One of the most hilarious memes last week showed actor Ajit (that famous villain of the past) saying: “Mona Darling chalo News dekthey hain. Arnab Rhea ko jeeney nahi dega aur Rajdeep Rhea ko marney nahi dega.” Ajit’s words summed up the gnawing hilarity we are witnessing now—mega serials with unfolding family dramas have now shifted from entertainment to news channels thanks to Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide and Rhea Chakraborty’s alleged hand in it. It’s a whole new(s) story, but with all the predictable ingredients the addicts of mega serials are used to—a suicide morphing into a suspected murder, a lover bailing out just before the incident, distraught parent and sisters, fight over money, a drug angle, mental illness, conspiring villains and even an unproven connection to a powerful politician. Entertainment channels that used to pause the day’s episode with a suspenseful twist were unable to keep pace with the evolving conspiracy theories and inside stories of the police interrogation that news channels have been churning out. Even the wildest script writer will struggle to come up with such a racy storyline.
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And if you thought your Whatsapp chats were secure because they are encrypted, sorry to disappoint. All the channels had “exclusive” screenshots of juicy chats between Rhea and Mahesh Bhatt, and the pros and cons of party drugs, and where one can find the best weed. It appeared no secrets were sacred—everyone had an inkling. Friends, cooks and house help of the deceased star became important characters and soon became household names—just as the key players of a mega serial.
The ultimate barometer of TV channels—TRP ratings—further justified the hype and drama surrounding a routine probe into the death of a film star. News channels peddling the SSR mega serial notched the highest numbers even as other important issues like COVID-19, the border standoff with the Chinese and even IPL got pushed to the backburner. Only briefly did the death of former President Pranab Mukherjee take precedence over the obsession with SSR.
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While most channels continued to paint Rhea Chakraborty and her gang as the villain, one English news channel finally decided to get her side of the story. Soon others joined the ‘interview Rhea’ bandwagon. Left behind in the race were the bunch of entertainment channels—most of them were replaying old episodes as shooting of new episodes had come to a standstill. No wonder the SSR mega serial, with one new angle by the hour and a new villain every day, was putting the original family dramas to shame.
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