Indian TV's great karmic trick: Fast-forward to past

An ancient theological construct of India, reincarnation, has been reborn in the modern world of Indian television. Of late, several entertainment channels have been revisiting the stirring tales from India's mythology ” featuring such timeless heroes as Vishnu, Ganesha, Hanuman, and Bheema. And the nation of westernised consumers, having lost their connection with cultural artifacts, devoured the accessible narratives.

Now, the programming overlords have tapped an innate fear of the Generation Gucci, karmic inevitability. The creative leap was inevitable, because experience had shown that ancient beliefs packaged into new drama grabbed eyeballs. Off the blocks first was Imagine TV, with its Raaz Pichle Janam ka. Now, a youth entertainment channel is planning a show in which regression into past life takes the story forward.

Adgully speaks to the notables of the media and advertising industry to decode the trend.

I don't live in the past, I live in the future. Even if you know something about your past life, you can't do anything about it. ' Anand Chakravarthy, Sr. vice president-marketing.