Soap & Lather...

After a long while, I must confess, I have found myself addicted to a television soap. The last time I felt so excited about watching a television series was way back in the good ole' Doordarshan days of the 80's and early 90's - before satellite television announced its arrival on Indian shores.

Script writing for Indian television has undergone a drastic change since then. Infact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to state that scripts these days are ludicrous in their very concept.  The strength about writing for television is in its inherent ability to get through to a cross-section of people to assimilate and absorb information differently, provoking, if not encouraging them, to respond and react in ways that maybe even they didn't know they were capable of. It is a powerful way of bringing in societal change through reflection, without any impositions. Sadly, Indian television has failed us all on this premise.

Imagine my surprise then at serependitiously catching a  gripping Turkish series play on Indian television at prime time! For a series that has its origins in a book, the Turkish serial, Fatmagul is quite a treat to watch. A refreshing storyline, the plot brings together a host of issues ranging from socio-cultural differences impacting human relationships on the one side to an ever increasing economic divide and its implications on collective consciousness, ethics on the other. And all of this pirouetted around a rape, raising disturbing questions, some of which may not even have answers!

The plot is gripping and the performances are immensely engaging to the point that it makes me feel like a bystander watching the story play out in real-time, experiencing the motions of it all along the journey from one episode to another. I particularly like the way roles have been chalked out to give sufficient latitude of expression for individual performances without overpowering the treatment of or compromising the storyline; This to the extent that even the ominous background score and scenic locales are used like rivets to anchor the plot from the sidelines without obstructing the story as it unfolds or take away from the performances.

The acting is rich and subtly highlights nuances in expression that only go on to make the performances even more believable and convincing as the story comes alive in the viewers mind.

Happy days are here again - on television, with international serials like these and their ilk being aired for Indian audiences who crave for meaningful visual content that appeals (as against appalls, given the saas-bahu drama we otherwise get to see unfold on our screens) to their cerebral sensibilities. Truely, as far as quality of Indian television goes, there are (imported) soaps and then there's (desi) lather!