From saas-bahu to saas-bhoot, the new flavour of Indian TV

Indian TV is well-versed with the usual saas-bahu dramas but the landscape is witnessing a shift. Supernatural elements are being introduced to daily soaps.

After docile daughter-in-laws, it seems like witches and other demonic entities have struck a chord with small-screen audiences. Of late, several TV shows are running plots that have supernatural characters, and they seem to be quite popular. When Sara Khan was introduced in the early prime time show, Sasuraal Simar Ka, as an ‘icchadhari naagin’ (shape-shifting snake), the serial received a major boost in terms of its ratings. As a result, producer of the show, Rashmi Sharma, brought in Pratyusha Banerjee and Reshmi Ghosh to play the roles of two daayans (witches).

On the other hand, Qubool Hai first showcased Additi Gupta as a chudail (witch), and now, Puja Banerjee will enter the show as a witch, whose aim is to torment the protagonist. Additi feels that audiences like the entertainment value that such characters offer. “There are many chudails and daayans on TV today,” she says, in jest. “New trends like these work, and break the monotony, and therefore, seem interesting,” she adds.

Additi, too, enjoys playing the supernatural role. “I’ve never met anyone who has had a supernatural experience. So, for me, it’s like shooting for a fantasy tale. It’s fun,” she says.

Putting things into perspective, Rashmi says, “There are numerous shows on TV, so to stand out, you have to do something different. The supernatural theme was lapped up by the audience because it made an appearance after a while. We stuck to stories that are relatable. I’ve heard stories about witches, so I believe that these things do happen.”

In the past, Karan Kundra played a vampire in the show, Fanaa, which was quite popular with the youth. Similarly, producer Ekta Kapoor had explored the supernatural theme in her show, Ek Thhi Naayka, which was a 16-episode horror-thriller series. She also produced Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani that was inspired by the Twilight series. It had Vivian Dsena playing a vampire, while Rithvik Dhanjani essayed the role of a werewolf. In fact, Ekta’s upcoming show, Nagin, is based on shape-shifting snakes. It features Mouni Roy as the ‘good’ naagin and Adaa Khan as the evil one.