Monday, June 27, 2005

Metti Oli

Last week while waiting at some place, I was forced to watch the pre-conclusion discussion of 'metti oli', the mega tamil serial. 'I cant be seen watching this', I said frantically, begging the lady to change channels. She along with her friends gave me a 'are you nuts' look. This was after all The Conclusion. The had a panel of actors and actresses from the serial and posed them questions like why 'they' behaved in such and such manner. It all seemed a lot to do with a bunch of women getting slapped and a bunch of evil mother-in-laws becoming good. There were calls from fans, dialling in from all over - from mumbai to marakkanam, full of adoration - "I havent missed a single episode" - considering there were about a thousand episode, I think it is quite an achievement.

Lest you misunderstand this post to be snobbery against mega serial fans, let me assure you I dont think the callers any different from the bunch of fans dressed as troopers from Star Wars descending on the theater for the premiere. And heck, I wouldnt mind if a bunch of people were to call me and gush about not missing a single one of my bon mots. Nor do I think the producers of the serials are to be blamed. Its a question of demand and supply. If you demand drivel in heavy doses every evening, thats what you will get.