What came first - chicken or the egg? Still puzzled, aren’t we? That’s exactly the case of Indian television - was it the saas-bahu who cast a spell or we, who let them? “It’s a vicious circle,” writer-director Ajai Sinha eases our irritation a wee bit, but unfortunately, he too is caught in the rut. After giving telly tubbies juicy, chunky bites of serials like Ghar Ek Sapna, Hasratein, Astitva, Samay, Justujoo et al, the man is back, on SaharaOne with Kesariya Balam Aavo Hamare Des, a folk narrative set in the sand dunes of Rajasthan. Seriously, another village story? “You know, there was a time when I voiced the same, that this is not the way programming takes place, there has to be variety, more substance. And all that the producers would say is that we’re not reformers, we are doing business here,” says Ajai adding how ‘class is out and mass is in.’ “TV is no more the medium to experiment with,” he rues. With the entry of TRP in the equation, the game has changed, and it’s now a meter system. Check this out - every since Jassi made public appearance in her character, other serials followed with Maahi Ve, Mitwa, Vikram Aur Betaal, and now Kesariya, where the lead characters, Rukmini arrived in full costume and her character’s half burnt face. “It’s a marketing gimmick...people identify with the characters, take them on face value, hence this,” he points to Rukmini played by Jaya Binju and Rasal, essayed by Toral Rasputra.

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