By Shailesh Kapoor
The World Happiness Report 2018 was released yesterday. This important global study, produced by United Nations and based on worldwide data collected by Gallup, is one of the more interesting pieces of data available at a global level, but also one that’s not got adequate exposure in India.
Before I share my thoughts on the impact of this report’s findings on the Indian entertainment business, here are some key highlights of the report from India’s perspective (the current and past reports can be downloaded from the World Happiness Report website here):
1. India ranks a lowly 133 compared out of 156 countries. We are bunched mostly with African countries, which form the bottom of the pile.
2. India lost 11 ranks since the last report released in 2017. These reports are based on three-year rolling averages. This year’s report is based on 2015-2017 data, vis-à -vis 2014-2016 for last year’s report. Hence, the 11-ranks drop is reflective of 2017 vs. 2014.
3. Since the first report released in 2012, India has lost rank consistently moving down from an already-low 93 to an all-time low of 133. Its score (on a 0-10 scale) has dropped by about 15% in this period, now standing at a poor 4.19.
The report lists the factors considered and the methodology for those interested. It’s suffice to say here that the report captures the idea of “happiness†in a multi-faceted way, with a robust methodology backing it up.
The dichotomy of a flourishing economy but an increasingly unhappy populace is not a subtle one. And that makes the results even more interesting and, in equal measure, saddening at one level.
But the reason why this report has fascinated me over the last few years is the correlation one can draw between the report and the entertainment trends prevalent in a country. And simply put, the India argument here is: As India gets unhappier, there preference to watch “happy†content (as against neutral or depressing content) will further increase.
Over the last two decades, there have been several narratives about Indian entertainment built by the media and the critics community. Tags like “leave your brains homeâ€, “mindlessâ€, “regressive†and more such have been used to describe India’s staple entertainment, across television and films.
The reference points of most of these critics is the West. A cursory look at the report tells you USA, UK and France, three key countries that define the “Western influence†in our entertainment, are all ranked in the top 25. If their entertainment is less “escapist†and more “cerebralâ€, that’s the reason. The role of entertainment in India is very different from the West. Here, it’s to actively up the happiness levels of the audience (of course, only momentarily, before the harsh reality of life strikes, one more time). There, it’s to enrich an already-happy life.
China, ranking at no. 86, is probably a better reference point for India. To use the West as our benchmark can work as matter of personal taste, but never as a social thought.
Happy content is not about comedies alone. It’s about a certain lightness of touch in the making of content in general. And all “happy†content need not be “mindlessâ€. RajkumarHirani has shown that, and there are many other filmmakers and internet content creators who have managed to balance happiness with a sense of realism and meaningful messaging. The “mindless†form still exists, but in an unhappy nation, one should not be judgmental about its success.
Television, however, is the weakest on this trend curve. Indian fiction television continues to rely on tropes that are more stress-creating than stress-reducing. It worked for some time in the name of social impact, and perhaps rightly so. But that being done and dusted, happiness becomes the primary expectation. And most mainstream TV, especially fiction, falls miserably short. No wonder then that nth repeat airing of Judwaa 2 and Golmaal Again out-rates some of the top Hindi GEC shows.
This is not even a layered discussion. Entertainment media has to simply provide an antidote to the unhappiness that’s deep-seated and growing. That’s how simple it is. Yes, there can be variant content that serves other purposes, but the mainstream role of the entertainment media is to be this antidote. Tell any story you want, but if you want it to work with a million people or more, make it a happy experience for them.
That will, of course, not up our happiness quotient. Because entertainment does not drive happiness. It’s supposed to cure unhappiness. And as we get unhappier, the prescribed dosage only keeps going up.