Watching An Indian Soap: Choti Bahu

I was introduced to the Indian television Serial scene a month ago via the internet. There are several sites wherein every serial known and unknown, watched and not are carefully uploaded every hour. My in laws decided to cut Sun TV that we had especially ordered for them as they said that the internet gave them greater flexibility of time to watch their favorite shows and they did not have to watch the ads during breaks. (My in laws had found this website that uploaded videos according to the European time of telecast and thus they got to see their serial before it was telecast in the US!) This was my first introduction to Indian television serials, online.

While browsing through some articles, I came across TRP ratings for serials with the highest viewership ratings and found Choti Bahu (Younger daughter in law) consistently being on the top (until recent months). I wondered what made a show a success? There began my journey. I entered an alien world of fiction that gripped people's imagination and kept them talking for the whole day before the conversation continued the next day! It was not uncommon for my in laws to discuss a show with their friends back home when they called in to check if all was well. My dad would update my mom as to what was happening with the episodes that she was missing while traveling.

Choti Bahu begins as an innocent story along the lines of Cinderella with a sweet, naive girl (Radhika) who is an adopted daughter of a poor, temple priest. She is ill treated by the grandma and her "sister" (Vishaka) who uses her to cover up all her faults. Enter our Prince Charming (Dev) belonging to a rich and well known family that has properties all around the country. He falls hard for Radhika and wishes to marry her. Unfortunately he thinks Radhika's name is Vishaka and gets married to her. Owing to a twist, on the night of the marriage, Radhika substitutes for Vishaka (as she runs away to become an actress) and then the story devolves from there.

It was obvious that the entire story is based on the fact that Radhika never reveals to Dev, who consistently tells her how much he adores her and does not care for his "wife" Vishaka, that she is indeed his Dharmapatni, wife who took the vows with him. The TRPs are manipulated constantly keeping the viewers on tenterhooks as to when the truth will come out.

I noticed that there is a set pattern to the plot. For every 25 episodes a new twist is created or resolved. Even if the twist does not require that many hours to be resolved or created, they follow the set format. Of course, watching the episodes online has its advantages. You can skip all the shots when people are seen walking to or from another character. Or when the title song plays or when the villain begins her canned dialogue that will go on for exactly 2:30 minutes.

I also stumbled upon a forum where avid viewers of the show discussed their favorite show online- sometimes thrilled with what happened and sometimes miserable with the story line. A whole new world opened up in front of me as I undertook this month long experiment to understand the psychology of serial watchers.

And it is an interesting world. I met some amazing people on the forums. We became almost family when we had to cheer up someone who was miserable with the story line! There were alternative "Fan Fiction", stories written with the same characters but an entirely different story. There were video remixes with clippings from the show merged with a new soundtrack. There were interviews with the cast.

This melding of shows with other shows was mind boggling. There would be special episodes when characters from other serials would appear on this show! There would be anchors from different TV News magazines to update viewers about what was happening on the sets. So, the channels would feed off each other on "advertizing" their shows via news and the News channel had "news" to report!

Many of the diehards are young kids who are in the middle of taking tests and giving interviews. The Indian diaspora from around world as far flung as Trinidad, the Americas, Australia and Africa. Bored housewives and busy professionals catch their shows online at a time convenient for them. It is not uncommon for the forums to have volunteers who write the update for each show in English to make it easy for the non Hindi speakers to follow the show! The dedication is amazing.

An entire world of make belief made "real". In an already world of illusion, as the idea of Maya would have it another Maya nagari is established and supported from every side. Another layer to this world of fiction is the fiction created by viewers. It is like the old idea of the mirror within the mirror, reflecting each other off into infinity.

For now, I have bid temporary farewell to the serial and the forum as I surface back to reality!