December 28, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Saans-bahu soaps do not define the Indian television any more. A decade ago, it was the same story of the never ending rivalry between the oh-so-victimized daughter-in-law and the in-laws. But 2010 has seen a sea change in terms of content of the daily soaps and shows.
Prime time slots have witnessed a plethora of shows ranging from comedies to heart-wrenching stories to reality shows.
The one show that wins hands down when it comes to controversies is Colors 'Bigg Boss 4'. From having the bad boy of Bollywood, Salman Khan, as its host, to the controversial contestants, 'Bigg Boss 4' has been in the news perpetually. May be this is what the channel, Colors, had in mind to get high TRPs. The foul mouthed Dolly Bindra and the sleazy Pakistani actress, Veena Malik, and of course the super hot Pamela Anderson contributed in making 'Bigg Boss 4' the most talked about show of the year.
Sony TV brought back the legendary Amitabh Bachchan to 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'. The show went to a different level with the inclusion of the background of the contestant who made it to the hot seat. This season of 'KBC' also witnessed Rahat Tasleem, the first woman to have won Rupees 1 crore.
Sonys 'Jhalak Dhikla Jaa Season 4' did what no other dance reality show could; they got dhak-dhak girl, Madhuri Dixit, on the judges chair. Giving her company was Remo and the bootylicious munni of Bollywood, Malaika Arora Khan.
India got its first cooking reality show in the form of 'MasterChef India', hosted by none other than Khiladi No. 1, Akshay Kumar. Although Star Plus could not reach the expected TRP, Pankaj Bhadouria emerged as a winner and walked home with Rupees 10 million.
Other shows that deserve a mention are 'Uttran', 'Na Aana Iss Des Laado' of Colors, and 'Sasural Genda Phool' of Star Plus.
The wide variety of shows on the small screen show the changing taste of the Indian viewers and how difficult it has become to persistently draw their attention.
And as they say, competition always improves quality!
--Sampurn Wire