Do the saas-bahu serials depict Indian reality?

Kahani ghar ghar ki, Kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi, Kumkum, Saat phere - the list is endless. The age-old saga of a daughter-in-law finding acceptance in her new family after marriage. Her unflinching resolve to solve each and every real and imaginary problem of her husband’s entire clan. Her stoic resistance to worldly pleasures and temptations. And all the scheming, vampish obstacles in her path in the form of interfering sisters-in-law, fiendish ex-girlfriends and the all-important mother-in-law. Add to that a propensity to garish sets, pancake make-up at all hours of the day and a jamboree of all festivals. One really wonders which world these people inhabit.

It all started with the success story of Ekta Kapoor’s K serials. The formula was quickly adopted by all and sundry. The same convoluted stories, with interwoven subplots and situations. You’ve seen one and you have seen them all! Yet, rarely, do you get to see such characters in real life. The concepts may have been inspired from common situations in Indian households but they are exaggerated to such an extent that they look far-fetched and irritating. Over the years India has moved on. It is so rare to see entire joint families with over 30 members thrive under one roof. Time has proved that such arrangements are not very feasible. Yet, our serials continue to highlight these deranged joint families, where relatives are scheming to literally kill each other behind the garb of superficial closeness.

If an actor decides to leave a particular serial, he is conveniently killed in an accident. But his dead body is never found just in case he needs to be revived after a few episodes (read if he/she agrees to a reasonable enough pay package). Or the character is simply replaced with a new actor justifying the change as a miracle of plastic surgery. Tell me of such a thing happening in your immediate surroundings and I’ll teach you how to name serials that sell!

Why can’t we have something refreshingly realistic such as a Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond or even Friends for that matter? Why must we get to see nauseating saas-bahu serials day and night? If the average Indian does not relate to them anymore, one wonders how the NRIs suffer them. Is it just a way of catching up the latest sari trends in India or telling your children what Diwali, Dussehra and Holi are all about?