Soap operas that play on endlessly!

More than which political party will emerge victorious, forming the government at the centre in the coming general elections; or will India win the next cricket world cup or even Bollywood superstar Salman Khan will ever marry, the billion dollar question remains to be whether the never ending television sagas which are running for years with more than thousands episodes, will ever end! At least a dozen of them in Kannada starting from the popular Puttagowri Maduve, Agnisakshi, Kinnari, Kulavadhu, Nandini, Nagini and few more are showing no signs of ending despite new soaps making an entry each week. Bengaluru Chronicle reports.

“Even a school going child in his primary standard (who comes from a typical Kannada family  obsessed with teleserials )would know the timings of all the long running shows. Most of these serials would have made their debut before the kids from standard one were born. Serials like Puttagowri Maduve and Agnisakshi which have easily crossed the 1000 episode mark have become a part of Kannada television watching families especially the female audience. Many would not miss the show at any cost. In my own case, my mother who sometimes gets busy with work in kitchen would still like to hear to the show, as she cannot sit and watch the television. It is that important,” says filmmaker Naveen.

An attempt to learn from none other than the horse's mouth — the television channels which have been telecasting the shows for years, goes unanswered with many reacting with a smile that they aren't sure that it may end in 2019.

“The situation is because of the loyal audience who have been watching these serials from the day one. They start relating to the characters. Sometimes it may be due to an obsession. They get so involved that they emote along with the characters, feeling happiness, joy and revenge, and even cursing the vamps or the villains from the soaps. While many wish for the soap to end but deep down their heart, it is always a false wish. A single loyal audience in a family will influence others to watch and when once it becomes a habit, it is very hard to die. Most of the discussion among such die hard fans are always the serial topics. The only change is that the repeat show timings and their availability online. The audience are flexible with the timings these days,” says Dr. Harsha, a psychiatrist.

About retaining the standard and holding the audience interests for such long periods, writer Sharan feels that when the TRPs are at its best numbers, any slight tweaking in the content doesn't harm much. “It is only when the core content is drastically changed with an entirely new plot, audience feel disassociated. One should read the comments sections on the official social media handles of TV channels wherein the appeal of audience to end or not to end a show reflects its popularity. Like it or not like, they cannot be ignored for sure. They will end the day it will end. Mostly abruptly,” he signs off.