Revenge of the 'Saas', TV is back on the glitzy track

The flashy sarees are back and so are the over dressed vamps. After a period of austerity where 'social realism' ruled the roost, the grand family sagas are making an opulent comeback on the small screen.
   
Be it the four sisters of Behenein or the troubled residents of Swarna Mahal in Yahan Mein Ghar Ghar Kheli, the programmes hark back to the ornate trappings of the earlier soaps like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kasauti Zindagi Ki.
   
They are a far cry from soaps like Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo and Bairi Piyaa which focussed on the lower middle classes and their day to day struggles.

So what is the reason which has prompted the television industry to change it's direction from "issue-based" productions to the formulaic family dramas?

"The audience was tired of the so called socially relevant soaps. There was a flood of them because in TV if a certain thing works, duplicates mushroom everywhere. But new audience surveys have revealed that the viewers want the opulent dramas back," said JD Majethia, producer of Behenein, on Star Plus.
   
The channel had monopolised the top spot in the race for TRP's for years with superhit soaps like Kyunki.. and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and is now in the forefront of the return of the genre.
   
Their latest offering Behenein, which was launched with a series of glitzy sangeet ceremonies across cities, has much in common with their best remembered soap Kyunki..., the longest running serial in Indian Television history.

"Our new soap Behenein has a compelling story line and though it is again set in a Gujarati family like our cult hit Kyunki, it is not a copy or a rehash. Family dramas have always been our strength though we did experiment with socially relevant themes like in Mitwa: Phool Kamal Ke etc," said Anupam Vasudev, EVP, Star India.

NDTV Imagine, which scored brownie points with the superhit reality show Rakhi Ka Swayamwar' too has jumped on the bandwagon with soaps like Palkon Ki Chaon Mein.

"All serials are based on homes. But there are two types, one is the home that the larger urban audience can identify with and the rich settings are attention grabbing props that make for interesting viewing. And there are the serials that look at the opposite spectrum of the society, the rural, the underprivileged," said Shailaja Kejriwal, EVP, NDTV Imagine.

So is the play between the cruel Saas and the suffering Bahu again in vogue on television?

Audiences seem to agree, given the high TRP's the shows are garnering.
   
"The shows incorporate a fantasy element, which is highly entertaining. We all know that people don't really wear such ornate costumes in real life, but the plots, the clothes, the sudden twists are all entertaining to watch," says Kirti Sukhkar, a self confessed "soap junkie".

But, Sukesh Motwani, Creative Head, Zee TV begs to differ saying that the modern family dramas are a lot more believable and a lot less "cheesy" than their earlier counterparts.
   
"The treatment of the current bunch of soaps is totally different from the previous ones. Earlier the settings were often so grand that it overpowered the plot, but there is increased emphasis on believability now," said Motwani.

But did the Saas-Bahus ever go away, no says Kejriwal who believes that Indian soaps are primarily focussed on the relationship.

"Even Balika Vadhu, which is considered a trail blazer in the social issue based soap department, is at it's core a saas bahu soap," said Kejriwal.