Opinion

Tectonic shift in the Television space

I wrote an article for an upcoming independent e-magazine called Indian Mutinies. Here’s the link to the edited version on their website

At a recent family dinner, one of my older (and louder) uncles downed an entire whiskey glass in his hand before particularizing the state of the nation. “The biggest problem with the country is these news anchors on TV. For the sake of a few bloody rating points, these channels create mountains out of mole-hills”, he boldly expounded and continued. In another corner of the same room, I winced quietly at this generalisation. This wasn’t the first time someone shared a similar sentiment. There is no comparison between the sedate newsreaders of yesteryear with the current crop. However, I was uncomfortable at his ire being directed elsewhere.

As per my uncle, TV channels have compromised on their quality to pander to the gallery. For want of more “TRP” or “Television Rating Points”. His outburst got me thinking for the next few days.

When did the word “ratings” start such becoming a negative word? Why does a section of individuals, like my elderly uncle, feel that “ratings” are a bad thing?

As an employee of a multinational TV broadcasting company, I have the privilege of being witness to the use of ratings within the business. We are required us to pay close attention to these numbers since it forms the measurement basis of two key components – viewership & advertisers. In reality it translates into a series of mundane and cold calculation that is the daily work of so many office-goers. So what’s the fuss all about?

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Going to be voting this year

I’m a registered voter in Hyderabad where I was brought up. Unfortunately from the time I’ve moved to Mumbai almost 6 years back, I’ve not shifted my registration to my current city of residence. This turned out to be a good thing because now that the formation of the new state of Telangana is almost certain, this election may just be the last time I vote in Hyderabad.

When the polling dates were announced, I made sure that I travel back home to cast my vote and return the love to the ruling government in my home-state.

Here’s a small little message I posted on facebook.

Why do I need a TV show to worry about my country?

… but before I start any serious discussion on Satyameva Jayate, is no one else here annoyed about the abbreviation – SMJ? Shouldn’t it be SEJ? Didn’t Marketing check that the actual Sanksrit word is  satyam-eva jayate (सत्यमेव जयते) and not satya-meva jayate?

(Sorry. I’m working on fixing my OCDs. For now, let’s move ahead)

Aamir Khan is back in your living rooms! His Sunday morning TV show, Satyameva Jayate returns for a second season on Star Plus this March. “Jinhe desh ki fikr hai” (for those concerned about the nation), the promos tell us. This time around, Aamir doesn’t even hide the fact that he’s going to be like that uninvited guest in your house on a Sunday. So what brought him back?

SEASON 1 SOUNDED LIKE MANNA FROM THE HEAVENS

The first season of the weekly show was probably one of the most ambitious risks the Star TV network undertook. It was a giant leap never taken before. An A-list celebrity, simulcast on 9 channels including 4 southern languages and a huge marketing push by the country’s biggest TV house. I still recall the excitement with which all my colleagues wondered what the show was going to be about while we left our offices on the Friday evening. At least among the city dwellers, there was a definite sense of anticipation to see Aamir Khan do *something* on TV.

All this before the show went on air, of course.

At the end of the first season, reactions have been quite polar. Aamir presented 13 issues ranging from female foeticide to rainwater harvesting. A rough outline of a show’s script would contain one or more of these elements:

  1. Selecting a social problem in the first 30 seconds
  2. Highlight one or more real-life incidents that are the most visceral/shocking
  3. Interview the victims/oppressed/aggrieved parties. Aamir usually evokes seriousness by wrinkling the forehead
  4. Interview experts in the field to discuss about what could be a possible (but never conclusive) reason for this problem
  5. At least one chart with facts and numbers.
  6. More real life examples. Aamir begins to sound exasperated and so is the audience. At this time, a hotline number flashes on the screen to express support or make donations (BTW, are you aware that the show generated Rs.22 crore worth donations last season?)
  7. Show ends with a poignant song. Aamir may or may not cry. Melodrama. Melodrama.

UNDERSTANDING VIEWER RECEPTION

Satyameva Jayate generated reactions across the board. All the way from genuine praise to lack of connectivity. I watched a few episodes of last season and also caught the one that aired last Sunday. My honest reaction? Its very hard to STOP watching once you’ve begin. Just like last time around, the show approaches issues with adequate research and facts. In a manner of a few minutes and through Aamir’s eloquence, the viewer KNOWS a problem exists. The definition becomes clear. Credit must be given to getting that part right.

Things get muddled once the show starts taking itself seriously. This is the part where it attempts to document causes & solutions.

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“Highway” and the 6 basic human needs

This post started out as a dissection of Imtiaz Ali’s latest “Highway”. But the smart folks at The Black Board forums gave me a completely different idea for a write-up. David Joyner started a thread on “How Movies Address 6 Basic Human Needs” and it was a worthy exercise to capture the viewing experience of “Highway” from a different light. 

About “Highway”:

Synopsis as per IMDB – Right before her wedding, a young woman finds herself abducted and held for ransom. As the initial days pass, she begins to develop a strange bond with her kidnapper.

Here’s the movie trailer with English subtitles.

“In bondage, she found freedom”

This one fired higher than my expectations

This one fired higher than my expectations

That’s pretty much all you need to know. Honestly, this wasn’t on my must-watch list. I bought the tickets hoping that A.R.Rehman’s tracks would provide some relief to a predictable story line. But in the nuanced hands of director Imtiaz Ali, the story turned out to be a completely different journey. I’m going to go out on a limb to defend the director here. A professor of film studies once told me that movies were never good or bad – they are either sold out or true their message. And that’s how I’ve been benchmarking movies all along. Highway is true to its story without giving into the trappings of commercial fare. Imtiaz Ali took a simple low-budget plot, extracted career best performances from rookies Alia Bhatt & Randeep Hooda and delivered a poignant story. Add Rehman’s ethereal soundtrack and you’ve got a magical combination that should ideally have set the box office on fire.

Few things work against giving this movie a wider appeal. There is a lazy convenience in the story’s motion to build a relationship between the protagonists. It seemed too linear for an audience who were eager to experience the complexities behind these strange decisions that pushed the lead characters together. Film critic Anupama Chopra was disappointed with the movie and she articulates my feelings correctly in her review – “Both Veera [Alia Bhatt] and Mahabir [Randeep Hooda] stayed with me. They are compelling, intriguing characters… I just wish they had met under different circumstances “

The 6 Basic Human Needs

Since the public verdict on this movie is already out, I figured Highway was the kind of cinema that would be best suited for The Black Board post. As per the theory, “the force of life is the drive for fulfillment”. In order to do this, all human behaviour is focused to meet 6 basic needs:

  1. Certainty: assurance you can avoid pain and gain pleasure
  2. Variety: the need for the unknown, change, new stimuli (direct conflict with the first need)
  3. Significance: feeling unique, important, special or needed
  4. Connection/Love: a strong feeling of closeness or union with someone or something
  5. Growth: an expansion of capacity, capability or understanding
  6. Contribution: a sense of service and focus on helping, giving to and supporting others

Fortunately, David has transplanted these ideas to define the needs for a movie going audience. Narrowing our study lens to the scope of the movie Highway, I’ll try exploring which of these audience needs were touched upon.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

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One day on Quora…

I’ve been visiting Quora since the time they were an invite-only community. Unfortunately, these days I get the feeling that the website has undergone a remarkable change with the influx of new users – especially those from India. I’m not alone in my opinion since there’s an entire section dedicated to discussing Indians on Quora. My narrow point being there was  a lot of interesting discussions before it turned into “a huge urban middle class-engineering college-Indian circlejerk”. Greatest exhibit for such behaviour? Head to the section that discusses Indian television.

One fine day, I found myself reading an ostensibly serious question – “Why can’t Indian television networks produce a world class serial like the Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, LOST, Dexter, House MD, White Collar, Hustle , Prison Break etc?” Was this question meant as an introspection of our entertainment standards or to understand the glorification of American TV shows? So I browsed the answers and was hoping someone would try put this in perspective. Never before have I head-desked harder on reading the highest voted answer (with 5000+ votes!). It was a sweet little rant that went back to the one thing we Indians love to do – gloat about our ancient mythology.

Look I’m no anti-Hindu or subscribe to any extremist ideology. But I find it amusing to use the past as a point of reference to highlight our achievements. Especially if the past happened more than 3000 years ago. So the anonymous answer went about detailing why the Mahabharat would pull the pants down on George Martin’s ASOIF and logically extended that point to prove the superiority of the TV adaptation of both the books. Without admitting that we make some really bad TV shows, the answer cherry-picked few examples from 20 years ago to prove his point – “India did make some great shows”.

I sat there fuming for a few minutes before deciding to plunge in myself. For the record, here is my take on the topic.

Answering such a loaded question is never going to be easy. And a critical examination should never be made by only looking at it from a viewer’s perspective. Of course the viewer would only be able to relate to what they saw in the past and compare it with the present. But a lot has changed within the TV industry over the past 30 years. Quality of TV shows is the end product of an entire eco-system that produces, options, monetizes & distributes this content. There are big for-profit corporations that have specialised talent working to fulfill their responsibilities. The viewers are at the end of a long supply chain and by my understanding, they seem really pissed about what they see.

To use a broad analogy, this Quora question is akin to comparing the success of a Maruti Suzuki Swift Desire in India and a Ford Focus in North America. Both are sedans but they are made from different raw materials, different factories and are meant for different customers. Similarly, TV shows are the end product of a larger industry that manufactures creativity commodities for their local markets. If you are comparing the two, we must have some common base rules established first.

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E01 S01

FADE IN

SUPER:

“Will there ever be a good show to watch on Indian TV? ”

This question is posed by my own brain every time I switch to a Hindi channel on prime time. Day after day, week after week, Hindi speaking families are bickering over insignificant, petty issues that supposedly bind their social ties. Jarring costumes, trivial problems and constant sermonizing. Its either battle of the sexes or battle of the generations. A trope as obvious as the “generation leap” is now entrenched into industry lingo (or at least in poorly, worded press releases). An hour of watching TV leads me to believe that this “kitchen politics” must really be a big problem in Indian families. But how would I know? I’d be weakest link in any kitchen.

So that’s a possible solution. Probably I’m not even meant to watch these shows.

In that case, what exactly is left for me to watch on TV? Where am I to turn to get my own piece of escapist entertainment? Is there nothing meant to satisfy my own Values, Attitudes and Lifestyles?

All I ask is a place within your neatly demarcated, pompous sounding, consumer bracket.

So my beloved, omnipresent, all-powerful TV channel – “WHO AM I?”

Existential crisis established. Cue in lilting violin score

 FADE TO BLACK

END OF TEASER

As a part of a large ambiguous-by-design community called the Indian Middle Class, I am supposedly the audience that multinational corporations are running behind. As a 30-something, urban, married male with no kids and a moderate (still.. *sniff*) spending power, I believe that puts me right in the cross-hairs of every marketing strategy in this country. But I ain’t buying what they’re selling. Why? ‘cos I don’t watch what they’re selling.

There is NOTHING on any Hindi channel these days that entertains me. And I mean entertain, it is in the strictest definition as adopted by the TV channels themselves – “providing  fictional shows for a continuous period that I can relate to”. An hour spent in front of TV is an insult to my intelligence. My dad hasn’t spend thousands of rupees educating his kids to get back home after a long day and simply accept the puerile nonsense that’s dished out on the idiot box.

Which is exactly why I’ve started this blog.

A lot of things come together in my day job in a broadcasting company where I’ve been employed since 2008. Such as my love for movies & TV, conversations with some very talented people and a fly-on-the-wall view of one of the largest media markets in the world. This blog is my academic effort in trying to untangle the knots that are choking the way we consume entertainment everyday. Whatever you read on this blog is public knowledge available on the internet that I’ve tried to assimilate and understand. All opinions are personal and my employer doesn’t care about them anyway.

Let the discussions begin.