8 Actors talk about the future of Indian television

Indian Television is a diversified medium that caters to audience of all ages. Starting from the days of a Humlog, Buniyaad, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi et al, television has grown leaps and bounds with quite a lot of trend setters and new concepts coming in and carving a niche. So how is Indian television placed for the future? Are we in good stead? Do we need improvement in certain sectors? Tellychakkar.com connected to 8 talented actors to get their viewpoints on the same. Shivaji Satam: Television of today is technically proficient and our production values are very good. We are catering to our viewers who believe more in the emotional stuff when compared to the western style where they consider emotional programs to be over-the-top and full of melodrama. Having said this, we have to get better subject-wise. We have to come out of the saas-bahu shell and try some unique concepts. I personally do not like the fact that there is a woman in every household who turns out to be the vamp. Our reality shows are excellent and is going to be Indian television’s trump card in the years to come. When it comes to fiction, we have to create mature subjects which affect our day to day life. I am sorry to say that few of our thriller shows are not worth watching. I simply cannot watch a show where a 10 year old girl is being molested. This is not entertainment. Entertainment for me, are shows wherein you spread a message keeping in mind our culture. I like the show Amita Ka Amit on Sony TV; it is about a simple girl and a simple boy who are very relatable. This show gives me a feel of watching a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie which is simple and nice. Also, I would love to see shows that have a definite start and end. We run behind TRPs so much that we tend to stretch a beautiful show beyond limits only to garner more and more TRPs. Smriti Irani: I believe that ‘the more things change, the more you remain the same.’ At the time when Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi shut, some heavy-duty proclamations were made on the concepts and shows to come in the future. But what do we see now? The same old stories with new packaging, wrapped up in so-called social message boxes. In simple words, we remain where we were conceptually, and there is nothing new to cater to the audience. However, we have to admit that our production values have improved. We will benefit further if the quality of story-telling and acting improves. I cannot think of any iconic shows that have come recently. I do not remember any character or actor; all that I recollect of today are again works done by my then-colleagues who have made a comeback to TV. Another aspect of today’s television that I like is the emergence of Season 2 for popular shows. This creative break will enable the team to rekindle new stories and come up with a better story line. It will be nice if television gets dedicated actors and technicians, and for this to happen they all need to have job security. I still remember the day when the announcement of Kyunki shutting off was made; the faces of all the technicians had a dejected look. If there is a certain degree of job security, it will help many people who are especially at the twilight of their careers. Swapnil Joshi: Well, when television started, people had predicted that this is a big balloon and will burst within no time. Let’s face it, television has grown leaps and bounds, and is beyond the control of one single person. As long as there are viewers in India (which is in abundance), television will exist. Moving to the content, we have to admit that we have a good content of shows coming up. When the saas-bahu era started, many predicted that this genre of work will not sustain. It has been a decade now and saas bahu shows work wonders even today. The same was said about reality shows too. Think of the biggest of names from the big screen starting from Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and all are there on television today. Many films and songs of the big screen get launched on the small screen. So on the whole, television is absolutely to grow and is fun. Indian television is technically getting sound and this is a good move for the future. I feel we need to keep pace with the technicality of the west, at the same time stick to the kind of story-telling that we are used to showing. Indian television is all about sentiments and emotions and that is the right way to move forward. Bhairavi Raichura: Starting from the broadcaster to the producer to actors, we all are attempting to be part of the experimental zone, by way of trying our hands at new and different content. We are trying to do better and there will come a day when we will show the difference in terms of quality. As an actor if you ask me, I will take up any challenging role, and am not bothered about other factors like the longevity of the show, or the length of the character. But as a viewer, I will not be able to answer much as we do not get to see much of TV given the lifestyle we have. Having said this, I was watching a few episodes of 26012 (Life OK) the other day, and I should say that this is a very different kind of a show. I know that they are not generating as much number as they would want, but here is a program with a difference. I hope the common man begins to like such shows with unique content. Dilip Joshi: Television is going good and has a great future ahead. We see that even the film stars reach out to television for the promotion of their films. I would say, Amitabh Bachchan along with Kaun Banega Crorepati made television big. Today, there is hardly any difference between television and movies. Tomorrow, television will be more global, with our popular GECs being keenly watched all around the globe. What I miss in today’s television is ‘strong content’. Where are shows like Buniyaad, Humlog, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi? Our daily shows have the same content and we tend to do more of jugglery to gain eye-balls. Balika Vadhu is a very strong show which conveys a social message. Same is the case of our show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, wherein every new track teaches the viewers a moral. Sukirti Kandpal: I feel Indian television in the future will see a lot of realistic shows that give a natural feel. I would personally be a part of shows that cater to the youth and I have always thought about this whenever I choose my new project. I feel Indian television will never run out of love stories and shows, that have romance as the central point. I am always at ease in such roles, as it suits my persona. TV today is a big medium and is a platform for the promotion of big movies. So I would say we have good stuff lined up for the future when it comes to Indian television. Arjun Bijlani: I cannot predict the near future of Indian television, but all I can say is that in the far future, we should gear up to seeing pre-shot seasonal shows on Indian television where the entire script of the season is ready even before the shoot starts. This will enable an actor to work better on his character graph all throughout the series. It has been a decade now and saas-bahu sagas rule television even today. We should come out of the women-centric shows that adhere to kitchen politics. Also, the tracks seen in many shows are repetitive and the freshness has subsided. If this persists, viewers are bound to get disoriented at some point of time. Indian television should make sure that it gives the best to the viewers. Even an actor of the caliber of Amitabh Bachchan says in interviews that ‘He is what he is today because of his fans and viewers.’ So we have to get concepts that they like to watch. Earlier, there used to be programs that catered to the youth in specific, but today most of the shows are made for the older audience. This is one reason why I will always cherish working in a show like Left Right Left. I simply love watching stuff like Grey’s Anatomy which shows the lives of different people synched together. When we talk of shows that need to be brought on, I would also want to mention about the change that needs to be brought in today’s journalism. The journalists need to come up with articles which have a different flavour. Instead of saying ‘this show worked and that did not work’, it will be nice if journos could come up with articles that talk of the kind of shows that will please the audience. Such write-ups can be an eye-opener to all. Also, there is the need to bring in mature love stories on Indian television. Not all love stories need to start with the girl falling over the man and they having an eye-catchy sequence. This does not happen in real life; I have been dating my girl friend for many years now and I have never expressed my love this way (smiles). Niaa Sharma: Times are changing in television. There was a time when there were very few TV actors. Having said this, these characters are iconic names even today, and we still remember a ‘Tulsi’, ‘Prerna’ and a ‘Parvati’. Today, with the emergence of many new channels, there is a cut-throat competition with quite a lot of rivalry between broadcasters. With the increase in channels, the average ratings of shows have seen a decline. All this has indeed created lot of employment opportunities, but the charm of television viewing has decreased. No actor wants to be bound to the television medium only. There is nobody who considers his or her role on TV as precious. Generation has changed, and TV is no more an actor’s professional ambition. It is only regarded as a stepping stone for bigger things. After working on TV, every actor’s aim is to move in the direction of movies. With the emergence of Colors channel, the entire scenario of storytelling changed. Now we have Life OK, where apart from Mahadev nothing seems to be working. In years to come, there might come a channel which shows something very advanced. Overall, there will come a day when getting a lead role on television will be a cake walk. Also, most of the shows aired today are not youth-oriented. Take the example of Channel [V]. They have some amazing shows like Dil Dostii Dance. But just look the TRPs of these shows, they are very dismal. It actually shows that it is the home maker who get to watch more of television. People who have a 9-5 job are the ones who get glued to the idiot box post 8 PM. And of course they will only tune in to serials that they feel are entertaining. In future there needs to come a revolution wherein television shows are made to capture a different set of crowd which is mainly the youth.