World Television Day: From Suma Kanakala to Nirupam Paritala, major changes celebs wish to see in Telugu TV

Right from content to the production values, Telugu television has certainly evolved over the ages. On the occasion of World Television Day, we got a few celebrities talk about the evolution and the three major changes they wish to see on Telugu television and the industry.

Eminent actress-turned-TV host Suma Kanakala, who has witnessed the rise and evolution of Telugu television, only wants a change in the work timings.

She said, “I was lucky enough to be a part of the growth of Telugu television. The only change I wish to see here is the working hours. We as hosts especially women are often taken for granted. I understand the unpredictability factor in this business. We lack integrity and punctuality here. It affects the entire unit. Especially for married women, we want to leave by 6 PM but most of the men in the crew feel it to be silly. They don’t step into my shoes and understand my feelings and responsibilities. I seriously want this to change.”

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Actor-writer Nirupam Paritala, who is currently seen playing male lead in leading daily soaps like Karthika Deepam, is expecting some serious changes in the stories that are told on Telugu TV.

“In terms of content it’s high time to come out of the saas-bahu concepts. I feel the quality of the content becomes better when the end point of a story is known," says the actor.

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He adds, "If a project goes on for thousands of episodes, the content gets naturally diluted. According to me, 500 episodes will be a good span to narrate a good script,” opines Nirupam.

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Actress-turned-TV host Rashmi Gautam wishes to see a positive change in the way female anchors are perceived and freedom of expression of an artiste is received by the audience. “I feel a majority of our audience are still stuck in the last decade. We need to be more progressive about watching content on TV. People should see us beyond just our clothing and content as content. Especially any kind of comedy comes from current issues. If people get offended, connect it to a political agenda every time and threaten the comedians, an artist’s freedom of expression takes a serious beating.”

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She adds, “But in terms of fiction content, we need not change because we need to cater to different sects of the audience. They should be given a choice. Personally, I really love to see a few culture-based programs, travel and lifestyle programs on Telugu TV with some new packaging.”

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The senior actress-TV host is quite contented over the evolution of Telugu TV. “From infrastructure to pay scale, all the changes that I expected have come. I’m happy for this generation,” says Shilpa.

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Adding that she loves to see some ‘less dramatic and cool stuff that don’t objectify women’ on TV, Shilpa said, “I only want the reality TV content to be less manipulative and have more reality in it. Also Telugu girls need to be encouraged in our serials. We’ve got some good talent out there.

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Ravi couldn’t agree more with Rashmi on freedom of expression for a comedian. “People here are more sensitive towards anything on caste or creed. This often restricts the freedom of a comedian to be original and close to reality. I want bold stuff that we find cool on the internet to come on TV too,” says Ravi.

Talking about the change in the style of anchoring on TV, Ravi said, “I hated how anchors spoke in the early morning dedication shows. I never thought I would be an anchor but when I had to, I wanted to be change this yet be original.”

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Commenting on Telugu daily soaps, Ravi said, “I want to see more of happiness in Telugu fiction. Our serials focus a lot on sorrows. I feel showcasing happy faces and positivity will contribute to the betterment of the society.”

Ravi also wished a strict change in the long working hours of the TV industry so that they can also enjoy some personal life.

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The young actress who forayed into TV Bigg Boss Telugu season 2 later made her TV debut as a host with The Great Telugu Laughter Challenge. The actress, who also participated in the reality TV show Heroes, has serious concerns over the sensationalism in news channels.

“I hate the sensationalism in our news channels. Everything has become business-driven. It is indeed lame how our channels reported Sri Reddy’s protest on casting couch. News channels should be shut for ever. I hate TV more after Bigg Boss. It is high time Saas-Bahu stuff has to stop. Reality TV is what hooks me on to television,” states Tejaswi.

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She adds, “We worked for nearly 18 hours for our recent reality show. I really feel bad for serial artists who have to work for long hours for the run-of-the-mill stuff.”

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