From 9:30 p.m. to midnight every weekday, I am tortured. And it's not physical harassment that I am forced into but television anguish. Yes, my mother, my sweet sweet mother, hogs the television for two and a half hours to watch her favorite Hindi serials. And it's pretty much nonstop. More than often I want to put my hair out, scream, shout and cry at how ridiculous the plots and situations tend to be. How on earth the writers think of such instances, is beyond me. And they swear that most of this inspired by real life. Really? Which modern day educated girl would allow herself to be treated to a life of bossing-around by her mother-in-lawless household. And then there is the couple who marry outside of their castes only to face seriously lame issues that makes you want to jump off the 78th floor. What surprises me is the number of people who actually spend hours a day glued to the idiot box watching these shows. And there are people like my mother who find themselves crying for some odd reason which is unknown to mankind.
I'll admit I used to be a soap junkie. Yes, I too was a serial addict. But then it hit me one day, when my toleration for nonsense hit the roof, that I needed therapy. And I've kept the receipts simply because I believe Ekta Kapoor needs to reimburse me. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore the woman. She's savvy, suave and gosh darn smart. But her sensibilities are far more intelligent I believe. Her business smart mind however, is just giving the masses what they want; drama,
tamasha and mayhem.
Look, I'm not saying they should be banned but why can't we make soaps that actually make sense or is at least prevalent to issues that are relatable? I mean how many women really marry more than three times? How many people resurrect from the dead? How many people get face transplants? How many character live to be more than 100 years old? Considering that we live in times of terrorism, farmer suicide, fasting drama kings and are still dealing with female infanticide, it is terrible to see that as a society we are "turned on" by soap opera drama. The
tamasha is hardly interesting anymore. And the argument that most fans throw my way is simple: we want an escape from our daily problems and thus, Desi soaps provide that exact getaway. Fair. But does it need to be so OTT? Why can't we tone down the drama, the music and the dramatics.
I say all this while I find myself seriously hooked to bad Hindi reality shows, every single singing program and am also Ram Kapoor's (yeah the fat dude) biggest fan. I am currently a Bade Acche Lagte Hain freak. Sigh. It always get it you no matter how hard you try to run. But it's okay right? If the soaps can be hypocritical, well then so can I, no?
1 comment:
I cannot bear to watch them and I too am exposed to the torture every time I visit home. Some of my friends watch them and even my brother has been known to be obsessed with one or two! The story lines are dreadful rehashed episodes of Dallas and Dynasty with a few Bollywood themes thrown in. The only appeal for me are the fabulous outfits they get to wear!
Post a Comment