A prosperous uptown joint family bound by quintessentially Indian values and ethos; palatial mansions which would put the Buckingham Palace to shame; filial bonds of trust, the sceptre of lust and the sense of togetherness; bahus in silk saris; sons in embroidered suits, impish grandchildren and bawling great grand children; complete with a screen vamp wearing negligees (Imagine converting a saree into one), a family priest and a 200 year old or so grand old lady of the brood......All this and more comprises the great Ekta Kapoor formula of saas-bahu soap operas. Circa 2000 AD; the eldest of "Jumping Jack" Jitendra's progeny decided to make the cut as a director of soap operas. By the end of the first year of the new millennium, her saas-bahu hocus pocus were a rage among the 300 million (and rising) strong Indian middle class. TRP ratings rocketed to dizzying heights and heralded the meteoric rise of the "K Force". So much so that students in primary school were taught thus: A for "Action" B for "Ba" C for "Chachu" D for "Diane" E for "Ekta" and so on and so forth......
Around the same time when the King of Bhutan finally ended his kingdom's isolation by introducing TV in order to improve the Gross Happiness Index of his people, the Net Happiness Index of over harassed hubbies in India exceeded the frenetic pace of its booming economy, thanks to Ekta for ensuring that their wives were plugged to the idiot box till eleven in the night. Time management gurus had their share of learning from the prime time allocation of Star Plus as well. Advertisements - 16 minutes, Socially Consciousness Messages- 2 minutes and the actual soap constituting whatever was left of the 30 minutes. It was a combination no one could beat. The plots are elaborate, supernatural and democratically inspired as well. The dead husband of the "choti ba" (read Tulsi) rises from his grave at the behest of rioting viewers. The lady from the second generation is swayed by the vamp in her impression of her saas ( first generation) and bahu (third generation) and we see the transformation of an ideal "saas-bahu" into a potential "ass-bahu"......
There is more to it than the eye sees it though. Even with all the jibes and taunts of her critics and detractors about her plots, Ekta Kapoor has managed to get the goose lay golden eggs (must be a result of her family's intense devotion to Lord Balaji of Tirumala-Tirupati). She has laughed her way to the bank while her critics ranted and raved. Her plots have made a mark beyond our shores as well; courtesy the Indian Expat community. It comes as a pleasant surprise that Kabul in godforsaken Afghanistan comes to a standstill six times everyday. Five times for the traditional "Namaz" and once when Ekta Kapoor's soaps are aired on Afghan Tolo TV in Pashtu. What is more, she has (unintentionally) managed to remind us Indians of our glaring shortcomings as well. Soap operas inspired by her plots have been made in almost all the regional languages, reminding us that irrespective of caste, religion and language; we are a nation of dissatisfied and disgruntled masses ruled by a corrupt polity and governed by an ineffective bureaucracy. We are a nation of strong values governed by filial and social norms; some of them antediluvian in today's world; nevertheless holding together the fabric of our society. Ekta Kapoor (through her elaborate plots) has reminded us that we are still a society ripped apart by feelings of caste, creed and sex; that the present generation is a confused lot; trying to confirm to yesterday's norms yet trying to innovate for a better tomorrow and that we still have a long way to go before we start having any starry airs about our "resurgent" national prestige.
Its time all of us commended Ekta for her good...nay, her great work. May god bless her tribe, and uh-well save us from an encore of her directorial talents and her miserably untalented younger sibling as well. May we all learn from her soap operas and strive to be better people.
********AU REVOIR*********
5 comments:
It was really interesting to know that even ppl in kabul r mesmerised by what K sops have to offer..though what she doles out sells ...i think reasons r much beyond the stupid themes...there are ladies who watch the series just for the sake of knowing wats the latest trend in jewellery n wat shud they wear for the next party....how i wish good sense prevail over them n on ekta too...though the K series truly depict the commercialization of everything from the materialistic things to the human emotions n relationships...they do not really depict our culture ..at best they try to take ppl away from the reality n nearer to the dreams of grandeur....coming bak to blog.. a very good work indeed...keep writing...:)
good one. this sounds more like a news item than a blog entry.
probably because i wrote a similar one while was working at The New Indian Express. i called it "Kahaani Kiskii Ghar Kii?" bringing out the mindlessness of the K soaps. ;)
cant say much as i lack knowledge in this area... :D
well, but lot of people i know (who hate EK to the hilt)would surely agree to this
nice read!
wel written...quite true,,,but then its ur side of view totally...4 sum women ,,,many indian women actually,,,this is da only safe form of entertainment dat their loser husbands n horrid in-laws wud allow,,,also wat abt da maids who work harder than lucky ppl lik us ?? can they afford barista n pizza hut? dats y ekta sells...criticising is gud,,,but india has its flaws,,,sum less gross than da west,,,ponder on it,,,if u ve da time n inclination
so u write haa!
and that too impressively
looks as if ur gonna land up in newspapers soon
and may be we will read
but wolly i se good potential in u as a writer
good stuff dude
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