Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Brotherhood of soap viewers

Many men in the city are turning into avid fans of mega serials, says Liza George

It has become a part of their daily ritual. At a set time in the evening, they wait with bated breath as they watch the lives of characters on the mini-screen unfold. Though it's often considered sacrilegious to skip an episode, if an episode is missed, a loyal back up of followers are there to keep viewers up to up to date on the twists and turns in the story. Although most would rather have the earth swallow them before admitting they are addicts, some lay the blame on their family (read wives), for getting them hooked to serials. Yes, the men in the city are gradually catching the soap opera fever.

Spending time

Jacob Varghese and J.M. Alexander, avid fans of soaps like `Minnukettu,' `Summer in America' and Amma Manassu,' aver that watching soap operas are a way to spend time. Both these senior citizens complain that there is nothing else to watch on television at that time.

"You tune into the channels in the evening and nearly all are serials. What choice do you have but to watch them?" says Jacob.

Humorous storyline

Aravind R, an IT graduate, says serials put a smile on his face. "Have you seen how hilarious most story lines are? One who is supposed to be dead, returns from the dead, a goody-goody women suffers all with a smile on her face... It happens only in serials," he says.

However, for Girish Chandran, an NRI, watching Malayalam soap operas is one way of hearing his mother tongue spoken. Working amongst foreigners, he feels it is a relief to hear his own tongue.

The reasons for their addiction to serials vary. Alexander blames it on his wife, "There is only one TV and she hogs it, what else can I do but join her."

Koshy V., a former teacher from Kollam, lays the blame on his colleagues.

As his colleagues were mostly women, the topic of discussion among them was serials. Says Koshy, "As they say `When in Rome, act like the Romans,' I did. " He is now a diehard fan of `Kavyanjali.'

And do they enjoy the fare dished out to them?

"Not really, some of them start off well, and then mess it up towards the end," says Alexander. However, once you start watching a serial, though the story might go haywire, you are curious to know how it ends, he feels.

Asks Aravind, "Why can't they make serials that have a touch of reality to them?"

While Girish and Aravind say they would like it if there were soaps based on murder mysteries but with a plausible outline, Alexander and Jacob prefer stories that revolve around a family. So what do the wives have to say about their husbands being hooked to the mini screen?

For Alexander's wife, Susie, thankful that she no longer has to sit through the news or sports, says it's quality time for them.

Varghese's wife, Divya, however, finds her husband's addiction an irritant. "He is totally glued to the tube when serials are aired. He won't budge from his seat even to answer the phone," she says.

And what happens if he misses an episode? "He sulks. He will complain he can't make head or tail of the story if he misses one. He then calls his brother, who is also addicted to serials," she says.

Jacob says in his defence, "My wife is the least bit interested in serials. I am. It's nice to watch the ups and downs of other families on screen."

However not all are forthcoming about their soap opera addiction. Moreover, unlike the women who discuss heatedly the travails of the characters, most men are reluctant to talk about the characters unless they are in the company of fellow male soap addicts.

Reshma A., a homemaker, says that though both her husband and brother enjoy watching serials, they will never admit so, as they fear the other men will call them `sissy.'

Says Suma Mathew, another homemaker, "As soon as the serial starts my husband is glued to the tube and will not allow me to change channels. He will not admit he enjoys it, and he discusses the characters as if they were real."

So as the men in the city are gradually ensnared into the lives of the characters on screen, the women rejoice as they would not need another television to watch their favourite soaps.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail