Resolutions we need from Indian TV

Here are a few New Year's resolutions the Indian television industry ought to make this year.

Now that the new year has begun, it is time that the television industry too made some resolutions. And tried to stick to them as well. Here are some pointers on what they could start with.

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We will not copy from Bollywood:

While we know that the allure of Bollywood is all-encompassing and the temptation to borrow ready-made plots can be hard to resist, please refrain from being ‘inspired’. It really makes for boring content.

We will work on weekly and seasonal shows:

If you have to copy from Hollywood, seasons are the way to go. That will not only leave your viewers asking for more, but will also give you a break to produce a better product. Weekly shows aren’t a bad idea either.

We will not cheat:

Please don’t fool the audience. Changing the setting and story of a show, but retaining its name and lead actors while calling it season two is a no-no.

We will not insert random song-and-dance sequences:

Shooting a daily soap is taxing, and we understand that. However, instead of filling a 30-minute episode with a random song-and-dance sequence, try a little harder to take the story forward with better content.

We will refrain from churning out more music and dance reality shows:

We have enough of these already on air right now — each hunting for ‘India’s biggest talent’.

We will not awaken the dead:

There are certain scientific rules one has to follow — in the real as well as the reel world. People who die don’t come back. Period. Also, after a plastic surgery, you don’t grow taller. Keep that in mind when you introduce plots.

We will have less film promotions:

Film stars are happy to use the small screen when they have a film to promote, but can we keep their ‘special appearances’ to a bare minimum?

We will not have stereotypical characters:

The grandmother who has two lines every other episode, the evil aunt and that bratty kid — this world isn’t in black and white, so how about finding real characters?

We will introduce more youth shows:

General entertainment channels (GECs) serve up the standard fare. Spicing them up with youth-oriented shows will not only give viewers some variety, but channels could get higher ratings as well.

We will depict romance tastefully:

With intimate scenes getting bolder by the day, perhaps there should be a guidebook on how to depict romance aesthetically. Distasteful and in-your-face bedroom scenes should be banned.