TV's Golden Era Over: Supriya Pathak Blames Daily Soaps for Decline

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Veteran actress Supriya Pathak, known for her iconic role as Hansa Parekh in the popular TV show "Khichdi", believes that television's shift towards daily soap operas has led to a decline in quality content. Pathak, who has been in the industry for over three decades, credits the 1990s and early 2000s as the "golden period" of television, when shows like "Idhar Udhar" and "Baa Bahoo Aur Baby" dominated the airwaves. However, she claims that the medium's focus on quantity over quality has resulted in a homogenization of content, with most shows prioritizing time slots over artistic merit. Pathak, who has been offered several roles in recent years, has lost interest in television and even struggles to find the time to watch it. She is equally disheartened by the state of original content on OTT platforms in India, which she feels are plagued by the same issues of homogenization and a reliance on formulaic storytelling. In contrast, she praises international content on OTT platforms for its diversity and quality. Pathak's frustration stems from the fact that the industry is driven by profit and bureaucratic interference, rather than a genuine desire to create high-quality content. Despite being a talented actress with a wealth of experience, she has been hesitant to launch her own production house, citing concerns about the type of content that would be accepted by channels and OTT platforms. The actress, who has been married to actor Pankaj Kapur since 1991, had previously launched her own production house, Grass Company, in 1994, but has since scaled back her involvement in the industry.