While Bollywood films had a disastrous outing at the box-office in 2002, Hindi television serials emerged even bigger.

The common man seems more interested in the Parvati-Pallavi (Saakshi Tanwar-Shweta Kawaatra) squabble in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and the values propagated by Tulsi (Smriti Malhotra-Irani) in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi than Kareena Kapoor in Mujhse Dosti Karoge and Kaante's mega star cast.

Writer-director-producer Vinta Nanda is not surprised. "Unlike films, television serials deal with people on a one-to-one basis," she says. "You can be alone in your own home and still relate to people through the small screen."

Indeed, television artistes like Shekhar Suman, Malhotra-Irani, Tanwar, Kawaatra, Sudha Chandran, Ronit Roy, Nausheen Sardar Ali, Cezzane Khan and others have become household names. Most of these are perhaps better-known than many film stars who make a splash one Friday and disappear the next.

Television stars enjoy their moment under the sun even if it costs some of them their identity. Says Kawaatra, "I love it when someone calls me Pallavi. Had Pallavi not happened, I would not have made my mark by now."

Agrees Tanwar, "To say I relish being called Parvati would be an understatement. I was contemplating changing my name to Parvati!"

Echoes Sudha Chandran, "Till lately I was known as Mayuri (one of her television characters), but now people want me to sign autographs as Ramola Sikand (another of her television characters). What's wrong? In fact, that's an incentive."

Though serials like CID, Kittie Party and Ssshhh...Koi Hai! are popular, the ones depicting saas-bahu relationships score brownie points over others. What is it that intrigues the Indian audience, especially women, about these serials?Says Tanwar, "Simple. One is either a saas (mother-in-law) or a bahu (daughter-in-law). It is something they love to hate. It is the story of their lives. Isn't hatred a stronger emotion than love?"

Balaji Telefilms head Ekta Kapoor, who is responsible for changing the face of Indian television with her soap operas, claims, "I have detected the pulse of the Indian audience. The one subject which holds eternal interest for us Indians is the family. Traditions, festivals, etc bind every Indian family. They celebrate occasions with relatives; they have certain characters who are good and bad. So I put it together.

"I am not here to propagate sex and violence," continues Kapoor. "Families, including children, watch my serials. When I, a 26 year old cannot see sex on screen with my parents around, how can I imagine a 15 year old will be comfortable? As for violence, which is wrong in any form, I do not want to propagate wrong messages to youth."

The only time she did show violence, specifically rape, was when she wanted to convey a message. "Rape is the worst crime," Kapoor says. "It leaves a woman in shambles. Even infants are not safe in our country. I wanted to show rape [in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki] and give a clarion call to parents that they ought to make their daughters aware of this crime soon. More important, I did not 'show' anything or have crude dialogues. The underlying meaning was that rape is rampant on the domestic front and we must be cautious."

Psychiatrist Dr Jyoti Maheshwari feels, "People prefer television serials simply because these shows are far more close to their daily experiences. They begin to feel that, like them, others too have problems in life. This, in turn, gives them psychological satisfaction. Even some anchor-based shows like Simply Shekhar are lapped up because what is said in the show is what they feel but cannot voice it."

Adds Dr S M Khanna, "Television has become an addiction. Not only are the plot of the television programmes registered on the human psyche, the sets are, too. It is all so close to reality, there is hardly any fiction or exaggeration."

Hindi television's most popular fare | Indian television's reigning stars.

Click here for popular Hindi serials | Click here for Indian television's reigning stars

Tell us who is your favourite TV star and which is your favourite TV serial?

Text: Shyaonti Talwar
Design: Uday Kuckian