TV goes globetrotting

All that goes around, comes around, is the popular adage and that’s exactly what’s happening on the small screen. Exotic foreign locales, which once were a novelty in the soaps, (Dollar Bahu, Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) has caught the fancy of serial makers again.

Zee TV has just announced a cross-continental love story in their new show Rab Se Sona Isshq, that races from Bhatinda to Birmingham. Star Plus’ Diya Aur Baati Hum unit is already in Singapore to shoot an important track where-in the husband-wife duo of Sooraj and Sandhya are re-discovering their love for each other; Sony’s Bade Acche Laggte Hain (BALH) team will soon be flying to Dubai to shoot episodes post the five-year leap. In fact, this will be the second foreign trip for the BALH team, which last year had its lead characters, Ram and Priya, spend their honeymoon in Sydney. Gopi and Ahem of Saath Nibhaana Saathiya had preferred the beautiful locales of Switzerland for their honeymoon.

Not just romance, the picturesque country has even been explored by the crime detective series CID to unravel a kidnapping case. Paris has also been visited by the CID team.

As BP Singh, producer-dierctor, CID says, “It helps us a great deal to shoot abroad. The team  of actors is the same, so we explore scenic locales, as they provide a freshness to the show. We also shoot in such a way that viewers, who have never been to these places can visit it through our show. Last year, we shot in Geneva and Interlaken, which is a beautiful spot between two lakes.”
Producer-director Sumeet Mittal agrees that it makes for a welcome change. “Eighty-five percent of the serials are shot within homes, havelis or a village. So, when we shoot at beautiful locations, it gives a different dimension to the serial.”

However, Sukesh Motwani, fiction head, Zee points out that if a foreign shoot is just a gimmick, it doesn’t work. “The foreign track is inherent in the story of our new show Rab Se Sona Isshq. It’s based in a small town in Punjab, where most people dream of settling abroad. Which is why our protagonist deserts his would-be wife on the wedding day to migrate to London and the girl follows him,” he says.

Not only foreign shores, but producers are also increasingly exploring the desi locations. For instance, Chhal Sheh Aur Maat is being shot in Manali, CID is planning an investigative case during the Rath Yatra in Orissa, Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chasmah had recently gone to Kutch, Kerala has already been explored by many shows including CID and Bidaai. The alluring locales, undoubtedly, prove to be a visual treat to the viewers, who travel the world with their favourite characters.