A lot has been written about this before and has been well stated but as I
started following this new channel called "Zindagi" from Pakistan
(Rarely a daily soap catches my interest) my entire views about daily soaps
changed. The maturity and content shown on that channel is unmatched. They are
taking up almost every social issue and making the most meaningful shows out of
it almost changing the definition of daily soaps.
Frankly speaking I blame daily soaps for everything bad in my life. Yes I
am accusing them! Because I grew up seeing my grandparents watch them, endless
mother in law and daughter in law drama which led me to thinking that in every
home there are people who keep planning and plotting. As I grew up in every
daily soap either the main protagonist was attracted to a very talkative,
flamboyant girl or the quietest girl in the entire series (No hope for normal
girls). And yes then those shows about college life. I was moved to tears when
I entered college, unlike what they showed that everyone dances, eats in the
canteen, talks, my college had uniform and we literally had to study from 9am
to 4pm. Another heartbreaking reality check for me.
Well coming back to what I started with why our daily soaps get a chance to
celebrate 500 episodes or for that instance 1000 episodes.
1. Because the main protagonist marries two or three times at least, their
sisters and brothers get married, their first and second husband and wives get
married, their enemies who get a surgery get married at least twice and so and
so. For every marriage scene they have at least 5 episodes named "Mega
episode" where actors from other daily soaps come and dance. There is a
"Mehndi Night", "Engagement", "Wedding night" and
sadly the entire focus is never marriage, it is some totally other person who
has secretly plotted to ruin it. So ultimately a marriage which is so often in
our daily soaps is a thriller. So by calculations around 10 people minimum and
on an average 3 marriages with each marriage for 5 days sums to 150 episodes.
2. Every intense scene has to be focused by each and every camera that is
placed as if they are deliberately trying to bring to your notice that see we
have these many cameras. So a scene which should have been shown once
ultimately gets shown 3 to 5 times from different angles and shades of color
ranging from black and white to extreme contrast.
3. Every impactful dialogue has to be repeated thrice with close-ups of
everyone's face so that you capture their emotions even when 90 percent of the
actors have their faces emotionless and for actresses it gets hidden behind
makeup. We are not dumb; we understand the dialogues at once. No need to repeat
them with blaring sound effects.
4. Our directors have a very furistic approach. They do not want their
audience to think what could have happened. So they take the pain to take leaps
of 5 years, 10 years to show that the younger generation did nothing but
replicate the actions of their ancestors. Our industry knows how widespread unemployment
is, so they give opportunity to 100s of actors in one soap. Very considerate.
5. How can you forget the random song sequences? Where the hero and heroine
would look at each other and you will have to listen to a complete song whether
it suits the scenario or not. I vividly remember "Bade Ache Lagte
Hain" showing "Teri shirt ka main button soniye" song even when
the heroine always donned a saree. WTH!!!!!
Apart from all these things you have special festival episodes, guest
appearances, divorce scenes all full with songs and melodrama. If you remove
these things from our daily soaps they will hardly be over in like a month or
so...
Trust me some of them can make up to the funniest videos of youtube as
well.
I wish not to offend anyone who views them or works in them . I understand
you put a lot of hard work in them and also your mind , body , soul sometimes
literally and down the line if the TRP is going good why would you stop. But
then asking for some meaningful shows. NAh am I asking much???
You decide!!
