The fight for eyeballs
(Posted on 30 March 2007)
It's been a happening week for the country's three mainstream channels this week. Two of them launched new shows on which may hinge the way their future viewership swings. The third tried to hit back with hour long specials of a combination of its top shows over two days. The fourth leading channel, which is slowly inching its way up, decided to stay away from any programming gimmicks. Wisely so.
Star Plus should not have bent backwards with those special episodes just to deflect attention from Virrudh and Teen Bahuraniyan. Both these shows are leagues away from standard Balaji fare. Smriti Iraani, the producer, is of a far better calibre than Smriti Iraani the actor. She proved it with Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasman on Star Plus, and does it again with Virrudh on Sony. A gripping story, crisp dialogues and powerhouse performances converge to make for some terrific programming, otherwise rarely seen these days on Indian TV.
Virrudh may not be what the doctor ordered for the teeny bopper or the housewife who picks up her fashion cues from the latest soap, but it's a pleasure to watch the subtle power politics at domestic and professional levels that messrs Vikram Gokhale, Sushant Singh, Achint Kaur and others bring to the screen. Virrudh will talk about the way a manipulative media baron, played by Gokhale, controls the lives of not just his subordinates, but also his immediate family. All of this week's episodes were gripping, barring one where Achint broke into song in an inebriated state. Presuming Sony does not fall prey to TRP pressures and twist the story to suit the puerile taste of what it presumes are the 'mass audiences', Virrudh should leave a mark on the programming history of the channel.
Interestingly, so far there have hardly been any 'fresh young faces' on the serial, so crucial to any soap that's launched. Most like Achint, Sushant and Smriti herself, are pushing the 30s and look it. The show seems to bank on experienced performances, and that is bold experimentation enough in an age of stereotypes. Except for Smriti, who unfortunately cannot match the histrionics of her counterparts on the show.
Zee is out to woo the Gujjus again. The Gheewala family of Teen Bahuraniyan could be an extension of Sony's Thodi Khushi Thode Gham family, and relatives of Sony's Ek Mahal Ho Sapano Ka, not to mention Zee's own Betiyann family. The focus is on the elder daughters-in-law, who are vying to bring in the best daughter-in-law of their own into the family fold and win a prize. Paresh Rawal stepped in to do the voice over in the inaugural episode (he's the producer of this show), and going by the pace and the current story, it should get in the audiences. Zee is keeping its commitment to the female cause going with this show too, with the tag lines promising that a daughter-in-law is not a mere accessory. It did a similar gig with Betiyann, but last I checked, the daughters were still crying over destiny. Progressive promos help, but finally it's the tears that rake in the TRPs, right?
I tried to sit through the confusion of three soaps rolled into one on Star Plus on Monday and Tuesday. And gave up. Each of these serials has umpteen characters anyway. Mixing three was a surefire recipe for a migraine. All I could glean from the episodes was that madames Smriti Iraani and Saakshi Tanwar obviously can't stand to be in the same frame. All their conversations with each other were over the phone! Getting these two prima donnas of Balaji together would have been the real coup... alas, the channel couldn't manage that.
Anupamaa
