Balaji Telefilms soap KGGK to go off air after failing to cash on Arushi Murder Case

Thursday, 19 June 2008 13:22

Written by essbee, onion uttapam news

Balaji Telefilm's popular soap, “Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki”, which has been a channel driver, along with “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi”, over almost the past seven years, would be off the air from August 2008 because of  failing to maintain its pathetic low standards.

"Despite having all the regular ingredients that go into the making of a low-brow soap like evil bahus plotting against good bahus, hostile takeovers of family business, weepy mothers or wimpy husbands, KGGK has been unable to compete with the pitifully low standards of rival soaps on air" said Ekta Kapoor, producer of the soap at a press briefing. "We have tried everything - increased the number of slaps per episode, made the post-modernist wild camera movements more wilder, raised the decibel levels of the thundering, sinister background music, included more mindless bizarre sub-plots, made the vamps more villainous than ever, increased the number of garish weddings and pooja sequences and raised the melodrama levels to unprecedented levels. Despite trying every possible trick to lure back our vanishing viewers, we have been unable to prevent the slide in the TRP's"

"And now our last hope - our attempts to reach the lowliest and most wretched depths have been squashed by the I&B ministry, leaving us with no other choice but to cease producing the soap"

In a last ditch attempt to revive the sagging fortunes of the soap, last week the producers had decided to include an episode in which the Arushi murder case would be dramatized. But unfortunately for Balaji Telefilms and Star TV, the channel that airs the soap, the move resulted in tremendous backlash from an outraged news media (who were primarily responsible for sensationalizing the case) demanding that the government must step in and not allow the production company and the channel from cashing in on Arushi case. Following an emotional appeal by Nupur Talwar, mother of murder victim Aarushi Talwar, the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights on Monday directed the Information and Broadcasting ministry to stop Balaji Telefilms from including the Aarushi murder case in the soap.

"Unfortunately, our soap was not allowed to feature the reprehensible and sensational murder that makes for such good, compelling television. While all news channels have been allowed to dramatize her death, we have been prevented even from fictionalizing the murder despite assurances from us that the usual disclaimers 'any resemblance to any real person or event is purely coincidental' will be displayed prominently before the telecast of the episode. While mainstream media has been allowed to hold parallel trial of the case, we have been told not to show anything related to the case, unless the investigations are over." said a distraught Ms. Kapoor.

"Do investigations ever get over in India? By the time the official trial gets over, our TRP's would have reached depths even lower than the standards of our soaps and even inclusion of real-life murders more sensational than the current one would not help it in regaining its former position on popularity charts."

Ekta Kapoor also alleged conspiracy by the news channels who have profited heavily from the murder case. "Arushi case generated more TRP's than IPL matches. On the day Aarushi's father Rajesh Talwar was arrested and police claimed it to be an honour killing, the TRP's of Hindi and English news channels were higher than the IPL match between Mohali and Hyderabad. The Five top Hindi news channels had cumulative TRP of over one point as compared to 0.96 for the IPL match. Hindi news channels went berserk after Meerut IGP Gurdarshan Singh made the sensational claim that Aarushi and Hemraj were killed by Rajesh Talwar because he had found them in an "objectionable but not compromising" position. As a result the TRP of Hindi news channels jumped about two points."

"So why is my soap singled out and not allowed to cash in on the Arushi murder frenzy? I suspect that some hindi news channels after having tasted blood with this case have conspired against me" added Ekta Kapoor.

According to industry insiders, with the lines between entertainment and news channels blurring further, in the coming days more soaps would suffer from falling TRP's. The big unasked question on everyone's lips is - Would there be enough sensational murders to keep the momentum going for the news channels?

Comments (1)

Sandy: ...

Tats true.. The Indian media, be it news channels or soaps, just need some stuff to spice up their ratings and earn more money... N who cares if they get it at the cost of somebody's reputation or even someone's life! The media should draw a line somewhere... For heaven's sake there is enough drama in politics and other worldy affairs everyday! Instead of sensationalising someone's death, might as well highlight some area where help is needed or change someone's life for the better... But i guess, the media is just delivering the goods tat was ordered for...

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June 19, 2008

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