fell by 32% between July and September 2008, it said.

But Balaji, represented by counsel Janak Dwarkadas, aghast at receiving mother-in-law-like treatment after years of motherly nurturing, dismissed the "viewer-fatigue" theory. It denied that content was not up to the mark, and cited a clause in the agreement which said STAR had agreed to spend reasonably to promote the serial.

STAR said it had spent and promoted the show adequately, but Balaji said the channel had scrimped and carried out the "promotion" between midnight and 6 am, when saas-bahus were sleeping.

Balaji said it had already appointed retired Justice B N Srikrishna as arbitrator and was willing to resolve the dispute. Even as its counsel stressed "urgency", Kapoor got no stay on the notice.