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Home , Ali Fazal, Radhika Apte, Saqib Saleem, Screen Awards, Vikrant Massey

Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930

An Analytical Study of Content and Language of Indian Webs Series

Dr. Subhash Kumar Associate Professor, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, Manipal University Jaipur, Dr. Atanu Kumar Mohapatra Chairperson, Centre for Diaspora Studies, Central University of Gujrat, Gandhinagar, Gujrat, India

Abstract: The trend of web series started almost two decades ago but the current viewing trends suggest that web series are posing a stiff competition to movies and television nowadays. Web series is becoming the heart of the young generation. Like , Amazon Prime, TVF, and many more apps are providing the platforms to view web series. It seems that Television serials are being replaced by the Internet web series, which are becoming the main source of entertainment. But the content and language of the web series have become a major concern. The paper is an attempt to analyze the content and language of web series and its impact on youth. The study has found that the vulgar content and abusive language used in most of the web series have a serious impact on youth. The study has used quantitative method by circulating a questionnaire among the youth. Hence, the paper is an attempt to analysis the various aspects of web series impact among the young generation of the society. Key words: web, series, internet, young, television, serials.

I. INTRODUCTION In the 1990s web series had emerged and popularized more prominent in the year 2000s. “The Spot, or thespot.com, was the first episodic online story, and the first website to integrate photos, videos and what later became known as blogs into the story line created by Scott Zakarin in 1995”. A web series is a series of scripted videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet and part of the web television, a single instance of a web series program can be called an episode. “The decades-old, traditional Indian television shows fail to generate interest among the in contemporary youth of India. Desi web series are now an exciting and emerging form of entertainment for the youth. They are now gaining in prominence in urban India”. In the year 2016, “there are a number of awards that have been established to award excellence in web series production, including the Streamys, Webbys, IAWTV, and Indie Series Awards, there are also several web series festivals, most notably in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Most major award ceremonies have also created web series and digital media award categories, including the Emmy Awards and the Canadian ”. Web series are seen replacing movies and television nowadays. “The dubbing trend in Indian entertainment industry started with the kids’ related program and the trend was extended to the dubbing of some Hollywood block buster movies in Hindi which enjoyed a great success in terms of popularity and acceptability among the Indian

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audience. The trend was then followed by a number of channels in the light of popularity among the audience”. [1] Web series is becoming the heart of the young generation. Like Netflix, Amazon Prime, TVF, Hotstar and many more apps are there which consist of web series. “Nowadays the trends have provided renaissance to many web series in hindi too due to completely bored with the daily melodrama serials and situations especially the young generation. Television serials are being replaced by the Internet web series, which are gaining popularity in India”. [2] In 2013, “streaming video website Netflix earned the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for original online only web television at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. Three of its web series, House of Cards, Arrested Development, and Hemlock Grove, earned nominations that year”. A web series is general in episodic form, and it is a series of scripted or non-scripted videos released on the Internet. It can be watched on a range of platforms, including desktop, laptops, mobile phones etc. “Web series offers something that the Television serials just don’t mature content. Unlike television dramas, web series has taken a different direction. Melodrama has become a 90’s object. Content is what the viewer is focused on or looking for. Content isn’t the main reason why web series has been successful they have additionally made it a point to fulfill our thirst for diverse subject and issues. Such Live in relationships, horror series, documentaries, stand-up comedies, homosexual love stories, sci-fi thrillers, crime thrillers. These web series content developers are trying to bring us concepts that televisions wouldn’t dare to touch. Most of this content in series or movies created by them work because the person viewing is able to relate the issues they raise”. [3] In the year 2008 ‘Application software’ we popularly knew as APPS. “This application had exploded the demand for smart phone, tabs, laptop, computer and other electronics devices. “Apps emerged from early PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant), through the addictively simple game Snake on the Nokia 6110 phone”. “The sudden increase in quantity and variation of news apps, owing to the consumer necessities, takes cemented the way in the formation of an extensive choice of review, recommendation, blogs”. [4] Indian Web Series The Indian and the television industry have been in two different leagues. While has been making waves globally with its content, our television industry has refused to reinvent itself and remained stuck to the same melodrama which we have been watching for years. The introduction of Indian web series in the country brought about a fresh wave of new and innovative content. Creators are not shying away from trying to think and create content that is out of the box. The biggest motivating factor in this is the lack of censorship. The battle of creators with the censors has been going on since ages. While the creators feel that their content is actually putting a mirror on the things that are happening in our society, the censors think otherwise. With the lack of censorship, creators on the webspace are now free to present their story the way they actually want to. While the web space in the country is still relatively young, we have got enough glimpses of the potential of the content which we are able to produce. So, list down some of our favorite Indian web series as below.

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Stories by Rabindranath Tagore A standout factor of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s literary work is that he mainly focused on relationships that were tainted by the weaknesses and idiosyncrasies of human nature. Another interesting fact is that female characters were more often than not the protagonists in these tales. He portrayed women as a strong and dynamic figure in his stories which differs from the conservative mindset that existed in the country at the time. While each story has a different concept, the feel of that era has been captured well in almost every story. The web series features a bunch of talented actors like , Sumeet Vyas, Rohan Shah and amongst others. Sacred Games “When the first scene in the show is of a dog falling from the height of a skyscraper, you know that this Indian web series isn’t going for subtlety. In fact, it’s the level of brutality the marks the cornerstone of this web series in the Sacred Games”. Sacred Games was the first web series produced by Netflix in India and with a duo of talented directors like and pulling the strings, people naturally expected big things. Since it is Netflix, obviously they weren’t holding back as along with getting ace directors on-board, they also went all out with the casting of this Indian web series. Having stars like , and Radhika Apte is an Indian web series that proves that even Bollywood stars are realising the massive potential of the platform. Scared Games is based on Vikram Chandra’s 2006 novel of the same title. While the storyline won’t be termed as extraordinary, it is the visual craftsmanship of the directors that distinguishes Sacred Games from following the footsteps of other crime dramas. The acting by the cast too is absolutely spot on. Saif Ali Khan is convincing as a Sikh police officer and even nails his Punjabi accent while he is at it. It seems that playing a ruthless can come to Nawaz even in his sleep as like his past performances he fits this role like a glove. Radhika Apte delivers an impactful performance as a RAW agent. Another standout performance in the Indian web series is by Kubra Sait, who plays a transgender singer and dancer Kukoo. She mesmerises the audience and Gaitonde. Mirzapur Mirzapur is a typical gang war drama in which people are ready to go to any extent for securing power. Right from the first scene itself, this seemingly lawless land is ruled by Akhanda Tripathi aka Kaleen Bhaiya (). Carrying out a carpet business as a cover, Kaleen Bhaiya carries out every illegal activity imaginable like dealing in desi kattas (guns), drugs and blackmail to name a few. His son Munna, played by Divyendu Sharma, is extremely hungry for power and wishes to take over control from his father as soon as possible. In walk two brothers Guddu () and Bablu Pandit (), who join Kaleen’s business activities as they catch his attention thanks to their impressive hustling skills. This doesn’t sit too well with Munna as he considers them to be an obstacle in his way of securing power. Even though the plot in this Indian web series is wafer-thin, the exceptional performances by the cast of the show prove to be the saving grace. Pankaj Tripathi absolutely nails his act as the local don. Be it his nuances, mannerism or the way he delivers lines, it's hard to not be in awe of him. Vikrant Massey is his usual reliable

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self as he delivers an impressive performance. Ali Fazal does a commendable job as an all brawn and no brain. Divyendu Sharma, however, comes as the surprise package with his portrayal of Munna in the Indian web series. It's good to see him play an extremely negative character for the first time and nail it. Rangbaaz Rangbaaz is a web series based on the life of the infamous criminal Shree Prakash Shukla which is changed to Shiv Prakash Shukla in the series. The story begins in 1992, with a naive twenty- year-old Shiv Prakash (Saqib Saleem) is shown to be happy in his simple life. Things take a turn when an eve teaser dares to harass his sister and ends up getting killed by the hands of Shukla. A local politician Ram Shankar Tiwari () takes full advantage of the situation and sends Shukla to Thailand making him assume that he’s protecting him from an imminent arrest. Later on, Shukla feels obligated to return the favour and begins working as Tiwari’s henchman. Once Shukla enters the world of crime, he’s unstoppable. He manages to constantly leave the UP police clueless about his actions with the help of shrewd planning. And as he gains more and more power, it all gets to his head. In fact, he literally begins to enjoy pumping bullets into the victims. A few shots are never enough for him as he goes onto empty an entire round of bullets into almost lifeless bodies. Eventually, Shukla becomes too big for his own shoes and goes against the very people who introduced him to the underworld. The web series does full justice to the character transformation of Shukla from being a simpleton to the most wanted man in India. A special mention must be given to Saqib Saleem, who delivers possibly his career-best performance with this one. He gets into the skin of his character of the dead gangster and delivers a terrific performance.

Jamtara After a few disappointing ventures, it seems like Netflix was losing out on the interest of the Indian audience. However, after watching this web series we can safely conclude that they’re back in the game. Creators Trishant Srivastava and Nishank Verma and director Soumendra Padhi present a gripping story based on a group of boys from Jamtara running a highly lucrative phishing scam. These activities are planned and executed mainly by two cousins Sunny (Sparsh Shrivastav) and Rocky (Anshumaan Pushkar). While Sunny enters into it for the money, Rocky’s obsession lies in power. A cast of mainly fresh faces embrace their roles and manage to do a brilliant job in portraying their different characters. This Indian web series is in fact inspired by true events as Jamtara has over the years turned into a hub of sorts for phishing India. They also portray the impact of aspiration, greed, wealth and power has on a person. Jamtara stands somewhere between the Anurag Kashyap and Tigmanshu Dhulia universe. Recently, we’ve seen many Indian web series try out the rural gang mafia but Jamtara is one series that manages to execute it perfectly. Director Soumendra gets full credit for crafting an exciting story filled with twists and turns in each episode. In all these web series the language that used is not permitted in civilized society and the content shown in these web series are also adult in nature.

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After the Indian youth was done with their favorite western shows, the web series culture in India came in at the right time. “Youngsters have stopped watching TV and there is going to be a lot more to grab on the internet. With shows like ‘Friends’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother’, which are being watched repeatedly on the internet over the years, web series tend to never go out of fashion and we intend to serve the ever changing content needs of our audience,” adds Arunabh Kumar. “The Indian youth is barely tuning into television with the web shows offering ten to fifty minute episodes, that has become a way of life. Not only these, but many more web series by various production houses like TVF, Dice Media, Filter Copy and even the famous Bollywood banner (YRF), among others, have entered the business to target the youngsters, especially, who are bored of the regular reality shows and household stories on the Indian television channels” a student of University. [6] What make these internet series stand out are the new faces in lead roles, a bunch of friends that you might associate with, characters that speak a mix of Hindi and English and situations with which the younger generation can connect. Objective of the study

 To understand the popularity of web series among the young generation.  To find out impact of the content and language of webs series among the young generation.  To analyse the content and language of webs series. II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The survey was conducted among the students and staff members of Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Keeping the study objectives in view a questionnaire was developed for data collection. The questionnaire was administered through a Google form which was distributed among Undergraduate students and staff members of Manipal University Jaipur. Total respondents were 104 who responded to the survey correctly and completely.

III. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION The survey conducted among the students and staff members of Manipal University Jaipur. A total of 104 students and staff members of Manipal University Jaipur responded to the study correctly and completely to establishes the popularity of web series and impact of content and language used in the web series among the young generation of the society. The following chart and data clearly indicate how web series have become a popular phenomenon and got a prominent place among the young generation of the society:

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GENDER

In the above given pie chart, it clearly indicates that total participated of male are 51 percent and female are 49 percent in the study correctly.

EDUCATION

The pie chart shows that approximately 70 percent of the respondents are graduates.

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AGE

According the above figure, most of the respondents (86.7%) belong to the age group of 19 to 30 years.

DO YOU WATCH WEB SERIES?

Figure above shows that a great majority (79 %) of young respondents are watching web series in India. This may be due to the fact that there is greater amount of entertainment and information available on the web series.

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WHICH LANGUAGE WEB SERIES DO YOU WATCH?

In the above figure, the pie chart clearly indicates that there is a greater awareness among youth about web series of not only of India but also all over the world web series.

HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU SPEND WATCHING WEB SERIES?

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HOW FREQUENTLY DO YOU WATCH WEB SERIES?

The above two graphs show that 50 percent respondents watched web series for two to four hours almost daily.

DO YOU THINK THESE WEB SERIES INFLUENCE THE SOCIETY?

The data has revealed that 48% of respondents are in favour of watching web series and get influenced and 52% respondents are in favour to some extent, web series play a very important role in influencing youth of the society. According to the finding, web series had influenced around more than 50% of youth, because of percolation of internet facilities and not so expensive and affordable mobile phone technology availability.

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DID YOU FIND LANGUAGE AND CONTENT OF WEB SERIES OBJECTIONABLE?

DO YOU THINK THE USE OF ABUSING LANGUAGE AND OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE YOUTH?

In the above two figures, it is evident that most of the respondents think that language and content used in the web series are objectionable.

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DO YOU THINK THESE WEB SERIES HAVE CHANGED BEHAVIOUR AND LANGUAGE OF THE YOUTH?

In an analysis about web series have changed behaviour and language of the youth, it was found that web series have changed behaviour and language of the youth more than 50% as compare to no effect on the behaviour is only 15.7%. They enjoyed content and language of the web series at the cost of their culture.

DO YOU THINK WEB SERIES SHOULD BE CENSORED FOR A POSITIVE AND HEALTHY ENTERTAINMENT?

To a question on the need of censorship on web series for a positive and healthy entertainment, the respondents reported equally with 35 percent both in favour and against. In spite of that more than 50 percent respondents having no objection in watching language and content of the web series. Although they consider a change in their behaviour after watching language and content of the web series.

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IV.CONCLUSION Hence, the study has established the fact that web series have become a popular phenomenon among the youth. Boring Melodrama and formula-based movies have failed to fulfill the expectations of the youth for entertainment. Meanwhile technological revolution made easy to access such platforms for entertainment. Although the language and content of the web series is a matter of concern but surprisingly many youths think that the language and content are not objectionable and need not to be censored. However, they agree to the fact that these web series have an impact of youth and changed the behavior of the youth also and language is a matter of concern, Technology is helping a lot in the rise of web series and also the future of web series is bright in India among the young generation as the audience.

References [1] Kumar Subhash, “Growing Popularity of South Indian Dubbed Movies on Hindi Movie Channels: An Analytical Study”, Journal of Xi’an University of Architecture & Technology, pp 3861 Vol. XII, Issue III, 2020. [2] Ram S. and Sheth J.N., “Consumer resistance to innovations: the marketing problem and its solutions”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 5–14, (1989). [3] Gaylord Chris, “The app-driven life: How smartphone apps are changing our lives”, The Christian Science Monitor, pp. 1-5, (2013). [4] Singh M.K. and Kumar Subhash, “Increasing Use of News Applications among the Students of Journalism and Mass Communication, Manipal University Jaipur”, Journal of Xi’an University of Architecture & Technology, pp 1243 Vol. XII, Issue III, 2020. [5] Deloitte, “Deloitte's Revolutions 2010 Survey”, PR Newswire, pp. 1-4, (2010). [6] Mishra Anubha, “A study of cognitive processing and inhibitions of adaptors and non-adopters of technology based products”, Norton school of family and consumer sciences, p. 210, (2011). [7] www.en.wikipedia.org, 14-04-(2020). [8] www.Googleweblight.com, 14-04-(2020).

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