Small screen, big impact

Sitcoms after getting their fair share of success on the small screen are going the 70 mm way. Sex And The City is just one one such example. And, this is not the first soap that has been turned into a flick. And, certainly not the last.
There has been constant speculation that the popular sitcom Friends is all set to hit the big screen. Although the rumour was dismissed very quickly, there are countless films ��� The Simpsons, Mr Bean, Adam���s Family, I Dream Of Jeannie, Bewitched, Batman and Star Trek ��� whose small screen versions come to mind.
Back home it���s a different case altogether. Barring exceptions like Lord Krishna and Mahabharata, which have been made into movies after their success on the small screen, the concept still needs to catch on. With the boom in the television industry, there is surely no dearth of talent. Then, where are we lacking? Says filmmaker Fahad Samar, ���Television is treated as a second fiddle to the silver screen in our country. Simone Singh had received an offer to make the TV serial Heena into a film. But, Heena itself was taken from the film Nikaah. So, in our case, it���s vice versa.���
When it comes to sitcoms, there is a curiosity about what will happen next with each advancing episode. Repeat telecasts and re-runs of the series make the serials more popular. But, with movies that���s not the case. Various channels are still telecasting Friends��� episodes repeatedly and many other serials like Wonder Years, Ally McBeal etc, and they have a great viewership too. ���Movies have a smaller span. A film is a complete product and gives the feeling of an end. May be that���s how they want it to be. Or, may be they will keep making sequels to the first film which will be superb,��� feels Farshid Ahmed, a senior finance executive with an MNC.
Whatever be the case, one thing is for sure, Popular sitcoms will never go out of fashion. But, whether their big screen counterparts manage to garner that sort of a cult status, only time can tell.