Box Populi

Having served as the creative platform for sombre Partition tales like Tamas and Buniyaad to comedies like Idhar Udhar and Dekh Bhai Dekh to classics like Kab Tak Pukaarun and Yugantar,television had become trapped within the depiction of petty domesticity. TV,says Sab’s Lapataganj’s director Ashwini Dheer,is finally out of the clutches of saas-bahu and has embraced rural India with vigour. “Serious issues,taboos,stigmas,folklore and real stories animate the villages of India. We have to cater to this India,and hence,source stories from there,with characters people can identify with,” he says,mentioning how Lapataganj is inspired by Sharad Joshi’s Tales from Madhya Pradesh.

“On the other hand,Sony’s line-up of Yashraj productions like Seven and Rishta.com are technically competent but fail to create much impact as a major part of India cannot relate to them,” points out a television honcho on condition of anonymity.

Set in Kolhapur,Sarvagunn Sampanna,that goes on air on May 11,narrates the story of Swara,the only child of a family of versatile Lavani dancers who travel in and around Maharashtra with their dance shows till it’s time to pop the question and marry the girl. But will a Lavani dancer be able to marry into a good home?

Nikhil Madhok,Head Marketing and Communications,points out that locating the serials in a particular geography lends more authenticity to the concept. “Since 2001-02,there has been a gradual shift from serials with predominantly Gujarati and Punjabi touch to stories from the Indian heartland,like Madhya Pradesh,Bihar,Rajasthan and the current favourite,Maharashtra,” he says. “To make it look as real as possible,we even hire directors and writers from the region,” says Madhok. Ajay Sinha,writer for Sahara One’s Kesariya Balam Aavo Hamare Des,says television has to have a delectable spread. “Just like we get bored of the same menu at home,viewers need to be treated to something new,and the current dish doing the rounds is regional,” he says.

What appeals to audiences are TV series like Balika Vadhu,Pavitra Rishta,Devi,Kashi,Laado,Jamunia,Do Saheliyan,12/24 Karol Bagh and Bandini — with their amazingly complicated lives,colourful attires and dialects,and glimpses into the life led in Mumbai chawls,Delhi gullies and the huge havelis of ruthless Thakurs.

That is not to say that there is much cultural authenticity in such representations. “Such depictions have more to do with the diverse use of language and culture,the visual vibrancy,and the colorful sets celebrating marriages and festivals,” says Madhok. “Now that the formula has worked,everyone is aping it. Soon,the saturation point will be reached and TV will move on to something altogether new,” says Colors’ Balika Vadhu’s writer Purnendu Shekhar. Till then,bite into this slice of India.