Why people watch Indian soaps
By Seema Mohsin
The trend of soap operas caught on when they started becoming popular in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s with Here Comes the Bride, General Hospital, Dallas, Dynasty, and The Bold and the Beautiful. These were shown during the day, specially during afternoons, when the average bored housewife had ample time to kill and these soaps provided her with the perfect opportunity for entertainment.
With their arrival, daytime stars arrived among our midst as well such as Bobby Sherman (Here Comes the Bride), Rick Springfield (General Hospital), Joan Collins and Linda Evans (Dynasty), to name a few. Such was their popularity that they even made forays into other fields. Rick gave crooning a shot and had a huge hit with Jessie’s Girl in the summer of 1981. Joan made loads of money by her bare-dare act and in later movies such as The Bitch and The Stud.
Then came the 1990s and the Indian TV industry took to following in the footsteps of their American counterparts. However, the big difference was that instead of showing their soaps during the day, they started showing them during the night, including prime time. Tara and Amanat were among some of the first to become huge hits and with the advent of the 21st century, a spate of Indian soap operas, each more ridiculous than the next, launched a full-scale offensive on TV audiences from the numerous channels. So what is it about these Indian soaps that attracts Pakistani viewers, specially women (read bored housewives), keeping them glued to the TV screen for hours on end?
To find out, Images spoke to several people in order to find out why they prefer watching Indian serials to Pakistani ones, and what lacks in the latter.
Farhana Hussain is a teacher at a reputed academic institution. She says: “They (soaps) are glamorous and they always have something new to say. Each episode ends on an exciting note which keeps our expectations high and makes us wait impatiently for the next. I make sure to tune in to Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and Kyun Kay Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Then there’s Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin which I watch quite regularly. In the 1980s when I was in India, my sisters and I were crazy about Pakistani serials Ankahi and Tanhaiyaan, and used to get their video cassettes from as far away as Kolkatta. Such serials are no longer being made in Pakistan.”
Farhana’s son, Gibran Ali Hussain, 16, an O-level student, adds: “PTV’s prime time serials are shown at 8pm. At 9pm it shows the news, if you can call it that. People usually have their dinner any time between 9pm and 10pm. Hardly anybody likes watching the news at this hour, so they prefer to watch Indian soaps.”
Quratulain Hisaam, a housewife, says: "Indian serials are fast-paced. They keep up coming with something new each time to sustain viewers’ interest. Their Pakistani counterparts, on the other hand, are extremely slow-paced. Besides, most Pakistani serials are shown once a week. People can’t wait that long to watch the next episode as it breaks the momentum. Indian serials are shown four times a week.
“My family and I watch the serials shown on Star TV, such as Kyun Kay Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kasauti Zindagi Ki and Kusum. All the serials are produced by Ekta Kapoor who has named them all starting with the letter K.”
Yes, the Indian film and TV industry people are quite superstitious. Ekta Kapoor, the creative head of Balaji Telefilms, has a fetish for the letter ‘K’ which is why the names of all the serials that she produces start with it.
An accountant by profession, Murtaza Totanawala, says: “I watch Kyun Kay Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and Kahin To Hoga. Their actors are gorgeous, their dressing sense is immaculate and their set designs, including the home and office interiors are magnificent. But their storylines are absolutely drab. Almost all the serials produced by Ekta Kapoor have similar themes, but still interesting. On the other hand, Pakistani serials are comparatively dull and their picturization is nothing to write home about. Our media people desperately need to pull up their socks.”
As someone who also did not have something positive to say about Indian soaps, Hisaamuddin Rustam, a businessman, lauched into a verbal assault when the question was put before him: “I have better things to do with my time than to watch Indian soap operas which never seem to reach a conclusion. They keep on adding new characters and stories to make them drag on for weeks, months and even years. In the end, the original storyline gets lost somewhere in the middle. I pity those who waste their time on such soaps.”
These Indian soaps, however bad or tasteless, exercise a charm that seems to have blinded Pakistani viewers with their sheen of perceived glamour. So where has the magic of PTV gone which it had shown during the '60s and '70s with fabulous serials such as Taleem-i-Balighan, Jhok Siyaal, Shehzori, Qurbatain Aur Faaslay, Waaris, Khuda Ki Basti, Shama and Teesra Kinara among others? The actors then were capable of giving something to the viewers, producers and directors were tuned into public demands and executed serials which were, in turn, remembered for years to come and were even enjoyed as re-runs. The only two serials one remembers from the '90s are Chand Girhan and Sitara aur Mehrunnisa.
The question remains: Will Pakistani TV channels wake up and show something worthwhile to the masses like they used to or will they, too, remain overwhelmed by Indian soap operas.