Mega serials: Time Killers or Fillers?

By: Arya Aiyappan
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Television serials an inseparable segment of every household is oft relapsing into a pitiable state of melodrama, 'all sound and fury, signifying nothing.' The innumerable number of serials endlessly repeats the same stories over and over again due to dearth of original and creative ideas. The plot is essentially the same, the underlying message is uniform - family unity, but the characters are persistently changed to impart a sense of freshness to the otherwise musty serials. The daily soaps drive you to the point of satiation wherein even the emotions are mere mock-up of the earlier ones.

Mega serials have been there for a long time tracing them back to the days of "Buniyaad" and "Hum Log" in the '80s on Doordarshan. Those serials profoundly realistic were indeed a mirror of the society, offering a slice of life in all its shades and hues. As years have passed by old ideas have made way for new trends, while the trend of mega serials have been further explored. Mega serials are virtually the order of the day be it in any language, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, etc.

Lately every television channel is flooded with mega serials of which most of them lack eminence, which their predecessors could easily boast of. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kumkum - Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kahiin To Hoga, Kasdauti Zindagi Ke, Kesar, Kaisa Yeh Pyar Hai, ek Ladki Anjaani Si, Sindoor Tere Naam Ka, Mamta, Jab Love Hua, etc on star Plus, Sony Tv, Zee Tv and so forth to name a few. Many of them have been on air for many years, therein repeating the same story ad nauseum, similar to the adage of old wine in new bottles. The tracks run along the same line, history repeats till it virtually becomes predictable.

In Kyunki, Kahaani, Kasauti, Kumkum, and Kesar Tulsi, Parvati, Prerna, Kumkum and Kesar are the eternal crusaders of justice even after successive generation leaps, sacrificing everything for the sake of their family. Characters cross several scores of age, hardly appealing to our reason, whether life expectancy works wonders on television. Needless to say most of the serials flaunting the lifestyles of the wealthy are far removed from reality without bearing an inkling of similarity with the life of the common people who derive vicarious pleasure from the onscreen heroes and heroines. The time-tested formulae to retain the TRP rates are generation leaps, death of the lead heroes or heroines, their re-birth or even bringing them back negating their death, elaborate wedding ceremonies, etc.

It is for the audience, loyal admirers of mega serials to testify if the mega serials, are worth the pains they take to ardently watch them to extent of even graciously shedding tears of joy and sorrow as and when the situation demands.