Not a trendsetter, a reflector of trends

Did a media analyst once say that television sets trends for the society? I think television is more of a reflection of the changing trends of society. If the entertainment industry hands out something that does not confirm to the taste and trends of society, it gets killed even before it can take off. There have been umpteen examples where even good programmes were taken off the air because they did not match the mood of the society.

Programmes like Kora Kagaz, Shanti and Saans became successful because the audience could find themselves being used as part of the story. Characters in these serials resembled reallife characters, so people empathized with them. Then came the time for thrillers and suspense, since people were bored with a dull and busy life pattern and wanted some excitement.

They were equally bored with real life characters peeping out at them from small tube. So Saturday Suspense and Aahat were a welcome change, but overdoing of thrillers causes regression in demand. Secondly, reality has a larger impression than fiction. So the quest for thrill works, but in small doses.
However what boomed eventually was the basic greed and lure of money. With the hidden gambling instinct in every individual, it is boom time for game shows related to prizes. Whether it is a question of one crore, ten or may be lesser then that, such game shows have the capability to draw the crowds.

KBC, Koteeswaran, etc — they rule the roost, although family oriented shows are also still going strong, proving that family is still an all important factor with the Indian audience.

So inspite of the massive attraction of game shows and audience greed to be a celebrity for a day, serials like Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka and Hum Sab Ek Hain are doing well, specially because disappointed with the nuclear family system, society today is promoting the culture of joint family - a system which always perceived greater values.

Not only an individual programme but even the overall channel content has to be targetted towards the Indian audience and whatever they can relate to. Take the case of foreign channels. They have successfully distributed English content to most of the Indian audience outside India and to the few within.
But when it comes to India, they had to turn to Hindi and Indian programming or otherwise they would have faced audience rejection.

Majority of the audience in this continent opts for content that has some relation to their culture, heritage, religion and is presented in their language. They may try non-Indian content like continental food, but the acceptance in everyday life is not there. At heart they are Indian and shall remain so.

Barring a small section of niche audience, most prefer watching programmes that they can relate to. In other words, globalization is a reflection of localisation - it takes local content beyond Indian territories. We can say that satellite industry has taken entertainment beyond the boundaries of India, but it is Indian entertainment and content that has gone overseas via international media giants.

Many channels have used successful programmes of other languages and markets - only after adapting it to Indian tastes. Banegi Apani Baat was inspired from Bold & Beautiful. However, the story was totally Indian and it came at a time when Indian society was contemplating with issues raised in the serial. It went on to be successful.

Cats is inspired by VIP. Again adaptation has Indianised the concept to the core. But in the case of Friends that was telecast with the same name, it boomeranged on the maker because from concept to treatment to presentation to values, it remained foreign.

Still whatever is shown on television is a very small reflection of society, since most of the content is film based. Not many take the risk of experimenting with entertainment beyond films.

Other forms of entertainment related to Indian culture and literature like poetry or educating the audience about classical or film music is hardly explored by television bigwigs.

Programmes like Angoor, Surabhi, Zaakiri Hussain’s Taal or Rangmanch are few and far in between, but they are noticed, appreciated and survive for long durations. Some experiment with social issues where the issues raised are definitely pertinent but unfortunately the handling of these sensitive topics is clumsy.

Except for a few memorable performances by the likes of Priya Tendulkar, Neena Gupta, Renuka Shahane and others rest cater only to the lower stalls and have very little to offer in terms of substance or social relevance. They merely become an excuse for giving the audience cheap thrills in the garb of what society is wanting.

Did we say that the entertainer can fool the audience? Naturally such content is rejected faster then one can blink an eye. Viewer is open to experimentation, but it has to be relevant to his thinking and life pattern. Moral of the story — television has to give what is prevalent in society, television is not expected to lay foundation to set trends.

Pradeep Dixit, CEO, etc Network