A little bhashan 'cos I can't help it?
A decade ago, TV viewing was a family affair. There used to be a box in the middle of the living room which was at most times crowded around by family members. Sometimes friends and neighbours also joined in, usually uninvited. It was a social daily activity/event which encouraged bonding, discussions and dialogue. Affordability and variety in programming has changed all that today without me explaining how???
But the discussion and dialogue continues till today. So much so that mainstream news channels have dedicated shows to present highlights of last nights happenings. It all started with Saas, bahu aur Saazish on Star News if I'm correct and now its an epidemic that has not spared even MTV, if you managed to catch MTV STRIPPED. It's an awesome show that mocks back at today's programming and viewing culture.
Still there is no defining good TV or bad TV. It's all about your sensibility and of course, TRPs. There is a wide variety of content across a wide variety of competing channels. The viewer it seems is spoilt with choices, that's the general perception. But as usual I beg to disagree. Infact, I feel content is just thrust upon us. There is no innovation. It's all cut, copy and paste from the west. What sells is best! - is what most TV gurus and marketing pundits would agree to and its quite right to. We are all part of a big social and marketing experiment.
Crorepati worked so we had 3 other channels aping the same. Indian Idol worked and we had another 3 channels aping it, same goes for Roadies and now Bigg Boss. Something clicks and then there is a bandwagon full of similar fairs packaged and presented differently, same fail and some come back season after season. My question is where is the choice. Look at the on air programmes. Bigg Boss on Colors, Big Switch on Bindass, Perfect Bride on Star Plus, Pati Patni aur woh on NDTV Imagine - all sharing the same premise of being locked together in a limited space trying to outsmart each other by bringing out their worst in front of the whole country indirectly transforming the viewer into a voyeur. And pleasure in seeing Tanaz and Bakhtiyar going at each other or Sherlyn Chopra stripping in my living room is just so awe inspiring left alone Rakhi and Elesh's raging hormones. The question still is what is different here, where is the choice. The viewer is just subjected to a superficial idea of the show being different perpetuated by the makers.
Bigg Boss is 'unique' because it about surviving in a house with 13 unknown people for 80 days - well unknown, not really. Same with Perfect Bride where 5 'lucky' - very questionable!, grooms get to select 5 'lucky' again - brides with a lil help from their matajis. How different is this from MTV Splitvilla minus the annoying mummyjis??? Big Switch goes along with same funda of living together in a slum with a hint of social initiative and I don't know who is benefiting from Pati, Patni aur Woh, again couples living together with children not of their own bearing trying to proof to the country who's the most compatible among the 4. Well if you were not already compatible you wouldn't be a couple, ideally speaking. So this is the 'living together' phase of reality show. Then DPL will get competition from DID whenever that begins. Has anyone heard of MPL yet??? When is Indian Idol, Saregamapa and the celebrity dance reality shows coming??? I'm eager to witness the variety on Indian Television.
But if you ask me what is good TV, I don't really know. I guess I've not seen it till now. Nothing that holds at least my attention long enough on Indian TV except the bulletins on channel no 32 - CNNIBN, not that its a flagship of good news TV but that's what I tune in to to see if its safe to venture out today. Guess that's what everyone one is doing - using available resources and hoping for something better.
P.S. - My favourite shows are HOUSE MD, HEROES and TRUE BLOOD. I consider these good TV. But I and people of my wavelength do not make the TRP generating masses so my liking is not a benchmark, you may just hate them.
A decade ago, TV viewing was a family affair. There used to be a box in the middle of the living room which was at most times crowded around by family members. Sometimes friends and neighbours also joined in, usually uninvited. It was a social daily activity/event which encouraged bonding, discussions and dialogue. Affordability and variety in programming has changed all that today without me explaining how???
But the discussion and dialogue continues till today. So much so that mainstream news channels have dedicated shows to present highlights of last nights happenings. It all started with Saas, bahu aur Saazish on Star News if I'm correct and now its an epidemic that has not spared even MTV, if you managed to catch MTV STRIPPED. It's an awesome show that mocks back at today's programming and viewing culture.
Still there is no defining good TV or bad TV. It's all about your sensibility and of course, TRPs. There is a wide variety of content across a wide variety of competing channels. The viewer it seems is spoilt with choices, that's the general perception. But as usual I beg to disagree. Infact, I feel content is just thrust upon us. There is no innovation. It's all cut, copy and paste from the west. What sells is best! - is what most TV gurus and marketing pundits would agree to and its quite right to. We are all part of a big social and marketing experiment.
Crorepati worked so we had 3 other channels aping the same. Indian Idol worked and we had another 3 channels aping it, same goes for Roadies and now Bigg Boss. Something clicks and then there is a bandwagon full of similar fairs packaged and presented differently, same fail and some come back season after season. My question is where is the choice. Look at the on air programmes. Bigg Boss on Colors, Big Switch on Bindass, Perfect Bride on Star Plus, Pati Patni aur woh on NDTV Imagine - all sharing the same premise of being locked together in a limited space trying to outsmart each other by bringing out their worst in front of the whole country indirectly transforming the viewer into a voyeur. And pleasure in seeing Tanaz and Bakhtiyar going at each other or Sherlyn Chopra stripping in my living room is just so awe inspiring left alone Rakhi and Elesh's raging hormones. The question still is what is different here, where is the choice. The viewer is just subjected to a superficial idea of the show being different perpetuated by the makers.
Bigg Boss is 'unique' because it about surviving in a house with 13 unknown people for 80 days - well unknown, not really. Same with Perfect Bride where 5 'lucky' - very questionable!, grooms get to select 5 'lucky' again - brides with a lil help from their matajis. How different is this from MTV Splitvilla minus the annoying mummyjis??? Big Switch goes along with same funda of living together in a slum with a hint of social initiative and I don't know who is benefiting from Pati, Patni aur Woh, again couples living together with children not of their own bearing trying to proof to the country who's the most compatible among the 4. Well if you were not already compatible you wouldn't be a couple, ideally speaking. So this is the 'living together' phase of reality show. Then DPL will get competition from DID whenever that begins. Has anyone heard of MPL yet??? When is Indian Idol, Saregamapa and the celebrity dance reality shows coming??? I'm eager to witness the variety on Indian Television.
But if you ask me what is good TV, I don't really know. I guess I've not seen it till now. Nothing that holds at least my attention long enough on Indian TV except the bulletins on channel no 32 - CNNIBN, not that its a flagship of good news TV but that's what I tune in to to see if its safe to venture out today. Guess that's what everyone one is doing - using available resources and hoping for something better.
P.S. - My favourite shows are HOUSE MD, HEROES and TRUE BLOOD. I consider these good TV. But I and people of my wavelength do not make the TRP generating masses so my liking is not a benchmark, you may just hate them.
