Justifications and Soap Operas

I am back!!! Yes, after a close to 4 month long hiatus, I am going to restart my rantings.

While this blog was left orphaned for the duration, yours truly was working, traveling, shopping and actively contributing to a soap opera forum!

I am a massive soap opera fan. I probably contribute to viewership statistics of even the most unwatched of shows on television. At times, I feel my rightful profession would have been as a writer in the current Indian television industry.

My association with serials began during the DD2 era. Back in those days, not only was cable television a novelty; DD-2 was a channel that required a separate setup. My father thought that not getting a cable connection would resolve the lethargy towards studies issue at home! Classic example of how wrong an assumption one can make with their children :)

My television milestones –
· Swabhimaan – Ronit Roy as Rishab Malhotra was Casanova resurrected. Not only did he manage to break hearts on screen, thinking of him made schoolgirls across the country go week in their knees. For me, the serial was about an India I had not seen. Not exactly path breaking but daily dose of entertainment for 30 minutes.
· Banegi Apni Baat – The year of 1994 became notorious for scandalous entertainment on television. Zee TV became popular with this very famous show due to its main male protagonist. I think the name Rahul became famous not because of SRK but this show. I had to watch this show under supervision, such was the impact of what was telecasted :)
· The Bold and the Beautiful - I was allowed to watch this show only when I turned 18, exactly a decade ago. I have not stopped following it till date. I have always been on team Bridge (Brooke and Ridge) and will always continue to be so. The storyline is so warped that you tend to forget who was married/ had an affair with who but the actors manage to keep you hooked everyday of the week. I can proudly say that my ability to understand American English started with this soap!
· Any show churned from Balaji – I am a staunch Ekta Kapoor loyalist. Only her serials can make you hate weekends. They are the best stress-busters ever! Not only is the story predictability factor high, one can connect to her serials in a span of 2 days if they have managed to somehow discontinue viewing. From Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki to Kayamath, I have loved each one of those saas bahu sagas that redefined sound effects. Her alpha-male heroes and damsel in distress heroines were akin to reading a Mills and Boon on the small screen.

My current favourite is a show called Rang Badalti Odhani. While the concept itself is not new, the storyline is paced very well. None of the characters can be disliked because each one them comes with a well placed sense of humour. With this show, my television journey continues … :)