From limited edition shows to mega serial ventures which run for years, and come packed with thousands of episodes, the small screen has witnessed a sea of change. What started as an information nucleus, shifted to infotainment, which has now turned into a personal fiefdom of entertainment, knowledge, sports and spirituality, and even home shopping tools! Among all, fictional shows have been at the forefront of such changes. At present multiple TV series are being made on high budgets and it has become a challenge to keep the audience interested for prolonged periods of time. Frequent changes in plots add interesting twists and help break the monotony, even as the serial makers cook up flashier sub-plots. Bengaluru Chronicle reports.
“When regional channels started making their way into the mainstream, it was followed by private channels who changed the concept of entertainment by commercialising the industry. The purpose started to deviate. In the initial days, an experienced filmmaker would make a fictional drama with a limited number of episodes. Hence, it didn’t look like they were constantly changed. It served a purpose - Akin to a movie which would come with a tale with a desired conclusion. However, the present scenario is completely different,” explains director Anirudh.
He feels that it is a challenge to keep an original tale intact for a longer period as the audience tends to lose interest in the same plot.
“Some of the longest running mega ventures such as Puttagowri Maduve, Agnisakshi, Lakshmi Baramma, Avalu, etc have had several twists and new plots in their core plot. It is indeed a challenge as any unplanned need to stretch may end up alienating the audience. Any new change has to be as gripping and interesting as the main plot. A new concept of dedicated episodes or adhyayas has become a trend,” says writer Sharan.
Not all such changes are welcome. For example, Puttagowri Maduve, which is one of the longest running shows on Kannada television, has deviated from the main plot on several occasions. But the latest to introduce an entirely new cast and new artiste has resulted in the main protagonist quitting the show. Ranjani Raghavan who epitomised the character of Puttagowri has reportedly quit the show citing that she did not wanted to be a part of the show following the introduction of a new female protagonist in the serial,” says another director Naveen.
Actress Anisha avers that if someone has been watching a particular serial, and for some reason stopped watching it, he/she would be surprised at the whole new saga unfolding with brand new faces. “Stories are developed constantly. As soon as the makers feel that the audience is fatigued with the same old story, they churn out a new tale,” she signs off.
