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leading newspaper daily recently asked me for my thoughts about the Indian television industry “kal, aaj aur kal”… that’s when I realised that most of my last decade has gone by either apologizing for the desi television industry (and that includes the people, the programs & the personalities in it and on it), or condemning it, or standing up for it, or admiring it, or damning it, or caring for it or detesting it… but all said and done, truly, like in those fast-food-joint commercials that air day in and day out, I’m loving it!

Truly speaking, our television channels, across genres, have come a long way this past decade. They’ve reached some glorious heights but at the same time, so much too has remained a constant in this industry. General entertainment programming has become so cookie-cutter… there are so many new shows added everyday but they’re all the same… yes, that makes them bland but easy to watch… Hmmm, is that why they’re doing it? You can tune into any show at any time and never worry about missing a thing in the story because they’re all pretty much unchanged every week… the stories, the artists, the sets, the clothes, the make-up, the music, the dialogues, the camera angles, the zooming in and zooming out and of course the shudders (in editing)… they’re identical! Sometimes I feel you can even watch a different show everyday and still not lose the plot!

This cookie-cutter business is passable when it comes to general entertainment, but now our news channels are doing it too. The same topic (and not necessarily a current affair) is reported, discussed and debated across the channels, at the same time, everyday! Guest speakers are the same too… in that hour-long program, the guests just move every twenty minutes from one studio to another saying the same thing… it’s exasperating!

Anyhow, everyday, more and more people are watching television and getting their information from it rather than by reading newspapers, magazines or books. Like in all developed nations, the telly box has become a very significant medium of communication and entertainment here and is no longer considered an “idiot box” or a “small screen” - in reality, judging by the huge people movement from Bollywood or the “big screen” of Indian cinema to the world of Indian television… clearly telly’s the de-facto “big screen”.

Talking about these movers and shakers, do you realise how many have jumped on to the desi-tv bandwagon… from Amitabh Bacchhan to Shah Rukh Khan to Madhuri Dixit to Karan Johar to Shilpa Shetty to so many others and now Farah Khan – obviously this is where the action, the money, the love and respect is… they’re all treated like Demi-Gods… These movie “stars” are paid a hundred times what the TV stars are paid. Schedules are organised around their standby time and they’re given rock solid contracts whereby even if channels cancel a show, they’re still paid in full – that’s sad because it’s the TV stars who have made TV what it is today – these “immigrants” are enjoying the fruits of their tough labour – It’s so unfair - TV stars work endless shifts across various shows and they’re paid a pittance! They are given no concrete contracts; if a channel cancels a show they’re booted out without a thought and many a times even without pay. I seriously hope these issues are looked into and taken care of at the earliest.

Other things I hope for, as far as our industry is concerned… a new breed of thinkers (scriptwriters, directors, programmers, producers) who will generate fresh, original material, which captures our attention for more than few fleeting seconds. Improved cricket coverage, with fewer ads and more of the game. Plain, simple & fearless news reporting is another thing on my wish list, as opposed to news inventing and constant flattering of politicians. And last but not the least, increased importance for our TV industry and industry-waalahs… why are news channels obsessed with film stars, politicians, big industrialists, their cine awards, their “entrepreneur of the year” awards, and their politician of the year awards. Time to focus on this industry too!

Honestly, our television industry does indeed rock! That’s precisely the reason why my fraternity, my sorority & I can hardly wait for the evening of the Indian Television Academy (ITA) Awards, where all these luminaries are finally rewarded for all the blood, sweat & tears invested over the year. We all know how much has gone into making the year, I hope the news channels also sit up this year, introspect and pay due homage to their kith and kin … So, until then, adios & happy reading!

ANU RANJAN
anu@indiantelevisionacademy.com