Pallavi Joshi says daily soaps have become a ‘monster’ that needs to be fed every day

Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) Actress and filmmaker Pallavi Joshi believes the creation of daily soaps fundamentally changed Indian television, turning it into a medium driven by humongous and chaotic production schedules at the cost of creativity.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Pallavi reflected on how the transition from weekly programming to daily soaps placed immense pressure on writers and creators, which further led to the degradation of content.

“When the daily soap started, television became a monster which had to be fed every day,” she said.

Explaining the challenges that came with the shift, Pallavi noted that the industry, which was accustomed to producing weekly episodes, suddenly had to churn out content almost every day.

“Now, for a creative industry, which is used to making weekly shows, we are shooting for four episodes in 15-16 days a month. You give them a 28-day show and you give them 24 days to shoot. So, you have to shoot 1.5 episodes in a day,” she shared.

According to the veteran actress, such demanding schedules also took a heavy toll on writers.

“Shooting is on its own. For writers to write those many episodes, it’s impossible. You know, there’s something called a writer’s block. What will you do? So, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing,” she said.

Pallavi added that the pressure to constantly produce content eventually led television towards repetitive storytelling.

“What happened? It didn’t work, Tried and tested formulas started,” she remarked.

Recalling the success of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Pallavi said the show initially stood out because it offered audiences something fresh. However, she believes its success also resulted in a wave of similar programming.

“So, when ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ came, as one show it worked wonderfully because it came as a very different experience. But when 10 other shows followed, which were the same, then that started bringing the role of women down because by then, again, the men had started coming in as producers.”

She further argued that the changing dynamics behind the scenes altered the way women were represented on television.

“And suddenly, it again became a medium where men had started to rule again. They had their say. So, when the economics comes in, then everything starts to go wrong,” Pallavi said.

Sharing her views on the current entertainment landscape, the actress said OTT platforms too have begun facing similar challenges.

“OTT again started off very well, but right now, I don’t know where it is going, frankly,” she concluded.

On the professional front, Pallavi was seen in the recently released webseries, Margao Files

–IANS

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