The crazy case of leaps in Indian serials

Leaps of months, years or even decades... Indian TV Land is filled with them all. Almost every serial in every mainstream channel has taken leaps of some kind. There was a time when leaps used to bring a freshness to the story and was used to create new plots that were revealed gently over episodes. But too much even chocolate will make you sick! No wonder viewers groan at the thought of a leap in their favorite TV shows now. Because, more often than not, leaps simply spoil the stories leaving too many past storylines unresolved that is never dealt with again.
Lets go through some of the classic characteristics of leaps that viewers dread.

Separation of Leads

Scientifically proven, the probability of leads separating after a leap is 99.99%. (Just kidding!) Sometimes, the separation is foreshadowed. The wife, usually, is accused of some crime against the in laws, or death in the family and is thrown out of the house or sent to jail (for FOURTEEN years always! But is usually pardoned after ten years for good behavior). And then, years later, when the story starts again, for some reason the male lead is often paired up with another female.

Hence begins the continuous struggle for the leads to get together again, fighting obstacles and their own stubbornness. Finally they get together and now... another leap! 

Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, a popular Star Plus show, should get an award for following this plot line with utmost loyalty. Raman and Ishita must have spent more time away from each other than together.

New children and Misunderstanding

In this scenario, the female lead now has a child which belongs to the male lead, of course. But the male lead doesn't know, because how else will misunderstanding arise? Quite conveniently, the female lead also acquires an attractive male boss in these years who lets her stay in his own house as a personal assistant and is very much attached to the child. Well, everyone knows how that plot proceeds.

Kasam, the recently concluded Colors show, as well as Kumkum Bhagya, the Zee Tv serial, both have this plot line. The only difference is... is...the actors?

Vanished characters

Remember the side character that didn't have many lines but was a brother or uncle or someone doing something in the many many rooms of the house? Yeah, he is gone after the leap. Along with five other characters that never get mentioned by anyone in the house. Soon you will forget them too. 

Examples are hard to give, because you know, I forgot. But lets see, some family member or friend in Yeh hai Mohabbatein are definitely missing (they brought back Roshni but wish they hadn't). Then Dilip is missing in Ishq mein Marjawan (Colors) after three months leap. In Udaan (Colors), host of minor characters are missing (or are they dead already?). In Bepannah (again Colors), Mahi and Zoya's mother in law simply have vanished without mention.

Unresolved plot points

Remember that one minor lie that started the whole misunderstanding and you were waiting eagerly for it to get resolved so that everyone can be happy again? Yeah, fat chance of that happening after fifteen years. Or remember the daughter had a huge fight with her parents and you were waiting for a apologizing track or realizing mistake scene? Gone. After leap, they are either happy or sad or don't care about it.

Yeh Hai Mohabbatein with fifty leaps of course provides most examples. Ruhi has a huge fight with her parents over her wish to marry Nikhil. HUGE. Things are heading towards a dramatic wedding sequence and... Two years later, Raman has lost his memory, Ruhi isn't with Nikhil anymore and Ishita has not only gotten out of jail (for murder) but even managed to become a business investigator. Really.

All this begs the question, if the writers do not have ideas to take the present story forward, why not end the serial at a high point? Why keep on dragging till the viewers literally want to get inside the idiot box and slap the characters? There is a thing called finite series too.