TV & Films...the fine line goes missing

Episodes of Sex and The City have had audiences glued to their TV sets, so it wasn���t surprising that the girls had them queuing up for tickets to catch them on the big screen too.
And with the West cashing in on the trend, can India be far behind? So now we have Dekh Bhai Dekh and Office Office being remade for the big screen, and the Hema Malini-starrer Seeta Aur Geeta has debuted as a serial.
Aisa kyun?
TV producer Yash Patnaik says the trend reflects the lack of cult programmes. ���Today, since we���re more driven by market demands, research and feedback, not many serials and films have a cult following.��� So, does he think adapting movies for the small screen is a viable option?
���If there are films that can be successfully adapted to meet the demands of the TV audience, then why not? Films like Seeta Aur Geeta are being made into serials only because the characters are adaptable for the small screen. I won���t be surprised if tomorrow Ram Lakhan and Khalnayak are remade as serials. For serials, the characters, be it a Tulsi or a Parvati, do the trick, but for films, the plot and the story count. The CID series can be remade into a film, for instance,��� he says.
Vishal Singh, the ever-lovable Sanju of DBD, opines, ���If a programme has clicked in one format, then it can be adapted into another.���
However, the director of Seeta Aur Geeta, the serial, Maqbool Khan, says this is a good way to make the youth familiar with cult films. ���Such serials will have everything ��� emotions, drama, action, songs and humour. I���d love to be able to adapt Malgudi Days and Chunauti into films.���
Purana gaana
While some people are upbeat about the move, Purnendu Shekhar, director, Balika Vadhu, is not amused, ���This trend is not new. An Ekta Kapoor serial was a remake of the film Basera. Koshish Ek Asha was a direct lift from Swayam Siddha and Teen Bahuraniyan.��� When asked which film can be remade into a serial, he says, ���I���d rather make it first than announce it.���
Actor Pankaj Kapoor also doesn���t think that this is a new trend. ���Television serials, for the past few years, have been replicas of Hindi movies, with vamps and repressed heroines, and songs woven in between. Haven���t we seen enough filmi drama on TV? The film frat is looking for good stories and if the content of a TV series is worth adapting, then it���s a step forward.���
Copy? No way
Dostana director Tarun Mansukhani, who started his career with a cameo in DBD, says this trend doesn���t mean that we���re aping the West. ���We���d been thinking along these lines for some time, and it���s finally materialised,��� he says. Niret Alva, head of a TV production house, agrees, ���From TV to films, from films to novels and short stories, cross-fertilisation across media has produced some great works. Why, Devdas, a short story, has inspired several films.���