Friday, November 06, 2009

TRPs and the TV crap!

I can safely say that in the last few months I have become a TV junkie!!! Give me anything - a generous dose of reality trash or tear jerker serials or repetitive breaking news and i can watch them through the day!! My newspaper addiction has been replaced by the idiot box!!! I am now a certified couch potato!!! Therefore this gives me the right (and the responsibility!!!)i guess to comment on some trash that has been going on for a while!

For sometime now, everything that has been happening on TV here in India is being governed by TRPs (for the uninitiated - and gladly so - Television Rating Points)and day after day trash is being generated citing these points!!! I for one, refuse to believe that Indian audiences would want such trash to be generated day after day for months and years together! I think the audience is much more sensitive and sensible these days and i think there is a level of consciousness that is apparent in many cases!

Would like to cite two examples from recent shows that have made me hopping mad!!

1. Hindustan Times leadership summit! This is an annual event and this year on day two (if i am not mistaken) the guests of honour were hold ur breath (!!) George W Bush and now! don't fall off your chair reading this! - Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In a leadership summit all that the latter two could talk was about their relationship, her size zero and what not!!! Give me a break! This was supposed to be a summit that was to discuss vision 2020!! I agree people from the film industry should be a part of this summit but these 2? please! There are several others who have a whole body of work behind them and who can articulate a vision for the industry much better!!

So was this yet another case of TRPs winning over apparent merit??

2. On Zee TV, there is a serial running presently called 'Aapki Antara'. This is a serial about an autistic child and how she makes a positive difference in the life of the people whom she comes in contact with. Also towards the end of the show, real autistic people are shown and an interview with the family (usually the mother) is played. I am kind of fond of this serial for several reasons - a) rarely do tv series highlight issues like autism. I am certain that the awareness regarding this neural development disorder has increased quite a bit because of this serial b) it is a very sensitive portrayal of the girl and the situations she faces. It is very realistic and situations and the characters are very believable.

This serial comes in around 8:30pm - a time when most of the family can sit and watch. But lo and behold! the time change is happening and the serial is moved to a late night timing - 10:30pm and it is being replaced by maybe yet another trash tear jerker!!!

Does advertising and the money that comes from it have a final say in all this??? Sensibilities don't rule here I guess!

A disappointed me signing off with a prayer on my lips and hope in my heart that i can trash this idiot box fixation and get on to better things in life :)

By popular demand, I am back!!!

Nice to know that many of u have been reading my blog while I have been lazing around and now u r nudging me to get back!!

Thanks! thats a nice ego boost and would love to get back to regular blogging!!

chao! see u soon!