Big Kannada serials go off air

The Kannada TV serial industry has resumed shooting indoors, but the mood is sombre with about 25 serials being taken off the air.

While entertainment channel Colours Super has shut down television serials, Zee Kannada, Suvarna and Udaya TV have started showing Telugu, Tamil and Hindi serials dubbed into Kannada.

Cast and crew have lost their jobs, and viewers are being alienated from the Kannada language and ethos, directors and scriptwriters say.

Channels justify using voice-dubbed content on the grounds that the pandemic has put them under severe financial stress. Some industry insiders believe it is an interim solution. “Dubbed content costs less but it is certainly not a long-term solution,” says S V Shivakumar, president Kannada Television Association.

Bigtime job losses

The television industry runs on advertisements and when revenue from them slows down, the channels are forced to cut down on costs, he observes.

“Content that has already been shown and consumed elsewhere is being shown in a new form. What’s original about this? About 4,000 people in the Kannada television industry have been rendered jobless because of this decision. This will also affect the growth of Kannada language and culture,” says Shivakumar.

He has urged the government to come up with relief measures both for the channels and the cast and crew. Shooting for about 25 serials is still underway, adds Shivakumar, but others peg the number lower.

Magalu Janaki story

Popular director T N Seetharam believes the global economic crisis has hit all industries hard.

His popular serial ‘Magalu Janaki’ was taken off the air after 460 episodes.

“There were a few more episodes and I understand that the serial will be shown till June 12. I know the channels need to make profits, so their decision must be respected,” Seetharam told Showtime.

Describing himself as an optimist, Seetharaman says people have discovered new modes of entertainment at home, but will flock to the cinema halls once they are open. “Television serials too will never go out of fashion. I am sure serials will resume as and when things settle down,” he says.

Actor, director and scriptwriter B Suresha, who is a partner in a company called Media House that works with about 400 artistes and technicians, says finding the money to sustain his employees is a challenge.

Suresha, who was writing the script for ‘Jeevanadi’, is disappointed. “I had written content that could easily run for about two years and a half. If anybody has the resources, we could resume it,” he says.

Revenue angle

About 75 serials were being shot before the first phase of lockdown was announced.

“Today we have 25. Udaya is running five new serials—all dubbed. Earlier, a channel would pay approximately Rs 1 lakh per episode. But we started witnessing a downward trend post-demonetisation in 2016. Today, a voice-dubbed episode is bought for Rs 20,000 or Rs 25,000, and helps the investor save at least Rs 50,000,” reasons Suresha.

They have their reasons for switching to content that saves them revenue, he observes.

He predicts many in the television industry will change professions or become dubbing artistes. He expects the trend to last a year. In his view, dubbed content is not perfect.

“There are five parts to our art — voice, body, costume, make-up and performance. Without even one of these, the art is incomplete,” he says.

After 750 episodes

There were tears and disappointment over the family drama ‘Subbalakshmi Samsara’ being pulled off the air. It had completed 750-plus episodes when it was stopped.

Deepa Bhaskar, who plays Subbalakshmi, got messages from her fans saying that they were eager to see the ending. “We had another month of shooting pending. I still have my costumes and make-up kit ready. It took me two days for the news to sink in,” she says. She proposed that the team complete the shoot and put it up on social media, but the logistics didn’t work out.

Dubbing has affected daily wagers badly. The episodes shot and not aired are a waste. They lose relevance unless shown on time, explains Deepa.

She reckons artistes have few job options. “They may end up sitting at home, waiting for work,” Deepa says.