Where is the wit?

[1]

Image Thumbnail:

A guy waiting to give flowers to the girl he likes — and the same situation is stretched for three episodes! This is what you would find in a Hindi serial which is aimed at the youth. But little do Hindi serial-makers realise that not all teenagers like silly romances and unrealistic storylines. They prefer witty, intelligent serials and variety surely is the spice of life for them. That’s why they swear by the newer English TV series like Castle, How I Met Your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs etc.
“I love Castle — it stars Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion as an NYPD cop and crime fiction writer, respectively. The duo works on cases for the city and their chemistry is seriously amazing. You have got to watch it to believe it. And the cases are super amazing too,” says 11th grader Pragati Agarwala. Talking about Hindi serials, she says, “They feel whatever they give the audience, they will accept it. They should hire good scriptwriters who take the dialogue writing seriously. And they should realise that the teen audience isn’t really interested in watching dramas which just make you cry buckets after buckets. Our horizon has broadened and the TV is a source which all of us teens watch and learn from. Intelligent content only enhances viewership and perhaps one day if these TV guys realise this, TV won’t be called the “Idiot Box” anymore!
Mona Girish, from Mount Carmel College feels that those who make Hindi serials underestimate the intelligence of the youth. “They make only love stories and there’s hardly any humour. But when it comes to English serials you can pick between comedy, romance, thriller, drama etc,” she says.
Mona watches How I Met Your Mother because she thinks the humour in it is great. “The people in it are relatable, human and have dreams just like us. Characters like Robin and Ted are people we can relate to — they are not from some fantasy world. I also like Big Bang Theory for its nerdy humour.” She also watches Grey’s Anatomy, a medical drama which isn’t unrealistic like the desi Dill Mill Gaye, which also focuses on medical interns and doctors. “Grey’s is amazing. We get to learn about medical stuff and the series is nail-biting. It seems realistic, the characters are not made up with make-up and the cases seem like they could happen to any of us. I also watch Gossip Girl and Glee — the latter is a musical drama.”
Says second year journalism student Sameer N, “Hindi show-makers should give up saas-bahu shows and make something for the youth. Among English serials, I like Castle and Scrubs, which is a light-hearted comedy.
Targeting teens with just mush and fantasy isn’t always right. Wit, variety and humour is the way to go.