Recently I find myself attracted to watching or devoutly following various sitcoms that are aired on TV channels such as Star World, AXN etc…I started to think of reasons why they are so attractive or engrossing and was actually stumped at first…Then I realized some things when I tried to draw a comparison between Hindi serials showed in channels like Star TV, Zee, Sony channels against the English ones shown in Star World, AXN etc and the whole thing kind of made sense. To give a disclaimer I am in no way trying to vilify Hindi serials while singing laurels of English ones, there are bad eggs in each basket but what I am trying to do is find reasons about why these serials seem attractive to certain type of age group. Most of the Hindi serials I am referring to are prime time soap operas which are mainly family dramas whole the English ones are mostly comedies, or dramas.
Let’s face it, objectively looking the biggest fan following of serials that are shown in Indian TV channels are basically “mom’s and aunties” while there is nothing wrong in that I can say from personal experience (which may although be limited) some of those serials can be really painful to bear for days at end (have you ever realized how long some of them have been drawing on??)Hindi serials mainly the family drama drags out and oh boy do they take the drama part a little too seriously… I mean how many twists, sub twists, plot and sub plots can you give in one serial?? How many change in character, rebirth/reincarnation of the same character can you stomach?? How much change of acts from machavili to angels can there be for a single person?? These serials draw on for years at end and it has so much drama and “masala” by the middle of it you cannot for your life figure out how it all started. These serials maybe engrossing at first can soon loose their sheens as most of them do some exceptions to the rule are always there but they are only that exceptions. Based on the huge TRP ratings some of these shows have I cannot say they are not popular but come to think about it, why are they so popular in the first place? Again to go back to the fan base and the basic plots of these serials; as I mentioned most of the Hindi serials are family dramas based on (at least in the starting) on a whole and loving nuclear or joint family living in harmony with each other. But soon discord seeps into the loving “khandan” usually in the form of some distant relative or someone outside the loving family who seem to have scores to settle with everyone under god’s given earth …There is usually a willing accomplice within the household who helps in spreading the discord and we are on our way of episodes after episodes of so called “intrigues” which any teen ager can predict in their sleep. Now nothing against “Ekta Kapoor and her Balaji telefilms but they have stuck a huge goldmine when they came up with the whole concept. In India where these serials originate and concepts like joint families are far more popular what could be better then this?? You have house wives and newly weds who basically have nothing to do at home and when they turn to the TV this is what they see. Unfortunately apart from the machivilian sub twists in the plots the basic concepts in these serial such as marital and family strife are actually a harsh reality of the society. But the way it is portrayed isn’t it doing more harm then good?? You have old matriarchs of the household watching and what she sees in the television is a young bride plotting to usurp the authority of the “dadi ji” in the house hold. You have a young bride watching the TV and what she sees is a ”Samadhi” planning to breakup a marriage…and there are these old crones who will make the life of the new bride a living hell just because she is not of the same society as her proud family. Spare a thought for the poor children in these shows; they are usually silent props who as they grow up assume the role of the Machiavellian bride, dadi ji, or the Samadhi….
According to me here are ten things you can learn while watching a Hindi serial of today:
1. If you are a new bride always beware that you be on the good side of the matriarch. Remember she controls the so called “keys” to your power.
2. Do not get on the bad books of your sister-in-laws or other in laws. Ultimately your happiness in the household is in their hands
3. You cannot be subservient nor can you be dominating. If you are the former you run the risk of getting bullied, while if you are the later someone will always hate you and try and make your life hell.
4. Now if you are the husband: Your new wife will never respect your mom. She will (according to your mom!) always trying to make her suffer.
5. She has no respect for your family traditions and maybe even a “loose women”
6. If you are a mother: beware your new bride of the household is here to usurp your authority as soon as possible. Make her life a living hell from the word go. Possible way to do is to have your son’s /husband’s/other family members and fill them up with bad facts about the daughter in law.
7. If you are the matriarch/patriarch of the family: Your family name is bound to be dragged through the mud and you are not liable to come out smelling of roses on the other side.
8. The great “Dream Company” of yours which you have built “brick by brick” is liable to be broken along with your household and may or may not come together ever again.
9. If you are a child please brace yourself to witness some power struggles amongst various members of your family and be ready to face some very traumatic events.
10. Applicable if you are in a joint family and you are the distant relative of some sorts: You will never get your justifiable share in the family property for all the hard work you have put in so it is better to destroy the whole family who has looked after you and take everything for yourself.
N.B: Although these situations may not occur always chances are often high!
And these might just be the tip of the iceberg of possible side effects from these serials and yet so many people actually swear by them and these become hot topics for boring “kitty parties.”Wonder why our social structure is like it is?? Not hat to say all Hindi serial are like this. I still remember older serials like “Just mohabbat” “hip hip Hooray”. “son pari” “chamatkar” with great fondness but alas they have long finished and their subsequent replacements the “Vidaih’s” “kusum” and various others are a sad reflection on the whole society, industry, and various people who work in them.
Now let’s take a look at English sitcoms most of them originating from the USA. Most of these are based on what exists in western societies but they have a huge fan following all around the world. Especially amongst the youth and middle aged. These serials as I said are based on western culture most of which are taboo in our society.ie. having a girlfriend amongst various other cultural differences, and here in according to me lies their attraction. With the greatest respect to our traditions and cultures I must note that we have been fed on Hollywood movies and the internet and because of that often tradition and culture might appear a bit too cumbersome. We see these serials and we know that it is a huge improbability that we will achieve the things shown. I.e. Swanky lifestyles, rich cars, fat paychecks, fabulous parties and beautiful men and women, but that is the exact fantasy many of us want to achieve in the first place in the materialistic world we live in. Why we like these serials is because they are fantasies and dreams. We look at these sitcoms and we are immersed in the fantasies, may that be a swanky job with fast cars and “fast women” or catching bad guys. Many of the sitcoms are well researched and funnily enough can be a learning experience as well. (There are various sitcoms such as “Bones” though dealing with morbid subjects such a forensics is informative if you are interested) As I mentioned in the beginning there are bad eggs that exist here as well. Sitcoms here also have their fair share of logic defying improbable story lines; one that immediately springs to mind is HEROES. It began with a very promising note where you have people spread all across the globe who have special powers and how their destinies are linked but soon the sheer magnitude of logic defying twists in which you find the hero being a nuclear bomb exploding and actually surviving it without a scratch. A secret organization with the sole mission to keep a track of “special powers” and soon and so forth you soon loose interest and horrified at the least. So yes all said and done some of the English sitcoms can also be a bad influence on the youth but according to the younger generation they are surely a lot palatable then the Hindi family dramas.
As I said there are good and bad eggs for both Hindi and English serials. They both have their fan followings and they are both popular. They have their own reasons for popularity. Each has its supporters and detractors. Maybe a time in the future will tell us which is doing good and which is doing harm or are they both conceptions to provide our materialistic mindsets with a semblance of happiness and peace.
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