Aparna Ganguly
Comparative Analysis :: Indian TV serials vs. Pakisthani and American TV serials
Hi readers, most of us workers or home makers or students like to watch our favorite Television serial and we kind of get hooked on to some characters or stories and grumble too if we happen to miss any episode of our favorite serial! Anyways, we make sure to catch up with the last or missed episode – thanks to the repeat telecasts!!
Being in India we watch both Indian as well as foreign tele-serials like Friends, Two and a Half Men, The Big bang Theory, How I met your Mother….etc. My personal favorites are Two and a half men and Big Bang Theory….so am I just going to discuss what I like or dislike? Not really! I am writing this article to ponder upon a new channel that has recently started – ‘Zindagi’ that shows Pakistani serials and my personal favorite – Zindagi Gulzar Hai!
Would you believe this folks…..maximum people known to me have fallen for these Pakistani serials – hook, line and sinker!!We are actually missing the 8 pm prime time Indian teleserials to watch the Pakistani serials and honestly they do deserve our total focus.
Zindagi Channel teleserials – Awesome way of conveying message
I never thought of comparing foreign teleserials with Indian ones because their lifestyles are way too different from us – I quite understand that what US shows openly and blatantly, Indians cannot show because deep inside we are still very conventional. So I enjoy them both – 1 hour for Hindi serials and 1 hour for English serials and it never ever occurred to me that I should even compare the two! For example ‘Friends’ is funny no doubt but the friends are in a ‘live in’ relationship – doing everything outside of wedlock …… if some Indian Director or producer even thinks of introducing live-in relationship in the teleserials – they will be ripped apart by the viewers!! Am I trying to say that ‘live in’ relationships don’t exist in India? Of course it exists but they are not viewed with much respect by the locality people…. so showing something like this will be blasphemous! Although some real life teleserials on V-channel are showing stories in ‘Emotional Atayachaar’ where the female (victim of being cheated in love..lust?! whatever) says pretty boldly that she started a ‘live-in’ relationship…and then how the male kicked her butt after he used her enough! Well such teleserials are basically demoting such kind of relationships…ever so subtly!
Anyways back to channel ‘Zindagi’ – showing Pakistani teleserials. Since I am watching one of them so I will write about that – ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’. The best thing about the serial is its low budget – yes that is what makes me stick to it and also makes me wonder why on earth are Indians spending more than millions to convey a simple message when the Pakisthanis can do it so damn well!? This serial has 26 episodes and each serial conveys so many messages – each dialogue in fact has a message for the viewer! They too have marriages and deaths and birthdays and engagement parties but just an indication is given – that’s all – and should be it! But if some Indian teleserial has a marriage scene – all the channel actors/ actresses are invited and they all create a complete pandemonium in that one episode – where is the requirement?! Why so much unnecessary expenditure?
American Teleserials too seem pretty low budget
And then I began comparing – yes! English serials too use the same logic – convey the message – make it hilarious, whatever goes on in everyday life – how people react, how should they react….they do it all in just one room or apartment! Big bang theory – the guys hardly go out – in that one room or the room right outside their room where Penny lives – these are the only two rooms used and the serial is over ! Is it entertaining? Highly! Same with Two and a Half Men – Charlie’s apartment and occasional hotel scene. That’s it!
Conclusion!
Well folks – it really makes me wonder whether what we used to say in our daily pledge at school…
India is my country
All Indians are my Brothers and sisters
I love my country
And I am proud of its rich and varied heritage……
But unfortunately the riches are all being used in the entertainment Industry which is not even showing some healthy worthwhile concept – but absolute crap I would say! Yes foreigners – we, the Indian people, are not all that hypocrites too…as they show us in our teleserials – so please don’t judge us by our entertainment media standards – they are highly misleading!!
Next topic – How Zarun and Kashaf – Zindagi Gulzar Hai – stole the hearts of so many Indians!
Sikander@87
