Great Expectations

Tapping into the soulmate quest.

The tag line for Shagun TV,Indias first matrimonial TV channel,which launched last weekend is Ek nai shuruaat,do dilo ka sangam aur parivaaro ka milan. In their promo on YouTube,several different teary eyed brides with stressed-out fathers are being escorted to the mandap while the shehnai plays tragically in the background. The names of some of the shows on this channel are going to be Toh Baat Pakki and Janam Janam Ka Saath.

Marriage-related programming on television is not new. Some years ago,Madhuri Dixit hosted the show Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai,where she played matchmaker it wasnt a success. CBS has a reality show called Arranged Marriage,where couples leave the choosing of spouses to a third party. They are then filmed over the next year to see how it plays out. Jerry Seinfeld has a reality show about the absurd situations that arise in the marriages of celebrities and sports stars. Discovery Travel and Living has several shows on wild weddings and bridezillas.

The institution of matrimony is on the whole,entertainment. While some of us cant fathom how you can possibly fill 24 hours in a day with non-fiction marriage-related programming,well do well to remember,this is India. After a certain age,there is no I. It can only be We. Just maybe,Shagun TV has cannily figured out an interesting niche to distinguish itself amid the clutter and the battle for TRPs. They plan shows on relationships and cooking (a marriage channel in India; can the kitchen ever be far behind?). Astrology,the deciding factor behind many alliances,is sure to find many engrossed viewers,eager to understand complex and inexplicable terms such as janampatri and brighu smriti. Besides,the programming plan mirrors the plot of almost each one of the dramas on General Entertainment Channels,where there are three big topics recycled every six months marriage,birth and death,occasionally affairs and divorce.

After the breathless obsession over happily ever after has subsided,it would be nice if there was some sensible,down-to-earth programming to prepare people for nuptials. An entertaining relationship Dos and Donts programme that could help people deal with conflicts that arise in partnerships. Since there are several Indias coexisting,there is room also for a good show on divorce and break ups. A successful wedding planner I met recently told me in all seriousness that she thinks young people in Delhi marry because they want to have a nice string of parties and buy new clothes. Since parents are unlikely to splurge unless its a life-altering event,the solution is to get hitched. A whole new,revised etiquette guide is necessary for this generation of 20-somethings who have merrily been announcing every excruciating detail about their romantic adventures online for years now. Its not uncommon for spouses to unfriend each other,and announce their newfound single status on Facebook before anywhere else.

Shagun TV can find a whole new viewership if they tap into the issues of this young audience,help them negotiate their digital lives and drive home the point that what you do online rarely stays there.

hutkayfilms@gmail.com

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