Why popular shows like Ishqbaaaz and Naamkarann are likely to go off air soon
Very often characters meet with accidents, lose all memories, die and take rebirth for the sake of the scripts.
The TRP (television rating point) business is proving to be a tightrope walk for fiction programmes, as serials which are taking too much time to shine on the TRP chart are being mercilessly axed by the channel authorities. According to reports, Star Plus, which revolutionised Indian television in the ’90s, is falling behind other entertainment channels and has decided to take a number of its serials off air. As reality TV shows are much in vogue, the channel is keen to experiment more with that genre.
The list of the shows likely to be killed includes Naamkarann, Meri Durga, Ikyawann etc. The buzz is that Ishqbaaaz, which enjoys high popularity among the viewers, may also go off air, though the makers and the channel authorities are dismissing it as mere speculation. Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara has already ended abruptly on February 2.
A promising storyline, with an ensemble of good actors to flesh it out, meeting a forceful end is nothing new for the Indian television audience. Very often characters meet with accidents, lose all memories, die and take rebirth for the sake of the script. But this time, the reports of so many prime-time serials, including a few popular ones, going off air has created a stir among the viewers.
Ishqbaaaz
The story of three cousins, which started telecast in June 2016, became so popular that it was dubbed in Tamil, Malayalam and Arabic. It was officially remade in Kannada. Why its TRP started falling remains an unsolved mystery as the chemistry between Shivaaye and Ankita (character names) is compared to that of SRK and Kajol on social media. The channel authorities have denied that the news.
Naamkarann
Like, Ishqbaaaz¸Naamkarann also had run for the past two years and gradually fell from the peak of the TRP. The serial was inspired by 1998 Bollywood film Zakhm, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, who is the director of this serial too. It was dubbed in Malayalam.
Meri Durga
The show completed a year in January 2018 and its dismal figure on the TRP chart didn’t improve at all. It is the journey of Durga, a girl who aspires to be a runner, and how she overcomes various hurdles in her life – a storyline ages old and there’s no wonder why it’s going off air.
Ikyawann
Started in November 2017, Ikyawann, the story of a girl, who is the 51st child of some Parekh family, failed to impress the audience.
Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara
The show created much hype when it started in October 2017 as it was the small screen debut of Anil Kappor’s brother, Sanjay Kapoor. The storyline was liked by the audience as it brought a much-needed break from the regular storyline of the serials. The story was about a couple with an age gap of 20 years. Though it was liked by audience, the serial was brought to an abrupt end on February 2, triggering speculation that it might have a season 2.
While the fiction pieces are stumbling on the TRP chart, reality shows such as MTV Splitsvilla, Bigg Boss, Rising Superstar have proven record of impressing the audience. According to reports, Star Plus too is pinning its hope on Shah Rukh Khan's TED Talk, the first season of which ended and the second season is awaited middle of this year. It is also planning to relaunch hit serials like Yeh Hain Mohabbatein (on air) as spin-off to engage more viewers, instead of continuing with those with floundering TRP.