Soap operas off air, seniors turn to online streaming platforms with kids’ help

“Usually, I watch serials on television every night. However, with many of them not showing now, my daughter introduced me to Netflix and other online streaming platforms,” said Saritha Agarwal. The 58-year-old explained that everyone in the family has his or her own choice, which is catered to on online platforms.

In the case of Priya Srikanth, it’s more a ‘family affair’. At around 9 pm daily, after dinner, the family of three gathers in their TV room. “My son is 12. So we watch movies like Madagascar on Amazon Prime. It’s about that feeling of watching something together, though we as a family are no big movie-watchers,” said the 42-year-old.

“It helps us bond. My son is young and doesn’t enjoy sleeping alone. So we watch movies and have a little sleepover together in the TV room. It helps him feel relaxed and comforted that his parents are there with him,” she said.

The greatest appeal of these platforms is the ‘pause feature’, allowing members to attend to household matters and return to the show without fear of losing out on any content. “Second is access to movies and television shows. I had wanted to watch Hindi movie Masaan when it was released in 2015. Only now I could find the time,” said Priya.

The elders find the interface of the streaming applications easy. Ensuring a strong internet connection was more challenging for many, but then children were around to help. “The only issue was setting up the home theatre. When alone, I just watch on the TV. But my family enjoys likes to connect the TV to a set of speakers, and that needs a Bluetooth connection. It took me a little while to learn the process, but now it’s very easy,” said a 61-year-old resident of Kodambakkam.

The older generation’s choices on streaming platforms vary from vernacular language movies to acclaimed series. Hindi movies seem to be the most popular, with series like Delhi Crime and Family Man coming in a close second. “Watching these shows gives me an insight into the younger generation’s thoughts and mindsets. Also, I’m learning how they want us to behave with them. Our relationship with our parents was very stiff, but our children want to have a more open relationship. Sometimes, the younger generation’s views are interesting, while sometimes, it can also be irritating,” said Saritha.

With various shows and movies on the streaming platforms tackling topics like homosexuality, rape, the justice system and caste issues, Priya says watching these shows enables her to understand how the younger generation views these topics, as well as how to best speak to them about the same in the future.

Would the elders return to online streaming sites once the lockdown is lifted? The answer is a resolute yes. “Why not? Now I know how to use them. Also, my serials are there only in the night,” said Saritha.