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For all you soap-box viewers who've missed your daily dose of drama, intrigue and realism because of the ongoing strike called by the Federation of

A still from Kasamh Se

Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and the Producer's Guild, there's good news.

Finally the strike has been called off. The FWICE (which represents over 35,000 television workers) has signed a MoU with the Producers' Guild, in which they have agreed that workers will move from a per-day payment system to a monthly salary structure.

While appropriate changes have been made in the new contract, how tough will it be for the shows to grab eyeballs again? According to reports there was a 25 per cent drop in viewership in general entertainment channels (GECs) in the last few weeks.

Sanjay Upadhyay, head of fiction, Sony says, "These weeks were gruelling for all broadcasters. But we all stood by each other." However, the actual date when fresh episodes of the shows will air isn't decided yet. Adds Upadhyay, "We will resume the new content of the current shows soon. Three weeks is too short a time to start working on new shows. There has been a drop in viewership, but the exact figures aren't with us. We showed repeat telecasts of shows, but the fall in TRPs is marginal."

Some channels had their shows reach a 'story peak' before the strike, so the TRPs for these shows should be high when their fresh episodes are telecast again. Vivek Bahl, creative head of Star Plus says, "Our two leading shows stopped at a 'high point'. We plan to push the shows on that aspect. Our scripts are written in well advance, so we don't plan major changes. I am hoping that content alone will attract the audience." Some channels have big plans of launching new shows. "We will start fresh shows but the date is not fixed. We will also have new packaging and 'high points' (in the storyline) that will hype the shows. The fall in viewership during the period of strike was expected," says Zee TV business head, Tarun Mehra.


Channels' heads are thinking of ways to woo advertisers back (some had even shifted loyalties to news, lifestyle and sports channels). "All channels are suffering from low TRPs. We don't want to talk about them. There has been a loss of revenue and advertisers are backing out. But once we are back with fresh episodes we will strike a good deal. We'll have new shows to replace the ones that are off air. The date to show fresh episodes is not finalised yet," adds Yash Khanna, EVP, Star Plus.

What changes do producers plan to make in their shows to attract audience? "We are planning major changes in the scripts. The story line is going for a big twist. I am glad that things will be more organised and we have a positive start," shares Hemal Thakkar, producer of Jeevan Saathi and Teen Bahuraniyan.

Some producers had also started shooting outside Maharastra. "We have shot in Gujarat and will continue to do so. Today producers are shooting all over India and aren't limiting themselves to Mumbai anymore," avers Thakkar. But the location of a show is something that the "producers will decide as per storyline demands," points out Khanna.

So what lies ahead? "We are working hard on our scripts and making creative changes. Now, it's time to check the loyalty of our audience," elaborates Rajan Shahi, producer and series director, Sapna Babul Ka... Bidaai. Today even the workers are a content lot. Says Thakkar: "There is a minimum hike of 40 per cent in the workers' salary which is handsome."
As long as the 'striking episode' yields better shows (since production houses had time to work on their scripts), satisfied actors (back from their much wanted 'break') higher ad revenues and TRPs, it would have been worth it all.

Today fresh episodes of soaps are back on air after the three-week long television strike. A lot of channels and producers have used this time to rework on content and script changes.

But are our soaps really going to be refreshingly different? We try to think of stereotypes in shows that should be permanently junked to help

No Flash Forwards Please
Okay, we know generation leaps are the 'best' way to introduce new characters in a show that's running out of steam (and TRPs). But can one justify 'young' parents who don't look convincing in their designer suits and sarees in a changed storyline? Think of the many occasions when actors have refused to age – Amarr Upadhay, Roshni Chopra, Rucha Gujrati, Mandira Bedi – and quit the shows to be replaced by someone else. Why can't our soap-makers go for 'flashbacks' instead. Says actor Rajiv Paul, "It will give a younger look to the soap and none of the actors will complain of 'not acting their age'. Actors will not have to sport grey hair or spectacles or dress up to look older. It will work wonderfully, only it's an experiment that hasn't been done yet."

Wither realism?
Ever wondered why some characters in television shows seem so unreal? How many of us ever meet these picture-perfect big families? Or do we know scheming relatives who simply have nothing else to do but plot someone else's downfall? Or see silk saree clad, mangalsutra flaunting bahus and betis cooking dutifully and are the epitome of Indian womanhood? Then there are business tycoons who never work for a living but still win business deals worth crores. Have any of us actually met loud, manipulative women like Sindhura, Jigyasa etc in real life? Renowned TV serial director Romesh Kalra admits that he believes in "the simplicity of a character. It is important to have a powerful character to hold a serial. Glamour might be important, but you need performances too. There should be some connect with reality."

It's Not Fair
Two years ago, it was an experiment that worked. When Saloni (Rajshree Thakur in Saat Phere) played the dark girl who finds her Prince Charming in a fair, handsome dream guy, it was the perfect fairytale that one could think of. Oh, yes, the show also talked about discrimination against 'dark skin' and problems of the Indian woman who's reached a marriageable age and is dark-skinned. The audience lapped it up. So did soapmakers. So, today there are at least two more shows on 'dark skinned' girls and the stigma they face on a day-to-day basis. Clearly, the makers haven't looked around and seen real people who are dusky and mighty successful in life!

Not Without My Daughter
Television shows don't believe in deviating too much from the tried-and-tested. At last count, every general entertainment channel has a show on 'betis' of a marriageable age, from middle class families. The stereotypes are predictable – the honest dad, the feisty youngest daughter (the elder siblings have to be docile) and the plain Jane daughter. New feminists of the world might think that their fraternity has been liberated years ago, but on the small screen, daughters are still a 'burden' and wait to meet their Mr Right, probably in an arranged match.

Seasonal Breaks
It's a formula that works wonderfully in the UK and the US. In India, seldom do you have seasonal returns of fiction-based shows. There are never-ending soap sagas which air for seven-eight years until they reach a point of saturation and are pulled off.
Actress Bhairavi Raichura feels, "If there have been daily soaps that worked for seven-eight years, we can try to do seasonal fiction shows here. Producers and directors must not drag the story beyond saturation point.Rather a sensible ending would work." If adapting concepts can work wonders for reality shows, can we do the same for fiction shows? Naman Shaw says, "We must keep trying for new concepts which may be from serials like Friends or Desperate Housewives as the social dramas have become so boring to look at or even act in."
Our wishlist is rather long and probably never-ending too. But can our producers, directors realise that soap-addicts too appreciate quality and out-of-the-box content. As producer-Actor JD Majethia shares, "The content of a show has to be good if we want eyeballs. We should never compromise on quality."