Baby that story for appeal

Family dramas run high on emotions, and it is indeed the most popular saga on Indian television. Despite huge changes in formats, such stories still rule the roost and are a deciding factor to reach the top. In order to hold onto the interest of a family audience, television has always relied heavily upon this crucial umbilical cord to drive its stories forward. Almost every soap comes with a child as the prime focus, and in some, these little ones act as the centrifugal force which keeps the show running. Lately, Kannada serials like Jo Jo Laali, Kulavadhu, Lakshmi Baramma, Agnisakshi, Subbalakshmi Samsara and a few others have seen the rise of the child star. The latest with this connect is Shree on Star Suvarna and Nanna Magalu Janaki on Colors Super. Bengaluru Chronicle reports on the sentimental tales with ‘children’ in the limelight.

“It’s a no-brainer that Indian television is still for a family audience. Though more and more unique, experiments are making their way onto the small screen, a majority still seek family entertainers. This is why a lot of them have been running for several years. Of course, when talking about family, children are the ones that bring stories to life. They add an emotional angle, even in real life, we do everything for the family and for the upbringing of our children. These shows echo this sentiment. Add a cute and innocent member in between the saas-bahu saga, and it gets more interesting,” says Ashwini, a Kannada serial writer.

Motherly acts are also a huge hit, which is why makers constantly keep bringing such roles to the fore. “Jo Jo Laali is along similar lines. It not only throws light on surrogacy, but also showcases the bonding of a mother and child. The latest is Shree, a tale which revolves around a girl called Shree, who is born to a royal family. However, she is given away to a washer woman as she is considered unlucky. What happens after she grows up and takes charge of her father's huge property, is the tale,” explains Deepak, an associate director.

Insofar, as other tales go, Subbalakshmi Samsara shows a child as the binding force between a couple who are on the verge of ending their marriage, all thanks to an affair involving the married man with his secretary. In, Lakshmi Baramma, a child binds the two lead characters, and in Kulavadhu, it deals with the vulnerabilities of a woman who sacrifices her own daughter for the sake of her sister, who has lost her child at birth.

Director Santhosh reveals that child-centric shows are always cut-short once the tales takes off. “It is an act to build emotions. Either the children soon become adults or they lose significance in the later stages of the story,” he signs off.