chic style

Grand decorations, gorgeous bridal wear and jewellery that make fashion statements are most commonly seen on our TV sets courtesy Hindi GECs.

Wedding tracks on daily soaps are grand affairs now and 'serious' ones too. Currently, prime time TV seems to be just in the mood for picture perfect weddings, comprising loads of (melo)drama (giving it the serious touch), switched brides/grooms, revenge marriages, fake marriages - you name it and it's on air.

Picture this: Saath Nibhana Saathiya is all set to have a twist in the tale where younger sister Vidya (Sonam Lamba) gets married to a man whose father marries Vidya's elder sister Meera (Tanya Sharma) as part of an elaborate revenge plot.

An instance of bride swapping was in Tere Sheher Mein where instead of Rachita (Anjum Fakih) - Amaya (Hiba Nawab) marries Ramashrey (Rafi Malik) and in Swaragini where Swara (Helly Shah) marries Sanskar (Varun Kapoor) and Ragini (Tejaswi Wayangankar) marries Lakshya (Namish Taneja).

Mere Angne Mein too had an almost groom swapping track plotted by the relatives. And then there are soaps that showcased telly couples renewing their marital vows, like Sid (Ravi Dubey) and Roshni (Nia Sharma) in Jamai Raja, Akshara (Hina Khan) and Naitik (Karan Mehra) in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Neil (Ronit Roy)and Ragini (Pallavi Kulkarni) in Itna Karo Na Mujhe Pyaar. Even Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani, Sarojini and Thapki... Pyaar Ki had an elaborate and action-packed wedding track with a murder conspiracy that spoils the smooth run of wedding rituals.

ON A DESIGNER NOTE Since most of the small screen bridal collection is imitated by star-struck viewers, soapmakers are taking utmost care to ensure the trousseau of the couple is extravagant. As Rajan Shahi shares, "Most viewers copy their favourite protagonists' wedding attire-jewellery and head to the shops/designers/jewelry shops to get similar things for themselves. We are allotted extra budget by channels for apparel and jewellery, so we have to extend the budget of costumes to `20 lakhs - `30 lakhs in certain shows." And carrying that perfect look is tough for actors too.

Images: wedding dress styles

As Drashti Dhami shares, "After doing a lot of research, they designed a lehenga with exotic ethnic fabric to give it an imperial touch for my wedding track in the show. The detailing was used to maintain the authenticity of the Rajasthani culture. I felt like a real princess after wearing it though it was very difficult to shoot all the scenes with the lehenga as it weighed almost 40 kilos and cost `4.5 lakhs." Shiny Doshi, who designed her own costume for the wedding track in Sarojini says, "As a person, I like everything perfect so even though it was my onscreen wedding, I wanted a flawless bridal look! Being a designer, I was thrilled to the bits at the opportunity to put my knowledge and skills to good use."

DRAMATIC TWISTS UNDER MANDAP Why do producers insist on the 'mandap mein twist' sequences on small screen? Says Shahi, "We Indians love weddings just the way we love our other festivities. With wedding tracks, the viewership is more as the marriage of protagonist is one of the most important sequences for a soap. And if it has an 'unusual' tale to offer, audience is more than interested to watch it. Although, we ensure that while weaving the storyline for the marriage, it shouldn't appear too forced." And what is the actors' take? Helly Shah shares, "Such developments in the track are very challenging.

The recent wedding sequence in Swaragini brings a very interesting twist in Swara's life due to which she will take charge of things and a different side of hers will be shown." Jigyasa Singh adds, "Wedding scenes generally bring in lot of drama in shows. Apart from the larger than life celebrations, viewers get to see major twist and turns in the plot.

In Thapki Pyaar Ki we had major twist - I get married to Bihaan instead of Dhruv. Now the story will see how we deal with this situation which I am sure even viewers will like to see." For viewers, the wedding track means double the fun - a visual treat with extravagant sets, elaborate costumes, colourful celebrations, plus dollops of drama and action. And clearly, if one goes by the numbers these shows rake in, even for remote control junkies, wedding tracks in Hindi soaps have a strong connect.

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