Showmakers are weaving a lot of spooky elements like djinns, chudails, nagins and dayans into regular tracks to boost ratings. Sangeeta Yadav brings you a report on why production houses are giving a paranormal tadka to drama and the impact it has been having on the audiences
From showcasing daayans and naagins in Sasuraal Simar Ka (SSK) and Swaragani, vampire in Qubool Hai to the chudails in Jodha-Akbar or unravelling a murder in CID and Aadalat, the Indian TV is under the spell of the supernatural. Showmakers have started infusing the ghost element in storylines to add suspense to the track.
SSK, which has completed four years on Colors with a TRP of 4.0 in week 33, roped in Sara Khan in December 2014 to play Maya, an icchadhari naagin. After an accident and Roli’s (Avika Gor) plastic surgery, Khan entered the show as Roli.
Such was the interest re-generation that the production house decided to introduce a chudail as Sunaina played by Neetha Shetty. Showmakers were not done yet and then came dayaan played by Pratyusha Banerjee as a mysterious girl Mohini who fell in love with Prem, and created a rift between Simar (Dipika Kakkar) and Prem (Dheeraj Dhoopar).
Rashmi Sharma, the producer of SSK and Swaragani, created a mahasangam of these two shows and showcased Mohini kidnap Prem and hide him at Swara (Helly Shah) and Ragini’s (Tejaswi P Wayangankar) place. When Ragini got to know about Mohini’s truth, she asked for help in stopping Swara and lakshya’s (Namish Taneja) marriage through black magic.
“The supernatural strain on the small screen is a relatively unexplored terrain in fiction shows and we are utilising it to create a unique fabric of entertainment that keeps the viewers engaged. The Indian audience has always been privy to stories of daayans and spirits. It excites them to watch such concepts unfold in a daily soap,” Sharma says.
For 24-year-old, Pratyusha Banerjee, taking up a role of dayaan for two shows was a big risk. “Earlier there was a bit of inhibition as when you play a negative character, people start putting you in boxes and categorise you as the vamp on Indian TV. But then I realised that this role is very challenging and I had never done anything like that before. As an actor, nothing can get better than this,” Banerjee says.
The actress had to shoot for five days for these two shows which was not only mentally and physically exhaustive but too much negativity was a big turn off. “The scene where Mohini put a garland on Tvisha’s (child artist Sanjana) neck and takes the sword to kill her, I felt extremely bad after it got over. I didn’t speak to anybody that day,” Banerjee expresses. Sharma feels that the main reason for exploring this supernatural angle on SSK is to cater to viewers who like to watch Simar and Roli unravel the mystery, emerge victorious and stand stronger than before. “The fact that they fight to protect their family adds to the drama. These elements make for high voltage drama which holds the viewers’ attention,” he tells you.
It is not just the producers who feel that introduction of the supernatural track generates curiosity among viewers. Shows like Uttaran, Fannah, Hamari Sister Didi have paranormal elements in them. Jodha Akbar too fell for the supernatural trap. laboni aka leela (Melanie Pais), Jodha’s long-lost sister practised black magic so that she can marry Akbar and become his begum. Now all eyes are on the fourth season of Qubool Hai-Mohabbat Khatarnak. But this isn’t the first time that Qubool Hai weaved in ghost track.
“The inception of supernatural element started in season 3 where we did an experiment by introducing the villain Nai Sanam (Additi Gupta) as daayan. It was a very mysterious character and we also showcased her walking with her legs twisted back. At the climax, we showcased Sanam taking revenge by killing everybody but she lost her life while fighting with the daayan.
“The background story of vampire is under development but there is a strong love triangle between Mahira, Azaad and Amaad,” Faizal Akthar, writer of Qubool Hai, Ashoka and Ek Tha Raja, Ek Thi Rani, tells you.
Sharma tells you that weaving supernatural content in fiction gives a lot of opportunity to create an intriguing story around the fight between good and evil. “The focus is on creating an environment which has the viewer on the edge. They are eager to watch the show on a daily basis just to see how the story moves forward,” he says.
When the paranormal track was introduced in tele-series like CID, Aadalat, Humne le Hai Shapat, FIR, Ek Thi Nayika among others, the viewers loved it. CID even ran a haunted special series which featured a headless biker, a haunted house and boat. The team had to unravel the truth behind mysterious deaths. Another episodic show Code Red is currently running Talaash series that showcases popular paranormal occurrences and why it exists in our country.