The divine connect of prime time soaps

Television shows of Hindi GECs have delved into divinity as long as one can remember and have mirrored the nation’s strong religious and spiritual connect. And it is not just mythological shows that have overdosed on all things celestial. Even regular saas bahu soaps too have God as one of the central characters being evoked at all good and bad moments. From 'Saath Nibhaana Saathiya’s' Kaanha ji to 'Sasural Simar Ka’s' Mata Raani, the Gods have been woven as an integral part of the shows’ storyline.

Pune Times explores what is it about divinity that’s so appealing to show makers and has audiences hooked.

India, The land of Mythology “Indians by and large are believers in God and rituals and pray on all important events. Our festivals too are a celebration of religion, be it the birth of Gods or Goddesses or something equally significant. Our lives are steeped in divinity, religion and mythology and we never tire of such stories,” says Gracy Singh, who plays the Goddess in 'Santoshi Maa'.

On a similar note, Ashish Sharma, the Ram of 'Siya Ke Ram', says, “As our culture and thought process is driven entirely by our mythology, there’s a psychological connect that works well.”

The omnipresent

Speaking about how God is an integral part of regular daily shows too, Kanhaji’s devout bhakt, Gopi from 'Saath Nibhana Saathiya', Devoleena Bhattacharjee, says, “Gods are an important part of television shows because just like in real life, at times when you can’t trust anyone else, God is always there to help and audiences connect with this.”

Echoing the same, Gracy says, “Art imitates reality and daily soaps are a reflection of our daily lives — even if we take liberties in weaving stories. We turn to God in times of trouble and to thank Him and that’s what serials show.”

Taking the moral ground

While all shows are aimed at entertainment, such shows also try sending across a message. “All shows are based on the two sides – virtues and vices and we try conveying that good always wins. Both right and wrong are highlighted just like we have Santoshi Maa as the positive aspect and Irshawali Maa (Sayantani Ghosh) as the negative one,” says Shanti Bhushan, writer Santoshi Maa.

On a similar note Ashish adds, “We are programmed to see that good always wins. We grew up reading those stories and that’s the format of our shows too. Good is always shown connected to God or the divine and evil is shown losing, to keep the psychological balance between good and bad in the audiences’ minds.”

Creative liberties

Hobnobbing with the divine allows shows to showcase things difficult to justify otherwise. “We need conviction and belief in a more powerful being to get ahead in life. Whenever we see trouble, we remember God and our belief in the supreme power becomes our purpose when we are miserable. That’s what shows try to portray — that we don’t have control over certain things but God does,” adds Shanti.

On similar lines, Gracy says, “We are not capable of doing divine things and if regular people are shown doing supernormal things, it wouldn’t be convincing and acceptable.”

Simplified for the masses

Working within the divine premise, such shows are seen, understood and appreciated by everyone and enjoy mass appeal. “Even people who can’t read, know the mythological stories and folklore.

These shows give them a chance to watch stories they grew up hearing and explore things they are curious about, making them appealing to larger audiences,” says Shanti.

Wrapping it up, Ashish says, “Such themes are adopted to use the most common way of story-telling; good vs evil.”