by Aditi Krishnan
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- TV producers are set to satiate Indian viewers’ voracious appetite for mythology. Serialized versions of epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata captivated India’s imagination in the 1980s. Their reruns are popular to this day, prompting producers to capitalize anew on viewers’ love for glitzy costume period dramas.
- To keep viewers hooked and avoid audience fatigue, producers are digging up little-known tales or putting new angles and twists on old legends (DeccanHerald.com, 11 June 2011).
- Most Hindi entertainment channels have been riding the wave with a host of much-watched programmes based on mythological fables, among them Jai Mata Di, Yatra and Om Namay Shivay.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Mythology, legend and religion have always resonated well with Indian audiences. In addition, many urban Indians contending with increasingly stressful and competitive work environments are turning to spirituality or religion to help them cope. Many consumers of faith, on the other hand, appreciate getting their mythology in easy, palatable forms that entertain while instructing and comforting.
- Many viewers have also been known to consume mythology as an education in history.
RESOURCES
- Hindi entertainment channels include Zee TV, Star Plus and Sony Entertainment Television.
