It's pretty obvious that Bollywood is losing its mojo to its more interesting sister, the small screen. Whether it's in terms of content or story arcs, TV is becoming the new B-Town. We trace five reasons for this shift...read on:
Original Idea:
Movies that are being churned out these days are either remakes or reboots that have zero original content in them. Much like its western counterpart, Bollywood is relying on sequels and prequels to entertain audiences. Except a couple of brilliant movies from the houses of Vishal Bharadwaj and Raju Hirani, there's nothing else to talk about in Bollywood. On the other hand, TV shows have better plots and original ideas as it's an everyday process. From Kapil Sharma's charming comedy to Jodha Akbar's exquisite storytelling, TV is booming like no other medium.
Content-Driven Character Arcs:
In a 90-minute movie, there's not much you can do to build elaborate character arcs and sub-plots. You rely on the protagonists or the antagonists to make a movie. While daily soaps and televisions series have the liberty to explore any character or plot. This is what sets this medium apart from its 70mm cousin.
Not Brand Conscious:
If you have been a keen observer of Bollywood movies of late, you would have seen a number or brands being 'strategically' placed in between scenes. It's called in-film branding aka 'shamelessly selling your products to bored cinema goers'. This doesn't happen with soaps. Even if a product does get placed, it's more subtle and refined than Bollywood. And definitely less annoying. We know that advertisers are putting in their cash to make a movie work, but this awful branding is making the viewers lose interest in the movies and the brands.
Characters Become Part of Our Lifestyle:
Whether it's American shows like Breaking Bad or our very own Laut Aao Trisha, the characters become a major part of our lifestyle. We laugh, cry and fall in love with them. Because they come to our living rooms day after day. This is certainly not possible in movies. We might connect with a character, but it won't stay with us for long. That's why actors on the small screen have a wider fan following than their Bollywood counterparts.
Best Writing is Happening on TV:
Let's not argue over this point. We all know that the best writing and most interesting plots are happing on television more than the big screen. Bollywood is repetitive, high on bling quotient and focused on spending ridiculous amount on promotions and marketing. As opposed to TV that is using all its resources in coming up with entertaining features and long form stories.
Tell us what you think of this new shift. Are you a Bolly fan or crazy about soaps? Hit the comment section below.
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