As the clock struck 10 p.m. last Friday, I shut my laptop down and made my way to the living room to put on Netflix. How can Fridays be anything other than an excuse to binge-watch Netflix?
However, fate had other plans for me.
My mother came rushing to the war field (the living room), snatched the remote from my hand, and put on Star Plus. It was Anupama time!
As the fire ignited between Anuj and Anupama, my dream of binge-watching YOU and daydreaming over the charming and toxic Joe Goldberg shattered. I unwillingly joined my mother to watch the daily soap, and a sudden feeling of nostalgia hit me.
My memories took me back to the days when OTT platforms weren’t a thing. All of us used to smile, cry, laugh, gasp, and even cringe at Ekta Kapoor’s melodramatic serials. She was the quintessential queen of the best TV serials in India.
Let’s admit it. These Indian TV serials had everything except logic. We have seen the strangest plots that made no sense. Regardless, the TRPs were high!
So while my mom was busy gushing, gasping, and grieving with her star characters, I started listing the things that never made sense about Indian TV shows.
Brace yourself!
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The Ever-Confusing Plot of Romance and Marriage
I’ve concluded a prototype for the Indian TV serial love angle. Pay attention, or you may get lost in the plot.Â
The lead actors will fall in love, but the hero ends up marrying his lover’s sister. They get divorced. Then the hero marries the heroine. And then they get divorced. Post which the heroine marries the hero’s best friend, and then they get divorced. The lead actors find their way to each other again, fall in love, and marry, but who’s to say they won’t get divorced again? Anything is possible!
The Classic Saas-Bahu Drama
How come every Hindi serial has this cruel saas – sanskaari bahu trope? Also, no bahu is this sanskaari that she sleeps, eats, and bathes in the fanciest sarees in their wardrobes. Don’t forget the heavy jewelry they’re laden under from head to toe!
No One is Dead. EVER!
There is a 99.9999999% chance that the protagonist will rise from the dead. Remember how Mihir from Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi woke up from the dead with memory loss and a new identity? It’s the rule of immortality at play.
Oh, you’re thinking about logic? Nope, no place for that in Star Plus TV serials.
The Villian With Creepy Eye Makeup in Indian TV Serials
I want to meet these Hindi daily soap’s makeup team personally and ask who came up with this idea to paint the female antagonist’s eyes with the shadiest eye shadow and liner. Remember our Komalika with extra pizazz? Not gonna lie, she gave a vampire vibe with her huge bindi, over-flowing saree, long jhumkas, and strappy blouses.
And well, at least they had more makeup definition than the boring, soft, and subtle makeup of the sanskaari protagonist.
What’s With the Reaction Shots?
When it comes to drama, you can’t beat Hindi TV serial directors. A tight slap followed by three replays and zoom into twelve family members’ reactions ( thanks to absurdly giant families) – that’s what Ekta Kapoor lives for!
The Shows With No Ending!
Guys, it’s not the producers’ fault if no one told him the show has to end at some point.There is no concept of climaxes in daily soaps. Characters just keep living through generations. Remember Baa from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi? She lived through 4 generations. She had easily been 104 years old on the show.
If anything, the genres will change. What began as a family drama will turn into a sensual, romantic soap opera, only to turn the female lead into a naagin or ghost. *Crying in Sasural Simar Ka*
Well, it was a ride, wasn’t it? While I still don’t understand why are Indian TV serials so cringe, I don’t mind watching one or two episodes with my mom now and then.
You should try it too – just for the fun (and cringe) of it!
See you next time. Keep following The Glam Lives for reading more mind-boggling blogs.
