The Power Within: Zindagi Kehti He...

Research says that when you are stressed, even a slight sudden sound shall aggravate the stress factor. When a nuclear family has both parents working and children out the whole day for educational and other endeavours they do come back stressed and fettered. Every evening, it might not be possible to go and watch cinema or every weekend may not culminate into a getaway to silent retreats. In that case, TV becomes the sole go-to medium for family entertainment.

What am I getting at? Impatient are we? Stress creates this sense of quick-come-to-the-point attitude.

So open any channel! Currently popular channels and this is what you will witness.

Women turning into creatures from animal kingdoms or supernatural realms. Often hilarious and unbelievable with impeccable makeups no matter what their trauma.
· Patriarchal homes with larger than life mansions and an army of relatives staying under the same roof. One or two ganged up members scheming against the poor protagonist who must constantly give an agni-pariksha of her honour, truthfulness and sanctity.
· Scripted shows, in the name of reality, where the factor of poverty and tears is happily exploited. They feel it is cleverly implanted but the audience is savvy and knows the inevitable lie that is echoed in all the scripts and sob stories.
· Raucous roast shows in the guise of comedy which I would not want kids to view or internalize at all lest they carry it into their daily interactions thinking it is an accepted form of communication.
· Loud sound tracks jolting the entire sofa set to vibrations discordant enough to create stress reactions.

In that case what do we take then from TV? Does it entertain? Does it bring my battered nerves any relaxed respite?

The response to the above queries is a feebly waning “Maybe...umm...but now it is all like that only!"

When most of the channels are adding to cacophonous, repetitive drones of ill planned shows, do we have an environment friendly space on television which can at least make for a wholesome viewing with family and is pleasant on my ear drums…?

To my surprise, there is…

For starters, tune into #Fatmagul at 9:00 p.m. on #Zindagi and you will be rewarded with an environment friendly treat.

It is a show from Turkey. Each shot is a cinematographic delight. Each angle tells a story. There is no din or pandemonium in the entire show. Besides it shows the picturesque beauty of Turkey. No expense has been spared in shooting on exotic locales and giving us an inside view of a Turkish countryside or Istanbul’s serene tranquility.

Hell I want to book tickets to a Turkish getaway near the riverside where Kerim and Fatmagul have taken residence and Merriam gets to grow all herbs and stuff. The whole feel is so divine and tranquil. The music tracks are sensibly chosen to herald a certain conflict or put in a pleasant romantic note but nothing is over the top. The anguished moments are composed and enacted with a heart and character.

The Romance is restrained and lets the viewer feel the moments instead of loud tracks or Bollywood songs thrown in to dig in the moolah or promote a song. Every strain of romance is felt by the viewer and is left wanting more. There is a healthy balance and characters are authentic with their inimitable flaws that every human is entitled to. It essays a profound but gentle saga of a girl who was raped striving to reclaim her life, rebuild it and give herself another chance at love and trust.

Nobody is perfect. All make mistakes and all display their weaknesses as well as nobility. The struggles are a voice of many. You can identify with it and gently slide into your sofa with a guarantee that you will not fall off with a … “Nahinnnn!!!Ruk jaoooo...yeh shaadi nahi ho suktiiiii….” Well…more on Fatmagul later but for now since that is the only tele-show that I am watching, looking over with excitement for the primetime line up of new shows on platter and they look promising.

They will not go on endlessly as they have a finite format so you will get your closure but will be left wanting for more. They will not go on to take incredibly ludicrous leaps and its easy on your ears!!! We all need some environment repair! Give yourself Zindagi (pun intended) and serenity. Get your remote to this channel.

Little Lord, Mon-Sat, 7:30 p.m.

Why shall we see this? Life need not be somber all the time. We do not need hard hitting issues to think about all the time. The world still manages to evolve with or without our contribution. There are times when we just need to smile and enjoy mischief of a little punk and reminisce about our childhoods and/or smile at the punks we have at home and all the mischief that we amusedly shake our heads on our little bundle of mischief. Little Lord brings a child’s attempt at keeping his parents together with desperate measures which will unfold in the show. I love the determined and stubborn declaration “Mummy daddy ke alag hone ka sawaal hi peda nahin hota…” Awwww and cewwwwttteee!!!

TV KE USS PAAR, Mon-Sat, 8:30 p.m.

It reminds me of my late mother-in-law who lived the characters of the tele shows she viewed. The long conversations post show with other animated and affected relatives were downright amusing. TV Ke Us Paar brings a mother who has found her universe in the ups and downs of tele shows and how she sets out to bring a bahu dear from those very shows.

She curses the vamps and breaks her crockery and welcomes with flowers a couple tying the knot. Her frustrated son makes for a helpless sight, who naturally, has to bear the brunt of all her quirks. I would look forward to see all the Digs at the mambo jambo that is handed over to us audience as entertainment. It is a concept that can make for intellectual satire and giggles too. Bring it on!

Agar Tum Saath Ho, Mon-Sat, 7:00 p.m.

If you are there with me, I shall scale mountains!

Translated that way, it echoes soft, mushy sentiments. It narrates a union opposed by the paternal figure. Often when children grow up it is difficult for a parent to severe the umbilical cords and let the children settle and hash out issues in their matrimonial space. Often we have seen a Mother too dominant or overbearing this would be from the perspective of a father unable to allow a child to soar.

It does look like a Boy meets a Girl affair and proceeds to marry against family’s wish. I look forward to creating a discussion on our dinner table with our progeny and their future…the adjustments we as parents may have to make…the changes we must embrace and the balance that we must maintain to give space as well as forge bonds.

Khwaabon Ki Zameen Par, Mon-Sat, 10:00 p.m.

As a blogger, my word is trusted because it is Honest and true. Of all the premium shows this one does not excite me or my imagination. There is not much novelty in this concept. It has been used over and over again and it is truly unrealistic for in my life it relates to no one I know or would want to know. It is a journey of a Boy who aspires to be an actor and leaves his lady love back at home town and comes to Mumbai.

He meets the Prima Donna out here and goes through the gamut of attraction and pangs of guilt most likely. The premise itself is a bit unrealistic. None of the Divas would so much as allow a non-celebrity to touch their shadows. The "strugglers" go on doing that full life before getting anywhere near the camera and action. This promotes a pipe dream that has very less probability of materialising. I would still wait for the show to unfold and express more. Here I simply share my first impressions.

Media does share the responsibility of shaping its viewers opinion and attitude and so the content must ignite minds to rethink their faulty attitudes and find a way to reorganize mental sets and patterns.

Each show outlined has a take away for me except the last one.

The little lord for me signifies that I pay more attention to my little ten year old and observe within myself the impact and dread I fill in the heart when I argue free flow with my husband in the spree of being right and teaching lessons. I shall be more considerate and peace loving.

TV Ke Uss Paar one will bring alive my fond bemused memories as I eavesdropped the animated conversations over the Mother in law and daughter in laws and to an extent how and why our relationships never ironed out as the mother-in-law felt she must out-scheme the daughter in law to retain her power in the household. I will view with compassion the Woman who has found her Universe in the Square Idiot Box.

Agarr Tum Saath Ho will echo my and my spouse’s struggle with coming of age as we strove to appease our parents, prove to them we love them and yet we wanted to do our own things our own way...try maybe…succeed or fail maybe…but create our own world . It is no one’s fault as we sit back and come to the stage where our offspring takes independent leaps and how we want to protect them and yet feel outdated at certain stages. We too might need our lessons and we hope the show brings us lessons and perspectives anew.

The faith was somewhat restored in the meet with #Zindagi organised by Indibloggers at Four Seasons, Worli. It was not a general promotional quickie put together but a select invite only event for bloggers who opine on television. Bloggers were hand-picked and might I add wooed romantically by the Indiblogger charm.

Every detail was attended to right from transportation to our food preferences and comfort. I extend heartfelt gratitude to them for a lovely, intellectual and enriching evening. Mr. Sunil Buch the Chief Business Officer at Essel Group was the key speaker.

The two exceptional virtues I was impressed with…one that he was soft spoken and second, his candid openness to suggestions even if they were a little dissenting. I am glad to meet personnel from higher echelons to be so not surrounded by an entourage speaking on his behalf and sometimes even thinking on his behalf.

No ingratiating him around, he will catch you before you proceed further. He was equally humble to come down to understanding the points made and at the same time he was completely truthful about the fact that print media fails at promoting a venture. It has lost trust and I am completely with him on this.

The No.1 premium entertainment channel will launch a new primetime line-up from 3rd October 2016. Hand-picked stories from India, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Latin America and Korea, amongst others, will now be available on the channel. For our bi-lingual premium audiences, for the first time ever in India, Zindagi will also soon be available on a dual feed of Hindi and English. It will also be the first channel in the entire Indian TV industry to offer live streaming on Periscope, simultaneously with the linear TV feed.

After the phenomenal success of ‘Feriha’, Zindagi will soon premiere its second season. And that’s not all…coming soon for the movie buffs on Sunday, ‘ZINDAGI AWESOMES’’ will feature the most iconic films that have defined Indian Cinema.

Mr. Buch elucidated the vision he has for the channel. It was a rather tough and unfortunate decision for them to take the shows off air which they brought across the border. They have replaced the shows with a brand new line up of shows and have plans to revamp and refresh. They intend to create a global mind set and bring the best to the viewer, starting October 3, 2016. He displayed keen awareness of the changing patterns of the viewer’s tastes and preferences. The philosophy is “Live in the Moment…Yeh Lamha Hi Hai Zindagi!” which the turbulent times are proving true.