I grew up watching TV like all other children in my neighbourhood. For life only meant school, cricket and TV for children. I remember waiting desperately for tuesdays so that i could watch the next episode of "The Malgudi Days" or for fridays so that I can watch "Salsud", (read marathi serial).
All the sops being broadcasted by then, had one thing common in them. "Quality". For there was only one TV channel to watch and it screened and picked up the best in the lot. I'd call it the golden era of Indian TV.
Then came the cable TV, and initially it was appreciated by folks, for there were now options available and people were free to switch channels if they didn't like the drama.
I think, having multiple channels on offer reduced the compitition for sop makers. If Sony didn't accept it, Zee would always :-) Nobody cared about the quality, for the mantra was "money". The TV channels were just concerned about the commercial breaks.
Well, all that was not for the worst. We were benefitted by the likes of BBC, CNBC TV 18 and HBO's of the world. Which was indeed, a very welcome change.
But would you dare and watch "Sauce bhi Kabhi Tamatar Thi"? I didn't understand what made the serial soooooooo popular in the first lot....and then there were many "me too" products that came up. I wouldn't watch them even if someone would offer me a million bucks (wanna try? ;-)).
Welcome to the new Indian TV, where you don't try and produce a quality product, but just make people believe that what you're offering is what's "qaulity", for how could you justify showing a scene three times consecutively and still maintain popularity? (read TRPs)
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5 comments:
For most of us of the same age the blog on "of TV And Sops" remains very true. And one more thing which is true again is that most of us have stopped entirely watchin Sops on TV channels (not talking about the fair sex :) ).
TV now means cricket, sensex,celebs news and awards. People were satisfied then n now also...as diversification is always better...even for the TV Channels.
Gimme some money n I wud also wish to start a channel showing Sops which will make my Mom weep, kids jump n people like us getting more info based stuffs.
You have to decide what you want to watch, in general what you want to do.
If somebody wants to watch the soap drama, which for us is nothing but pathetic, you can't help it.
You got to sell the stuff as long as there are buyers out there. That makes the most business sense!
kudos!!! for the frank revelations abt the sops,hope u wont be branded as "male chauvinist" becos any disagreement with anything women like wud earn u such a brand name these days.
just to add to what has been said sops get its name from the SOAP ADS which comes in between....seems there needs no more reason for the beauty concious "bharathiya nari" to get hooked to it....quality of the stuff as u said was a secondary concern even from the begining( i mean begining of MEGA serial era.).
Deshmv, I do not recognize you. Do I know you? About your comment, Were you only given options to watch "Ekta Kapoor" Serials, you really but can't help it. As shubham said, TV, for the most of the darker sex now means sensex and cricket. I do not understand what is so engaging in the SOPs what the fair sex watches. When Diwali comes, the SOP producers modify the story so that the characters also could sport Diwali in the serial. Same's true about any other festival. The drama remains "Jaise The". Are we celebrating mediocrity here?
Shubham, I agree that diversification's better. But are SOPs only a money-making business? I guess, we will be alive to see the long term effects.
Ratheesh,
Thanks. I don't mind being branded alive. If it could save me watching neighbourhood ladies discussing the TV drama. :-)
Guys, you may be right about the Ekta Kapoor Sops but I think we should not comment on it unless we have watched it. I am not saying the sops are good or bad because I haven't seen them...
But one thing I can say is that just like these Hindi sops the English sops are becoming popular these days among the college goers... Those who don't get time to watch them on TV download it and see them as movies... The drama shown in these is same as Hindi ones but with an american background so blaming Hindi sops just because they are hindi isn't good, which seems to be a trend these days among the college goers...
So again as deshmv said it is us whos has to decide what to see and where to see..
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