Run of the millennial

GenY are finding a space for themselves on desi television, with the rise of millennial-based shows that reflect their realities, problems and dreams.

From icchhadhari naagin and jadu tona, a lead character turning into a fly (not lying, search Sasural Simar Ka) to a genie impregnating a human being and much more, the Indian idiot box produces some weirdly logic-defying stuff. And for millennials who thought they had finally recovered from their mummies, chachis, buas and bhabis obsessing over triple generation leap wale saas-bahu sagas, most on-air shows are absurd and unwatchable. Enter millennial sitcoms or millennial-based shows that are seeing quite a breakthrough in television’s parallel universe.

From shows such as MTV’s Girls On Top, Big F, Channel V’s Swim Team, D4 Get Up and Dance and many more, creators are defining and redefining shows for millennials in India. While each of these shows is distinct in tone and humour, they share similar concerns: they star 20-or-early-30-somethings in major cities and characters who are educated and financially stable, the openness to date rather than settling down, the choice between passion and money, infinite time to wander the streets talking about life and a more complicated relationship with sex. These visual narratives seem destined to become time capsules of a highly specific moment in a generation’s development.

“We are entering a new era. And with that comes a bit of a generational divide,” says Palki Malhorta, creative producer at BBC India, the makers of Girls On Top. She shares that the least interesting way to define ‘millennials’ is to focus on their age — basically anyone who came of age between 2000 and now — preferring to point to other defining characteristics. Explaining in depth about her target audience and how these TV shows resonate with them, she says, “Real lives don’t revolve around dramas or bhoot-prets and millennial-based shows mostly narrate characters that bounce between jobs or have no jobs at all, real-life situations, characters who believe in freelancing and travelling or characters that are too existentially confused to even fully figure out what their dreams are. This externalisation or embodiment of millennials is what works these days. This breed of viewers is seeking an authenticity — a voice.”

She continues, “They are seeking an authenticity in the presentation of material that is unlike what we were accustomed to in the past. If they feel that a show is slick, overproduced or if a network is manipulating them, it instantly stops resonating with them. But if they feel that a show has a point of view, it’s authentic, it’s shareable with their friends then they make it their point of discussion.”

For Sumeli Chatterjee, head of marketing and insights youth entertainment, Viacom 18, content is consumed not just for entertainment these days. She says, “Content is a great icebreaker in conversations whether they are happening in person or on social media. The youth today are interest buddies, bonding over their interests and their love for shows/movies. Therefore, what entices them to discuss the themes, scenes, dialogues of a show is its relevance to their life and uniqueness in terms of story and presentation. The content that has more relatable themes and that draws from their life situations will obviously have a higher pull. Hence, the rise of millennial focused shows especially fiction that draws a parallel to their life, dreams and problems. Another major trigger for this upsurge is the rise of the second screen — the mobile — which is a private space. Millennials are therefore demanding shows that reflect their reality, their problems and their dreams.”

Brought up in the 90s and standing witness to classic as well as millennial shows, CA Varun Arora points out the biggest difference between the classic sitcom/shows and millennial-based shows. He says, “The willingness to embrace paradoxes, desire for stability foiled by an inability to make concrete life choices, navigating sexual experiences, depiction of how sex evolves over the course of a relationship, the subject of sexual orientation, etc. were all previously uncharted territories. Partially, the success of these shows is based on this creative independence.”

From the point of view of a millennial who is also an actor in a millenial-based show, Ayesha Adlakha shares, “The kind of issues millennial-based shows talk about are both age-old and taboo-breaking. I think there’s a certain boldness to these shows as well. From addressing issues that range from gender biases, body image issues, loyalty, PCOD, independence, boy trouble, work trouble, house trouble, social media, money management, paying bills, passion versus pressure, etc. viewers are encouraged to think and connect — that’s what’s important and inspirational.”

When asked if established TV channels should be chasing after the millennial audience when there is no dearth of viewers for regular shows, Siddharth Sengupta, director and producer of D4 Get Up and Dance says, “They have to, because otherwise all their viewers will die and there’ll be nobody left to watch! We deliver in-depth exploration of a subject in a way that traditional linear television is not willing to do, at least in India.”