The idiot box in India hit a saturation point in 2015 with major reality shows failing to ignite audience’s interest despite being fronted by the biggest Bollywood stars, even as fiction stuck to its kitchen-sink route.
When Salman Khan openly admits less TRPs of “Bigg Boss”, it spells bad news for the controversial show, once considered a threat to daily soaps.
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While the changed timings of “Bigg Boss Nau” have contributed to the less viewership, repetitive fights and boring contestants have added to the its woes, so much so, that a consensus seems to have built up that the series needs a break to come up with fresh content.
The trouble, however, is not just limited to “Bigg Boss”. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, whose television debut in “Kaun Banega Crorepati” had the whole nation glued to their television sets, failed to recreate the magic with “Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi”, whose TRP stands at a dismal 0.5.
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Similarly, Shah Rukh Khan’s charm could not save “India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun” from its boring format. The inaugural season of actor Farhan Akhtar-hosted “I Can Do That” also had a disappointing run.
One of the few gainers among the reality shows this year has been “Comedy Nights with Kapil” with current TRP of 2.3 but it still lags behind “Swaragini”, which sits at the bottom of the point table among daily soaps with 2.4 TRP.
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Originally aimed at providing comic relief to the viewers on weekends, Kapil Sharma’s series is reduced to a platform for film and serials’ promotions.
Poor script and insipid presentation create a lacklustre show, with Navjot Singh Sidhu’s laughter making more noise than the actual content.
Youth-centric reality shows “Roadies” and “Splitsvilla” have enjoyed a popularity but that seems to be fading now.
Such shows have always harped on fights, name-calling and plotting but lately they have been invaded by the melodramatic tone of fiction, making it less believable and appear rather scripted.
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This, however, does not mean that fiction has done exceedingly well as most of the content keeps revolving around the kitchen politics no matter how innovative the beginning has been.
Small screen’s attempt at a mature subject like reconnection of an elderly divorced couple with “Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar” went kaput after a few months with the drama changing gears to a run-of-the-mill love story between the leads