Licence to thrill

From Zee TV’s Mohandas BA LLB to Star Plus’ Yehi Hai Raaz,Doordarshan’s Karamchand and Byomkesh Bakshi in the days of yore and the recently concluded Mr & Mrs Mishra,many crime thrillers have come only to fade soon after. But with CID’s long,successful run,optimism is running high that crime shows might find an audience in India after all. It is this hope that has prompted Sony to bring back another popular show Crime Patrol in its third season. The show will take a bolder look at the more heinous variety of crimes like incest and marital rape—something that such shows have usually shied away from. So will we see a series of crime-based shows on television once again? Or will Indians continue to get their daily dose of crime and suspense from popular American shows like Law & Order,CSI,Bones and Criminal Minds?

The popularity of foreign crime-based shows in India may be a known fact,but BP Singh,producer of CID,feels that Indian shows still have a chance. “The success of CID is based on a variety of factors—popular cast,novel ideas and the connectivity with the common man,” says Singh. While most shows in India tried to sell themselves with slick editing,CID stuck to the basics. “To make a show popular one needs to make it a family entertainer. And when you are making a serial for Indians,you need to involve the interiors as well. Most producers are choosing rural settings today. I did it 10 years ago,” says Singh,whose show has taken viewers to crimes committed all over rural and urban India.

But could this interest in whodunits be a flash in the pan? Parakh Madan,who played the title role in Monica Mogre Case Files,seems to think so. She says that no matter how successful a serial,every genre has a limited life on television and when it’s stretched for too long,viewer fatigue sets in. “Apart from that,crime shows need to be topical,socially relevant and borrow from real-life instances. They work well as long as they’re short and crisp.”

So how have shows like Law & Order and CSI—the longest running shows on television—sustained and maintained high viewership for more than 20 seasons? “They are never afraid to venture into taboo topics and hence monotony does not creep in,” says Pavitra Bhandekar,a regular viewer,adding,“Hard-hitting and gruesome crimes are never addressed on crime-based shows in India. This is what puts young viewers off,”.

But filmmaker Vipul Shah,who is bringing back Crime Patrol,feels that America has had nuanced television since the 1940s,unlike India where viewers are still getting used to possibilities of television programming. “It was the broadcaster who decided to take a break after 2006 when the second season of Crime Patrol ended. But now they feel that the viewers are more evolved and involved with television. In this season we will address issues such as date rape and wife-battering,and we’ll urge viewers to fight for their rights,” says Shah.

The storyline of a show may be most important,but it is the actors or characters in it that make or break it. If Shivaji Satam hadn’t consistently played CID’s ACP Pradyuman for the past 12 years,business suits and intense glare intact,the show wouldn’t have the instant recall value it does. For instance,“Shows like CSI have stuck to the same set of actors for most seasons,whereas in India actors quit a show while it’s on air. This is where CID has managed to garner viewership,” says Ashish D’Souza,a regular viewer.