India is a land where opportunity and despair go hand in hand and make the innate fabric of this beautiful country. To the west, stereotypically, India is still a land of snake charmers and people riding elephants to the village square. However in reality, India has long ago broken away from such nonsensical stereotypes and is currently taking the leap with the aim to soar higher with the so called ‘Developed World’. Take India’s Film and Television Industry. Film and Television have come a long way since the birth of Indian cinema, heralded by the vision of Dadasaheb Phalke.

India is facing many problems with falling economic growth, weak currency and lowered consumer demand. Whatever be the problem, one industry that has continued to grow is the Media and Entertainment sector. According to a FICCI-KPMG report* on the fundamentals of the industry, the sector is growing at a high rate of 12.6% with estimates of the industry reaching a staggering valuation of Rs. 1661 Billion by 2017. With an industry that is expected to reach such heights, what kind of an effect will it have on the consumer and how will film and television continue to engage audiences?

An optimistic answer to the question above is that film and television will have an enlightening effect on the consumer. With media slowly creeping into what is known as “Media Dark” areas of the country; content creators, advertisers and researchers are gaining a greater understanding of these sections of society that have been marginalized or disregarded from the pool or sample that would be considered as target audiences. Once a greater understanding of these sections of society enter the public space, content creators and advertisers will understand that niche programming is required to draw the attention of these audiences. Niche programming is targeted at a certain section of the universe that have certain characteristics in common. The common characteristics shared by these individuals in rural, media dark settings is the fact that all of them are currently battling some social issue. These can range from issues about the girl child, female infanticide, inclusive development, climate change, exploitation, human trafficking, lack of education, etc. Once programmers realize these commonalities that majority of people in India face, the content that they start creating and commissioning will be of the type that shows and deals with these problems head on. Such life-mirroring content will be lapped up by audiences as they will actually imagine themselves being in similar situations. As such content will attract large audiences, advertisers will not be far away as they will be keen to bank on the opportunity to sell their products to previously untapped markets. With advertising revenues sustaining broadcasting, distribution and marketing; costs channels and production houses will continue to create such content with surpluses being appropriated towards research and market analysis.

The effect of such programming will enforce best practices on their viewers in rural areas as well as re-sensitize urban dwellers to understand the realities faced by the rest of the country and hopefully cause a conscious revolution among them. Apart from just showcasing realities, this content, packaged with its commercial intent will also provide a temporary means of escapism that is much needed to get away for some time from the daily struggles that millions of people in this country face.

With film and television having the capacity to create such widespread change in the country, it should be used as a tool for development. Development sector activists must understand that formal methods of communication used in the past by them to propagate their agendas is archaic and the way forward must be hand-in-hand with mainstream content creators. Television and Film can surely go a long way into making this country great and help it come out from the shroud that has been covering it for such a long time. These media can go a long way in helping India fully harness the power of all its marginalized citizens. Let shows such as Baalika Vadhu and movies such as Three Idiots serve as inspiration to content creators across the country. The financial forecasts for the industry show where it can go, but let’s truly take it on the path that is necessary and obvious, into a bright future.