Friday, February 10, 2017

My New Obsession – A T.V Show Called Zindagi Ki Mehak

I have said time and again that I hardly see T.V (I would rather read a book), as most of the shows being aired have never struck my fancy, neither do I have the time nor the energy to invest in a daily soap, where the villains and vamps rule the small screen, making things difficult for the lead pair.

But all this changed last year when I saw the promo of a new show called Zindagi Ki Mehak, when I was chatting with my mother while she was watching her favourite show. Something about the promos attracted me, and I decided that I would watch this show when it started. So on Monday 19th September, I sat down in front of the T.V. at 8 p.m. and started watching my first ever show.

The serial started off very well, it was about following your dreams and women empowerment. The heroine/female lead is a doll who has wriggled her way into every viewer’s heart and when the male lead made his entry, the entire female population of the country sighed collectively and went into a mass swoon. The story was fresh, there were no villains and vamps, and the lead pair has a sizzling chemistry that burns up the small screen.

The reason I’m discussing this show is because as a writer I’m constantly wondering that if this was my book or story, how would I tackle this plot point (which in television language means a track) and I also had no idea that when the makers mention an upcoming twist in the daily soap it means that a new track will start. My television knowledge has come via Amrita, a girl who would reply to all my tweets whenever I tweeted about this show.

It’s the story of this simple, middle class girl Mehak Sharma who loves to cook. She is forced by her aunt to join India’s Super Cook where she meets the celebrity judge Shaurya Khanna, a leading hotelier of Delhi and also one of its most eligible bachelors. Both of them are not aware that they chat frequently as FB friends, cause they haven’t revealed their real identity online. In due course they fall in love and their wedding ceremonies start.

When Shaurya ran away from his wedding, leaving his bride at the mandap, I joined the other fans in creating an uproar online. Plenty of Shaurya bashing started. My main concern was that this was sending out a wrong message, that a guy can fake love to a girl and then ditch her at the altar once his selfish motive (in this case a recipe book) is fulfilled, without feeling guilty.

Everyone who watches this show discusses it passionately online, and has an opinion on how the story should move forward, including me. Sometimes I wonder are we as viewers getting too opinionated and interfering with the story and spoiling things for the writers. Isn’t it a writer’s prerogative of how a story should move forward? The other day I had a strong pang of anxiety when I realized that as a writer would I like to be told how to write my story. Definitely not. I would welcome feedback but certainly not interference. I do feel that the male lead’s character is being butchered and it's going to be an uphill task to redeem his image in the viewers’ eyes. I hope the writers have a reason for it and the solution.

Okay, there are certain stereotypes of the suffering girl and the humiliation piled on her, the insults on her middle-class stature, body shaming her, jilting her at the altar, that makes me want to give the male lead and the writers a good shake, but at the same time the female lead is gusty and is always quick to get back on her feet after every fall and more often than not gives back as good as she gets.

I was just telling a friend that I feel I should just enjoy this serial, without screaming instructions over the creative teams’ shoulder or try to tell the writer (via telepathy) how to take the story forward. Have you had this problem? Do you keep thinking that if this was your story in which direction would you take it? Do you find it difficult to switch off your writer’s mind when you watch TV shows?


Picture Courtesy. I have taken the photograph from one of the fan pages.

17 comments:

  1. Hello, Rachna. You have a lovely blog. I might have missed this serial. I'm not watching serials much nowadays, although I was an avid watcher of 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thii' years ago. It didn't bother me that I didn't know Hindi well they spoke so slowly, with practically three lines per scene. Nowadays, my family watches episodes of a comedy show called "Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain" to unwind.

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    1. Hi Maria, this is the first Hindi serial I'm watching. Trust me when I say this that as a writer its very difficult to switch off my logical mind and just enjoy the serial, without trying to point out all the continuity errors :(

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    2. I think they change scriptwriters a lot. Often the stories don't have consistency and you want to scream when what you thought was a thrilling lead from an earlier thread turns out to be just a blind alley. That's why I gave up watching them. Very little long term satisfaction. One story that did connect things up, at least up until the last year, was Balika Vadhu.

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  2. No, I don't watch TV shows as a writer. Like you, I mostly read. I do notice when they go over the top in plot line. Grey's Anatomy does it a lot and makes things too dramatic. The show you are watching sounds like it has generated lots of opinions on where the story is going.

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    1. Hi Natalie, when the plot gets over the top or the makers bring on unnecessary twists to create melodrama then I get seriously bugged. I keep asking myself why the makers of the serial are messing with a good story which the viewers are enjoying by bringing on unrealistic plot twists?

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  3. Dropping a bomb like that on the viewers is a big risk - obviously, as you are all discussing it and in an uproar. (Unless it's Game of Thrones, where that's the norm.) As a writer, I don't mind suggestions. They helped guide me with the story of Cassafire.

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    1. Hi Alex, the writers of this serial dropped a big bomb on us by making the groom jilt the bride halfway through the wedding. Its something most of the viewers will never forgive them for!

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  4. Hi Rachna - thanks for coming over and commenting on my recent post. It's interesting and probably like you why I can't expend energy on a story line that I'm probably not interested in - but some serials make excellent tv shows. Glad you're enjoying this one - and it gives you something extra to discuss with your mother ...

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi Hilary, I have made many friends online who love to discuss this serial passionately :)

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    2. Hi Rachna - I just couldn't get that involved ... I want to live! and be entertained with someone else telling the story - and I can easily leave the show and not watch any more - quite often done. However your mother is a different story and if my mother had been into those sorts of things I guess we'd have done the same ... thankfully she wasn't - we did/do watch tv ... but as entertainment not involvement - I see the headlines for disasters that have occurred ... but having not watched or listened - it goes over my head!

      I went to see the film "Lion" last night ... wonderful ... full of story telling - I know it was based on real life ... but brilliant movie ...

      Cheers Hilary

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  5. I dont watch Hindi tele-serials so am not aware of Zindagi Ki Mehak. It's interesting to note that viewers discuss passionately the way the story is moving in the serial. It goes on to show that they are hooked to it and relate to it as well. I think, it's only the writer who should have the creative liberty to take the story ahead as per his vision. And like you mentioned, you should just enjoy it. :)

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    1. Hi Shilpa, one good thing this serial has done is that it has emotionally connected with a legion of viewers who discuss each episode online everyday. I agree that the creative liberty to take a story in whichever direction they want lies with the writer/s only!

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  6. It's easy to get caught up in the way you want it go. Sometimes writers listen, sometimes they don't. And sometimes they just carry on to annoy the fans.

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    1. Hi Diane, at times it looks as though the writers of this serial want to annoy the fans and test their patience :(

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  7. I can see that watching TV might give us ideas about how, or how not, to tackle certain plot lines.

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  8. Those reactions are great because it means you are heavily invested in the show and the characters.

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  9. Plzzzz di write your fictional, hot and romantic story on shaurya and mahek..like os and ffs....plz plz plz....would love to read it

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