Busy with household chores and your attention is drawn towards a popular number (from a famed movie) playing on television? But there is surprise in store for you — The actors are completely different and so is the setting as it is a TV serial with a filmi song running in the background! Making use of popular soundtracks from film albums is one of the common features on the small screen these days, to set the tone for the drama to follow! While a majority of serials, which are remakes of popular Hindi ones have a greater influence on such musical trends, realistic serial makers prefer to keep their music original. Bengaluru Chronicle reports on film songs going the soap way.
“A show on television was far more serious earlier as it started to make it into every household from the late 80s. Be it a documentary, weekend shows and teleserials, all were mostly original. Initially, it was the filmmakers who made it into television shows. Making a show or a serial with limited episodes would take the same amount of seriousness and research as doing a full-length feature film. Every detail, including title songs and background scores were all original. However, these days, most are influenced by films,” says Ashwini, a tele-serial scriptwriter.
She adds, “Firstly, most serials basically compete to stay on top through TRPs as mega serials. With most channels having originals from the Hindi entertainment industry, they usually push for remakes of popular Hindi serials. Hindi serials are greatly influenced by Bollywood movies for various reasons and Bollywood is synonymous with songs, dance, and melodrama, which feature in serials too, and when they are remade, all those qualities are retained and filled with the respective films songs. Even special events connected with serials garner a larger audience and are grander thanks to the filmi element which peps up the mood with popular numbers from films.”
TV analysts feel that TV rights of films are bought by particular channels to use the songs for TRPs. “However, there are still many serial makers who prefer to keep it original. Serial makers like TN Seetharam, Nagabharana, and others prefer using originals even for background scores,” says Sharanu, a critic on TV and films.
Several music composers, on a condition of anonymity, express displeasure that their work in films is being used in TV serials without due credit. However, a few amongst them do not mind their works incorporated in the small screen. “The audience knows who has composed it in the first place. It is another medium to reach a larger audience and more popularity,” says some.
