Ekta Kapoor’s shows are always full of drama inside out. So, when a production house remains ‘unreachable’ to comment on whether their flagship show on a popular channel is going to go off air, one gets the impression that all is not well with that show. Add to that, erratic telecast schedules and the writing is on the wall for you to read. In the last month, there has been speculation that two of Balaji Telefilms big ticket shows on TV are ailing. If Jodha Akbar seems to be courting controversy after controversy with the Karni Sena, Bade Achhe lagte Hain on Sony is often not being telecast on Thursday. Deebashree Mohanty tells you more
Talk of Balaji wrapping up Bade Achhe lagte Hain (BAlH) started ever since the show took a six-month leap immediately after a a 20-year jump. Viewers waiting for the romance between Ram and Priya to bloom were shell-shocked. It's not a new emotion if you are a Balaji fan but this move and the numerous character changes that followed were a bit too much even for an avid viewer to digest.
“BAlH has sustained a high TRP even when the leads didn’t share screen space because somewhere at the back of our mind we kept expecting the Ram-Priya love story to be back. But that was not happening. Instead, we were being bombarded with filler episodes and endless tracks with characters who don’t matter. When the news came that BAlHmay be pulled off air, I was relieved. Only wanted that the show ended on a high note,” 47-year-old Sudha Balsaver, an ardent fan of the ‘middle-age’ romance on TV, says.
Many like Balsaver are uncertain how their love affair with this show will continue. But without any confirmation from the production house and with stars being tightlipped about the rumour that BAlH is, indeed, going off air this month, viewers are left in a limbo.
“The story will always be about Ram and Priya but we can’t show all 1,000 episodes only around them. Other characters will have to be introduced and leaps will happen. You can’t help it,” Ekta Kapoor had said in September 2013 to our query about the romance slimming down in the show. But is that the main reason why Balaji may be considering calling it quits with the showIJ
According to the latest buzz, the show will breathe its last in May with its lead Ram Kapoor dying. “Pihu who is dead against her mother Priya, will plan to kill her but Ram will come in between and take the shot and die on the spot. Priya will be shocked and Pihu overcome with grief and guilt. Bye-bye BAlH,” a spoiler doing the rounds on India Forums, a leading TV discussion site, reads.
Overnight, there have been 211 pages created and more than 300 people have speculated on the final outcome. Although they argue that the ending could have been much better and positive, they are satisfied that there is some closure at least.
With Balaji Telefilms and the stars maintaining an organised silence on this ‘going off-air’ issue, there is very little option that the viewer has but to enjoy fragmented episodes of a once-upon-a-time love story.
The comments reflect their frustration. ‘Urgently required: Scriptwriter for BAlH. The original writer has been on a long vacation and may never return’, ‘The show makers must change the title to BlAH’, ‘BAlH stands for Balaji And its lower Half (the show)’ are the witty one-liners doing the rounds.
Persistent efforts to get to Ekta Kapoor to clarify on the fate of BAlH drew a blank.
Ask her team why then is the show sometimes being aired and sometimes not (on Thursdays) and there’s pin drop silence at the other end. For viewers who follow the soap, this erratic scheduling is proof that the makers have nothing left to move the show forward on. So, what’s the point in delaying the inevitableIJ
Trouble in AKDHA land
Ekta Kapoor’s Jodha Akbar on Zee TV has been romancing the top television TRP ratings for a long time but that doesn’t take away from the controversy that the show keeps getting into. After the Karni Sena demonstration, Kapoor had released a statement saying that she is dissociating from the show for good. True to this report, the production house’s name had been deleted from the show’s credit line. But in April, she rubbished the rumour on Comedy Nights with Kapil saying that JA is very much her baby.
Angry viewers went viral with their ire. But all they got was more filler episodes coming their way. “Have the creatives been changed or not,” was the hot topic of discussion. As if that was not enough, speculation got rife that Paridhi Sharma (Jodha) was all set to quit the show, citing unprofessional behaviour by her co-star Rajat Tokas and director Santa Ram.
“Paridhi is still shooting and we are planning for a lot of twists and turns so I don’t think she has any plans of quitting the show in the near future. Viewers must learn to have patience. Even if there is a change, the show will go on,” dialogue writer Rajesh Joshi says.
As Joshi predicted, the production house has done a commendable job of shifting focus from the issue at hand by showing a promo that will keep viewers hooked to the serial. If Jalal and Jodha are, indeed, going to share a liplock on screen, the question of Paridhi quitting or not can wait for another day.