Shows: Here, abroad and away

February marks the return of my favourite anti-hero politician, Frank Underwood in the popular political drama House of Cards. What worries me more is not that I need to use torrents to watch this Netflix masterpiece is that this show is not remotely matched by any Indian TV show. Cable TV has been in our life for a significant period. I remember having just 9-10 channels on my old CRT TV and watching whatever came my way because frankly I had no choice. Today, I have access to around 600 channels and yet i dont have access to quality content. The reason: Indian TV channels don't make it and what is made abroad is so heavily censored it doesn't make any sense.
My criticism is limited to Hindi channels mainly because I haven't bothered to learn other Indian languages (technically speaking English isn't an Indian language). A general glance through the TV shows which play around prime time and there is a blaring similarity and a stark difference (By Stark I dont mean Game of Thrones). The similarity being they all revolve around the day to day lives and internal squabblings of a huge joint family having a Gujarati or Marwadi or predominantly North Indian heritage owning some hitherto unknown large business which never seems to face the brunt of recession and whose wives and daughters have nothing better to do then dress pretty and fight petty. The difference being the production house and actors Period. That's drama for you. The comedy side is a bit different yet not so great. Comedy in our country is restricted to stereotypes and mimicry. A Sardarji is automatically funny (no thanks to the SMS jokes) and a South Indian is dark, wears a lungi and speaks with an ununderstandable accent (yet to meet such people in real life). The level of jokes are infantile and depend heavily on canned laughter or the immaturity of the audience.
I remember the channel Star One being that breath of fresh air that Indian audiences got. Great shows like Sarabhai
Vs Sarabhai, The Great Indian Comedy Show, Siddhant, Special Squad and Remix made their way to Indian homes. Finally something to please the urban masses who felt left out in all that saas-bahu gibberish. Content which appealed to my sensibility without insulting my intellect had arrived but it didnt last long. Back then i used to crib how good shows come and end but horrible ones last seasons on end. It is is now that i understand that quality content has a finite life which when stretched makes it unbearably appalling.
My relationship with English shows started with CSI. Watching it made me realise the stupidity behind a show like CID which is nothing but a bunch of goods acting as cops who investigate crime and get a confession from the culprit by slapping him hard in one location and automatically landing up at their headquarters which looks like an abandoned commercial complex in Malad.
Slowly, i moved on to F.R.I.E.N.D.S and other shows like The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Modern Family and even went back in time to watch British satire Like Yes Minister (adapted in India as Ji Mantri Ji) and Mind Your Language (adapted as Zabaan Sambhal Ke). The content and performance in these shows were so good i was and still am addicted. The other day i somehow managed to watch a few Indian shows which my neighbor was watching and guess what...Its still the same. Yes, there are a few changes in cast and maybe mindset but nothing substantial. Quoting Barack Obama 'You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig' thats exactly what Hindi shows have become today.
There was this brief period where indian TV decided to start copying shows or formats of reality show. Baby steps in taking international formats and sticking it in the Indian context started with Kaun Banega Crorepati went on to Indian Idol and just didnt stop. Disney channel even copied show with a comical name change. (Suite life of Zach and Cody became suite life of Karan and Kabir)
Even if they were good these shows were copied. I wait for the day indian TV brings sensible content for the educated, Urban youth and I write educated because of shows like Roadies.
What is frustrating is not the lack of good shows and content, even the west adapts screenplay from books but that we adapt Chetan Bhagat shit. Till the time someone changes the rules of television and spells their names without k i guess i have to stick to American TV.