Indian OTT content has gravitated towards crime, violence and sexual content frequently. Amongst the most popular shows, these genres lead. But if one looks closely, one can spot a change. OTT platforms are bringing family-centric dramas and dramedies, with the occasional family driven thriller more often. This indicates a shift in audience preferences, where audiences are choosing shows that can be watched with a family or a community.
Gullak on SonyLiv is the leader in this space. Even as most popular Indian OTT shows struggle to get a second season going, or create one that matches up to the first, Gullak is onto its third season. Narrated by a piggy bank (of memories), this show is about the everyday struggles of the Mishras, who aspire to a better life, try to make that happen and fate almost always interferes. This series boasts no stars but it features a well written experiential story that people across India can relate to.
Creator Shreyansh Pandey recalls, “The journey of Gullak started around 2017 when OTT platforms were launching their slate (of series). There were a lot of shows with violence, there were thrillers, but there was very little light-hearted drama…. I come from Benaras and I’ve always felt that most stories set in North India tend to be about guns, violence and bloodshed. While I do not deny that this is fertile ground for good content, in my experience, 90 per cent of families in Uttar Pradesh, have the same challenges as everyone else. Guns, court cases and violence don’t dictate their choices…. For instance, when I was growing up, the conversation would be about whether a family should get a landline phone or not. Now the discussion would be around who gets a mobile phone, and how many mobile phones do a family owns. We started writing Gullak keeping in mind these realities that families face, hoping that the audience finds it refreshing. Alas, fortune plays its hand and life, despite such aspirations and efforts, remains more or less the same.”
Gullak brings back memories of TV classics from Doordarshan when the national broadcaster aired serials that resonated far and wide.
Buniyad, Hum Log, Nukkad, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Mungeri Laal Ke Hassen Sapne, and the immersive Malgudi Days (based on RK Narayan’s collection of short stories), make up for the growing up TV viewing experience of pre millennials. While these shows were not always high on production value they told reality-based stories in a feel-good setting. They delivered socially relevant messages and ideas.
Pandey aspires to create similar impact with Gullak. “When people started liking it (first season was very well received), I realised that there was nobody else who was doing a show like this. 2021, when other shows about families have released, we were making our 3rd season. Nobody is making shows like the good old days of DD. Then you just needed to develop the series, and we needed to keep the belief that digital audiences are evolving. We are able to make a show that the youth of this country can watch this show with their families, they can share it with them. Those staying away can reminisce about their families while watching this show.”
Content that can be streamed for an entire family is uncommon, which is why, Home Shanti on Hotstar, has been received well. Based on a simple premise of a middle-class family’s struggle to build a home, it takes on a humorous interpretation of a perennial battle that Indians have faced since Independence, market liberalization notwithstanding. Veteran actors Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Pathak lead a stellar cast of actors in this series.
Pahwa says, “When I was offered the script of Home Shanti, I also had options to play an underworld don, or a character around drug mafia. I felt that there’s a lot of this already being shown on OTT platforms and there’s plenty of violence, crime and abusive language. If I do a web series, I preferred to choose a web series that I can watch with my family. The script resonated with me, and I felt that the middle class can relate to its story. After the very positive response that Gullak got, our show, has also gotten a good response. The emotional core of these stories appeals to all kinds of audiences. Say the struggle to build a home, find the money to do that, these struggles remain the same. OTT platforms are open to such subjects now simply because people are watching them.”
The space of families and typical Indian experiences of life also make up the core of Panchayat, one of Prime Video’s most successful outings. Not strictly about a family, this series delves into life in India’s villages, where change creeps in slowly and people live simpler lives that have their own complications. SonyLiv also has Tabbar, an unusual family crime drama, which is held up by stellar performances by its actors Pawan Malhotra, Supriya Pathak and Gagan Arora. Stories that build themselves around the struggles of a family hold appeal across age groups, and come with a safe sanitised lens that makes them easier to watch together.
While a mythological tale like Mahabharata that brought a chunk of the country together before a TV set might not become a reality for OTT platforms, showing stories about everyday Indian families and their daily battles, in any context, will always find takers. As TV loses its unifying ability to mediocre content, OTTs have the scope to fill a significant void in family viewing.
Archita Kashyap is an experienced journalist and writer on film, music, and pop culture. She has handled entertainment content for broadcast news and digital platforms over 15 years.
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