It has been less than a month and the shows on the Zindagi channel are already making waves. Industry experts tell RAMA DWIVEDI that the reason for this is that this channel has issued-based content that does not drag forever & new faces
Zindagi Gulzar Hai (life is a bed of roses) is the new phrase that is trending on social networking sites. It’s neither an excerpt from a Ranbir Kapoor song nor a track from Mohit Chauhan’s new romantic album; it’s the title of a Pakistani television series on the Zindagi channel that ended last week.
The channel, which started as an initiative by Zee Entertainment enterprises limited (ZEEl) to tap the viewers seeking variety in content, has received raved reviews on the content that the channels has brought from the other side of the border. The best part of the shows that are on air is that none of the series are dragged needlessly — Zindagi Gulzar Hai had 26 episodes. The fact that these are also issue-based means that the essence is not lost and nor is the interest of the viewers.
Shailja Kejriwal, ZEEl chief creative head of special projects, says the team’s main focus was to take up shows with a theme. “The channel wants to show serials that deal with society issues. All the shows are based on novels, so there has to be an underlying social theme,” Shailja says.
Kitni Girhain Baqi Hain talks about problems faced by Pakistani women in society with a new story every day. For the Indian audience, the serial is pre-capped daily by a narrative by actor-politician Kirron Kher.
Aunn Zara, which also made waves in India, was all about a married couple making adjustments. “I am glad that the channel has received such an overwhelming response. Our friends keep giving us very positive feedback,” Shailja tells you, adding that it is the viewers’ approval that they are looking for.
And the viewers, who were looking for good content don’t want to miss a single episode. “My parents who don’t watch TV much love all the shows on this channel. In fact, come 8 pm and they tune into the channel. Any guests or relatives who want to meet them are told to do so in the morning or before 8 pm,” Vinita Sharma, who loved every moment of Zindagi Gulzar Hai, says.
Unlike other love stories, Zindagi Gulzar Hai was not another boy-meets-girl show. There was a background to it. It dealt with the concept of class differences, woman empowerment and relationships between two people, before and after marriage. It is based on a novel by Umera Ahmad and went on air in 2012 in Pakistan to become a superhit on Hum TV with a TRP of 6.49.
Pakistani shows come as a breath of fresh air on the small screen in India. The language, the similarity between the cultures of India and Pakistan and the issue-based content attract the viewers in India because the present home serials have no content. The shows on Zindagi are very different. They have a central issue and, most importantly, they don’t go on and on forever. The channel is also set to air stories from other countries like Bangladesh, Sri lanka and Iran soon.
“In the past decade, we have seen a conspicuous emergence of regional TV shows on Hindi channels. like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi gives you a flavour of Gujarat while shows like Balika Vadhu and Na Aana Is Des laado are quintessentially Rajasthani. Urdu sounds largely like Hindi with added sweetness and tehzeeb. One feels much closer to someone speaking Urdu rather than someone in Bengali. That is one of the reasons we chose to screen Pakistani shows in the first place,” Shailja explains.
According to TV critic Anil Wanvari, founder of Tellychakkar.com, there are two ways of looking at what formula works on TV. “One section of the society likes saas-bahu drama which is a sort of fantasy like Saath Nibhana Saathiya, Qubool Hai, Diya Aur Bati Hum, Beintehaa. These serials have a huge fan following which brings them on top of the TVT rating chart. The other section prefers to watch meaningful and realistic stories like those being aired on Zindagi. It also depends upon the reach of the channel. Since Zindagi is at its nascent stage, it’s hard to tell how it will do in tier II and tier III cities. But buzz suggests that the shows on the channel are doing well,” Wanvari says.
This is not the first time Pakistani series have impacted on the Indian audience. Remember, Tanhaiyan and Dhoop KinareIJ