EKTA'S SOAP STEAMS IT UP

Who would have thought that a pot-bellied 40-something making out with his wife in an Ekta Kapoor soap would cause a stir on national television and become a talking point in the web world?

On Monday night, Indian family drama on TV grew up in a hurry as viewers across the country stayed glued to Ram and Priya — the popular protagonists of the TRP topper Bade Achche Lagte Hain on Sony — getting touchy-feely for close to 15 minutes, leading to a liplock… and yes, a lot of action between the sheets!

“For most viewers this was a landmark turn in the Ram-Priya relationship and the buzz around it had been building up for the past few weeks. The audience had been wanting and waiting for this to happen,” said Sneha Rajani, senior executive vice-president and business head, Sony.

The story of two strangers (played by Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar) who discover love after marriage, Bade Achche Lagte Hain has soared on the popularity charts ever since it went on air last year. Though ratings for Monday’s episode will only come in by the end of the week, Sony is confident that the numbers will hit the roof. “Ever since it was launched, Bade… has been our flagship show and the ratings have only got better with each week. Monday’s episode should definitely be a high point,” said Rajani.

The episode’s impact, however, was instantly felt in the virtual world with the show trending on Twitter from Monday night to Tuesday afternoon. Ram Kapoor — who has made both age 40 and a 40-inch waist sexy on Indian TV — was not only a top trend on Twitter in India, but also made it to the global list! “I can’t remember any Indian television show that has managed to create such an impact ever. Within seconds, the web was abuzz,” said Rajani.

Apart from Kapoor, #Sakshi Tanwar, #Priya, #Bade and #BALH were the other hashtags that made it to the top 10 trends on the micro-blogging site. The lovemaking scene has also gone viral on YouTube with more than two lakh hits since Monday night.

With the show’s predominant viewership coming from families, the channel took special care to ensure that the steamy sequence did not alienate any part of its audience. “When we were discussing this particular scene with Ekta, we were very clear that it had to be handled with a lot of maturity and very beautifully. At no point of time should it look like a romp. Even the kiss wasn’t a long-drawn-out one, but more a peck. We went ahead keeping broadcasting guidelines in mind,” said Rajani.

Will this now bring about a deluge of similar scenes on Indian TV? “There have been so many me-toos on TV after Bade… made it big. With this episode, the show has set yet another trend for others to follow,” said Rajani.

Let’s wait and watch (Bade Achche Lagte Hain airs at 10.30pm, Monday to Thursday, on Sony).

ON TWITTER

@divo911: Dint know so many ppl watch Bade Achche Lagte Hain, until they started tweeting abt yday’s episode.

@KalMuah: Why is Bade Achche Lagte Hain trending ? Bcoz every intellectual creature on Earth knows how Ekta Kapoor has changed the face of daily soaps.

@Forever_Tarun: Just told mom about Bade Achche Lagte Hain. She can’t watch that while I am at home. She is saying will watch the repeat telecast tomorrow.

@akash_vaani: Is Ram Kapoor a bigger ROCKSTAR in the minds of Indian housewives than Ranbir Kapoor after last night?