Drama

What is it about drama serials that make us addicted? because i have realised that it doesn't matter if you can't speak the language in which the drama is acted out in, or whether there are subtitles or not, or whether the drama is based in this era or not. people you never ever thought would be addicted to a drama show, are! I myself have succumbed to the "mind-numbness" that is drama serials. I'm talking about all kinds here. The really dramatic ones, and those that play down the theatrics.

My cousin, when she had gone overseas, asked me to watch this serial, called kasamh se, on zee tv, just for a week to tell her about what had happened. i did, thinking there could be no harm in it. i watched it, and was hooked! To just about everything! The prepostrous story, the twists and turns, the ridiculous camera tricks and the pretty blothes and make-up! My sister made fun but let me tell you the show had its uses. My mother after dinner was over would watch with me and she realised that it was so mind-numbing that she could relax after a day of work!
of course not all dramas are such that nothing much happens after like a week's worth of episodes. American dramas like grey's anatomy and one of my fav's bones, moves quite fast. Miss one and u're quite doomed! But it all comes down to the same question, which is why are we so drawn to drama? I may have said before, that indian filmwriters probably draw from their own family drama when they come up with storylines, but it begs the question: if our own lives are so filled with drama, why do we persist on watching shows which are even more complicated?

I think we do so, because, maybe sub-consciously, we know that ultimately, even with their scrapes and troubles in dramas(be it the theatrical ones or really good ones), at the end of the day, everything's alright. There WILL be a happy ending because even though sophisticated western audiences refuse to admit it, we all like happy endings. it probably gives most of us hope that, like a drama show that lasts 8 seasons, at the end, they have a happy ending, after growing as people. This applies more to tv then movies becasue its longer, more detailed, more drawn out and regular, kinda like our lives. Plus it gives us something to look foward to after an awful day at work/school.
So i think dramas, no matter how ridiculous some can be, at least they entertain, and give hope.

shini