Funny things that define Indian daily soaps

Indian television shows go beyond being mere forms of entertainment. They weave themselves into our daily lives and the characters become a part of our extended family whom we worry about and fret over. Be it Baa's crossing 400 years of age or Mihir Virani' miraculously coming back to life after a nationwide mourning ensued post his death in ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, telly soaps are always loaded with the masala required to keep the small screen audience glued to their sets year after year. From multiple generation leaps to regular plastic surgeries and memory losses, TV shows never lose out on opportunities to keep the viewers on the edge. Check out these and many other rather funny things that characterise Indian daily soaps, and we bet you won’t disagree.

Bar code: You dare not drop your jaws in shock if the protagonist who is usually the epitome of all things good is put behind bars. The family members have periodical jail visits scheduled for crimes ranging from murder and kidnapping to fraud and even rape. From Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi to Kokila Modi in Saath Nibhana Saathiya, the best of television bahus were sentenced to jail at least once. While going to jail is a life-changing event in a person’s life, it seems to be no big deal in the daily soaps. If anything, it only seems to be the ultimate agnipariksha that proves their mettle further. Phew!

Marry go round: The daily soaps always market themselves on their efforts that they claim keep the Indian culture alive but even the most positive of characters on the show get married more than once. And in their defense, they say that the second marriage was necessary because they were earlier married to the wrong person and were justified in breaking an unhappy marriage to seek new love. Get a reality check, please! In which part of India are divorces so casual? Mona Singh was married twice in Kya Huaa Tera Vaada whereas Avika Gor aka Anandi also gets married twice in Balika Vadhu.

Shock them good: We are all familiar with the annoying cut and zoom camera play and that irritating ‘Kya! Kya! Kya!’ shot from different angles in the daily soaps on the revelation of a shocking news. It takes about fifty shots from all angles with powerful surround sound and multiple replays for the truth to sink in after which comes a close-up of every character's face as the truth dawns upon them and realisation hits them, literally!

Dead man walking: Acting in a daily soap guarantees immortality, at least till the time the TRPs keep trickling in. If you think a character is breathing his last, rest assured, he will be back. And if he is lucky enough, the producers might also give him a plastic surgery to alter his appearance so drastically, you would bet it is a different person. Only he isn't! If you are lucky though, he might have lost his memory and would be manipulated to believe whatever others tell him, making the plot even more exciting (read: lame). The best example to cite here would be Mihir Virani’s accidental death in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi which caused a nationwide mourning. As the viewers could not bear the tragic loss, many threatening to commit suicide, the makers of the show were forced to bring him back. Vansh aka Rohit Khurana in Uttaran also came back to life after a dramatic death as the writers wanted to bring in a clever twist in the tale upon his return.

More the merrier: The daily soaps are all about big joint families consisting of everyone from the chachas and mamas to the buas and dadis. How the producers manage to shoot with such a huge ensemble cast under one roof, day after day is a mystery that perhaps even the FBI would be crunched to solve, the fact remains that they do it and the audience loves it too. More the merrier definitely stands true here. The duration of the show is directly proportional to the number of characters in it.

Dual identity: While it may sound unbelievable to many, shows featuring the same person playing characters of different age groups are all the rage on the Indian TV scene. You might get to see the same girl playing the daughter's role and then transform into a mother by a mere gray steak in her hair. Currently Tina Dutta and Ankita Lokhande are playing such roles in their shows Uttaran and Pavitra Rishta respectively.

The television bahus have always been made mocked due to their too decked up looks at all times from morning to night. With no relevance of weather or time, the TV actors never face a bad hair day or a break from heavy jewellery. Moreover, the tele bahus have also invented style trends like Kumud’s lehenga saris with gujarati blouses in Saraswatichandra and Bhabo’s borla in Diya Aur Baati Hum. The actresses have mastered the art of performing all household chores without a lose strand or a smudged mascara.