Think of Ekta Kapoor serials and you can churn out the features, characteristics, ignorances and....lots more about them. Think of one serial and you can say the same about the others too. The main theme is the same: joint family, some very good people, one or two very bad people, love, separate, wild music for the bad people, accident, plastic surgery, confusion, clarification, and the list is endless.
This is not a complete list. I am writing a few that I can think of.
Main features
First and foremost the K factor (Kashsih, Kkusum, Kahin to Hoga, Kyunki Sas bhi kabhi bahu thi, Kahani ghar ghar ki, Kosmic Chat, etc.)
The central male character is usually from an affluent family, staying in a palace like house. (Mihir, Om, Abhay, Angad, Sujal, etc.)
The central female character is usually from a middle class family. (Tulsi, Parvati, Kusum, Kripa, Kashish etc.)
The main characters has to be married a minimum of 2 times. I thought Om would get away because he was dying, but they twisted the story to show that he was married secretly. That was then of my loyalty to the serial too.
All the houses are set in a joint family scenario. About 10+ characters stay together. Slowly, they start decreasing and you wonder if they are wearing the emperor’s new clothes.
Two words that are repeated in almost all the dialogs are sanskruti and parampara. The meanings of these words have to be redefined as the meaning has been lost because of the K serials.
The central female character is the one who does all circus to keep the family together (even if it means that their own married life go out of track). The males are usually shown without a reed ki haddi (meaning spineless).
One of the characters has to meet with an accident, then under go plastic surgery, and then fight for claiming acceptance. (We can then understand that the person is either opting out of the serial, has issues with the K queen, or has asked for more money).
The head of the families are always foolish. They constantly fall into the trap laid by the villains and the vamps.
The loyalty of people is like a pendulum. Keeps moving on and coming back. Never at one place for a long time.
People are either too good or they are too bad. Very rarely they show normal people in serials.
Last but not the least: 11. Couples are never happily married (with a splatter of usual household tiffs). They are always in the verge of mental breakdown due to the volcano that erupts every time they seems to settle down a bit.
Ignorance
After the plastic surgery, even the height, weight, color, and the voice of the person changes drastically.
After the plastic surgery, even the spouse is confused, Can’t make out if the person is true or a fake. (Abhay-new kusum, Kashish-Sujal). Kashish who repeats Mein Sujal se pyaar karti hoon about 10 times every minute cannot make out from the anatomy of her husband whether it is her real husband or not :)
Style Icon: Kashish who has been awarded the female style icon has been a widow twice and then almost-married twice. She gets a style icon to play a sad mourning window. Isn’t it strange? Even during the funeral, she is packed with make-up, hands full of matching bangles, stylish well fit white salwar, well done hair style, not a hair out of place etc. Characters should be dressed for the role! She is dressed too well for her role. (I hope she pays a little attention to her acting as she does for her looks! The girls who play her sisters are better actors than her.)
Repetitive dialog: Mein Sujal se pyaar karti hoon. Uske bina nahi ji sakthi, Mein Tushaar se payaar karti hoom.Uske bina nahi ji sakthi, Mein Mihir se pyaar karti hoon. Uske bina nahi ji sakthi, Mein Angad se pyaar karti hoon. Uske bina nahi ji sakthi. Inspite of every thing they live on.....and each new serial has this track.
The mother, grand mother, great grand mother, aunties etc. don’t seem to get old. Unke saundarya ka raazya ha? I would desperately like to try it out.
Real Love: Which love is real? When Kashish was married to Piyush, she used to pine for Sujal. When Piyush dies, she longs for Piyush and sings Mein Piyush se pyaar karti hoon 12 times a minute. Then she marries Sujal to take revenge. When she looses Sujal, she sings the same song with a different name Mein Sujal se pyaar karti hoon. Then she was to get married to Swayam, but falls for Tushar...then she was to be married to Tushar...and ....hey wait I am confused.
Ugh ugh: Tushar lost his memory and is brought to Simla by the lady doctor (I forgot her name). Now, he is staying in a separate house which is so huge. Now how the hell does he manage that? Where does he work? He is forever running to help Kashish. But still manages to keep a well a huge house and a car and all the lavish things. Wonder why I am not able to do it!
......Phew that’s enough for now!