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I had to watch Sex And The City last week. I had been waiting for the movie. By the way, I had never seen the series when it was telecast on HBO, so I wasn’t a die-hard fan of the four young women and their escapades. I had to see it for professional reasons as I wanted to check out the dresses worn by the characters in the movie.

While standing in the ticket queue I glanced up at the show timings. I noticed Aamir had a screening in a few minutes time and tickets were still available. The cinema lover in me wished to watch Aamir, SATC could be viewed another day. The lady selling tickets gave me an enquiring look. Aamir, I answered.

I did get to see SATC a day later. Did find some dresses interesting, though.

This post is not about reviewing Aamir or SATC. I ‘m a movie viewer, not a reviewer. Now, where have we heard this one before ?

SATC got a fantastic opening in the U.S and probably elsewhere too. I believe a sequel to SATC is being planned or is under production. It’s gone from being a series to a movie and now a sequel with more to follow. Have the producers hit a jackpot here?

I believe they have. So had lots of other Hollywood  studios when they followed the safe, tried and trusted route of remaking a hit series into a movie. The one’s that come to mind are Charlie’s angels, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Transformers, South Park, The Untouchables and one of my favourite series - The X files. One of the most popular American series of all times - Dallas is being made into a movie starring John Travolta and is to be directed by Gurinder Chadda of Bend it like Beckham fame. However,this project has been delayed.

Charlie’s Angels, Star trek, and Mission Impossible have already gone down the sequel alley. The second X-Files movie is on the way. The formula is a sure fire hit. A few years after the series has gone off the air, they resurrect it as a movie. Get a star/stars, stick to the original story idea, and write a script suitable for the big screen. keep the end ambiguous enough to use it as a spring board for a sequel. The movie’s familiar sounding name will give it a head start in the marketing campaign. The viewers, either out of curiosity or nostalgia will pour into the theatres.  

Why hasn’t Bollywood copied this formula ? Is it because TV Serials( as they are called here) are a relatively new phenomena and most of them are still running, drawing in Audiences, Advertisers and notching up high TRP ratings? Or is it because none of them are suitable for the big screen, either in content or format.

Two serials which could be considered for adapting into a movie are Humlog and Fauji, both of which ran successfully in the pre cable TV era. But would the trails and tribulations of a middle class family interest any film maker, leave aside viewers? If Fauji had been made into a movie in the mid nineties with Shahrukh Khan in the lead it might have been a hit. A few sequels could have followed too. Buniyaad was an other hit serial around the same time. It was reinvented, years later, and is the precursor of many present day serials.

The present day serials could easily be adapted into successful movies with possible sequels. Most of them are contemporary in their story lines, have a glamorous look to them, and have actors who are the stars of the world of TV. But you surely don’t expect TV production companies to let go of their milch cows for the sake of making a movie. Some of these serials are going to be around for a long long time. A friend of mine, Mr W.Kumar who has travelled to the year 2028 has mailed in that most of the popular serials are still on Air !

So, lets use our imagination and see what would happen if Balaji Telefilms were to adapt KYUNKI SAS BHI KABHI BAHU THI ( KSBKBT from here on ) into a movie. This serial has been on air for the last eight years and 1700 episodes have been telecast so far. No one would like to see it going off air, that includes my mom. 

Millions of married women would throng theatre’s with their outwardly reluctant, but inwardly eager husbands in tow. The story line will have to be tweaked to make the movie attractive for kids and teenagers too. The backdrop will have to shift from the garish studios at Balaji to the outdoors, preferably a foreign locale. The tilted camera angles, repeated close ups and ear shattering screams will have to be dispensed with. The Kanjivaram sarees and designer kurta’s could remain, at least during the initial scenes.

The film starts with the extended Virani pariwar leaving for Australia on a vacation. They board the aircraft wearing their Silk sarees and embroidered kurta’s and in the next scene descend on Bondi beach, Sydney in the same costumes. The youngest Bahu trades her saree for a Bikini and struts around on the beach, much to the horror of the head of the parivar,Tulsi.

Before of the rest of the parivar wallahs repeat the swimming costume show, Tulsi shepherds her flock into a chartered plane which has Mumbai as its destination. The aircraft makes a refueling halt in Indonesia. Tulsi forbids anyone from venturing out of the aircraft. She decides to take a stroll on the runway. She returns shortly afterwards, but its not her, its a look alike impostor.

And so, begins the Sas Bahu saga. The impostor Tulsi splits the pariwar apart and there are enough twists and turns to keep the ladies in the audience sadly occupied. Needless to add, but Tulsi shows up in the climax to save her parivaar.

 I’m sure the writers at Balaji can come up with better stuff.

For those who miss the commercial breaks, there’s a provision for that too. Every twenty minutes or so a character will pick up a remote and point it at the nearest wall in the Virani Residence, which would be transformed into a giant screen, on which ninety seconds of commercials would play. Feels just like watching at home.  

I don’t foresee any serials being made into movies and subsequently into sequels. But when they are made into movies, a few box office records might feel threatened.

KYUNKI FILM BHI KABHI SERIAL THI

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