If you scorned at the overly made-up saas-bahus and their rather elaborate palatial houses, here's a breather. The Indian soap opera is now abandoning urban ostentations and going the rural way.
If you scorned at the overly made-up saas-bahus and their rather elaborate palatial houses, here's a breather. The Indian soap opera is now abandoning urban ostentations and going the rural way.
Colors' new serial, Bairi Piya bears testimony to this new trend. Based on the lives of farmers and the struggles they face, it has been set in rural Maharashtra. Says Ashvini Yardi, programming head, Colors, "We introduced the rural trend with Na Aana Is Desh Ladoo and Balika Vadhu. Since then, the small-town phenomenon seems to have caught on." 
From Bandini on NDTV Imagine to Agle Janam on Zee to Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai on Star Plus to Palampur Express on Sonyu00a0- channels across the country are featuring desi themes and lifestyle. And the reason isn't just to expand their viewership. Says Ashvini, "Though we did manage to broaden our audience with Balika Vadhu, opting for a serious plot in Bairi Piya wasn't just a matter of numbers. I feel that the viewer preferences are changing and there is a growing desire to address socially relevant themes."
The Indian couch potato seems to be fed up of the melodrama and domestic squabbles. She wants a break from the frivolous routine plots that have been the rozi-roti of the the TV industry since the last 17 years.
In fact, our TV preferences seem to have taken a U-turn. When the soap bug hit India way back in the 90s, shows like Hasratein and Tara portrayed the progressive, forward thinking Indian. And while we didn't completely identify with the characters, we enjoyed watching them. Now that we've started to fit that mould, we want to see characters that we can't relate to, but at the same time, feel strongly for.
And looks like this trend is here to stay. Saysu00a0 Ashvini, "I think the rural phenomenon will last a while." Well, the reality soaps surely seem to be catching more of our attention than the reality shows.
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