The Saas Bahus Losing Out To Reality Stars 

Finally the Saas Bahus serials have been made to realize that their inability to move and offer diversity has been exposed by the Reality Shows. What began as programmes based on film songs has now found new avenues to involve the viwers all over the country. The advertisers and the producers too are happy as the TRPs rise.  

Tulsi, Parvati, Kashish, Prerna, the favourite bahus of every household in India are not happy. In fact smiles are on the faces of Mona, Tina, Sanchita and Rooprekha. And why not? They are the new heart throbs of the millions of the audience who are hooked to the cable television. Indira Saxena, a school teacher says, ‘Reality shows show the truth and it is interesting to see the new talents performing every week. As for the saas bahu serials, there is always the same story in all the channels. I do not want to see something that I can tell beforehand.”

 The recent TRP’s of the K serials are not up to the mark. Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kasauti Zaindagi Ki, Kahani Ghar Ghar was aired in 2000. Till date it is very popular but the popularity level has gone down. Television ratings for Start Plus show Kyuki Saas BHi Kabhi Bahu Thi have fallen down from 15.15 % to 11.23%. While for Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki the TRP ratings have dropped from 13.72% to 9.55% in the last two years. Kaun Banega Crorepati is no doubt very popular. As Star is planning to air Kaun Banega Crorepati for the third time in the last week of January, it has been given the prime time slot. This has affected the timings of other soap operas but nothing can be done as the channels earn more from the reality shows. The reality shows are sponsored by big brands and the revenue is good. Even the national channel of India, Doordarshan has a reality show Rin Sabse Smart Srimati.

 
Nothing is impossible in the entertainment industry, where the product keeps changing everyday. Audiences are fickle minded, and they will go where there is quality programming. Unlike FMCG products, there is little loyalty in entertainment industry and life cycles are shorter. 

Fortunes of stars rise and fall and this saying is true for the sparkling stars of the K-serials which rules the channels prime time slots for many years. Ekta Kapoor has created bahus that were the queens of the small screen but as the reality shows are coming with new concept and ideas the scenario is changing. Kamal Attri, a government employee says “Everyday I see the saas bahu story at home. I need something new to watch. So it is better to watch the reality shows. It gives something exciting to watch”.  It is a human tendency to get interested in other’s life and producers of the reality shows are just taking advantage of this resulting in high TRP ratings of the reality shows. 

Now television really belongs to the reality shows genre. Reality shows come in different styles. It all started with talent shows for aspiring singers and actors like the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul. Then came the next-level celebrity dance shows such as Naach Baliye season 1 and 2, Jahalak Dikhlaja. And now the producers might have just pushed it a bit too further with celebrity lifestyle shows like ‘Big Boss. There are some very popular game shows Kaun Banega Crorepati, Sawal Dus Crore Ka, Deal Ya No Deal that got the whole nation hooked to the television set. 

Among the prominent shows that gained the highest TRP’s are Kaun Banega Crorepati on Star Plus, Big Boss on Sony TV, Fame X on Sab TV and Cinestarts Ki Khoj and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee TV, Naach Baliye and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on Star One. These reality or interactive shows have all the elements of suspense, tension, surprise, melodrama, fun and frolic. These new genre of television definitely have all the elements to stay in the industry. Television is not a small industry in any respect and more and more established stars of Bollywood are coming to this industry. Now be it Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Saroj Khan, Shilpa Shetty or Himesh Reshamiya, everyone knows the worth of this small screen. 

Soap operas hardly go anywhere and even if one misses a few episodes, it does not matter much. For the past five to six years everything has remained the same, only new and new characters get introduced. But if you miss an episode of a reality show, one misses a live performance. Moni Sarkar, a housewife in Delhi says, “We are not idiots. Ekta Kapoor shows the same things in different style. Only the characters are different. If some thing new happens in Tulsi’s life, it is repeated in Parvati’s life also in a different way. So why see the same thing in all the serials.” 

Reality shows, in contrat, provide an interesting programming mix for consumers, broadcasters and advertisers. Their biggest appeal is that they create viewer involvement. Now its time for Ekta Kapoor, the person behind the K-serials to think on the story line of her saas bahu serials or otherwise her favourite bahus will soon not be seen in the television sets.

Saving water for saving the world