India’s media have had plenty of substantive stories to dig into lately. Covid-19 infections are surging, with more than 90,000 new cases a day, as New Delhi struggles to resuscitate an economy that contracted 24 per cent year on year in the second quarter. Around 73,000 Indians have died and 270m children have been out of school since March.

Along India’s disputed border with China, tens of thousands of Indian troops are now jockeying for position with Chinese rivals in inhospitable terrain, raising tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours to their highest level since 1962, when they fought a bloody border war. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party government also faces a deepening public finance crisis, with many front-line public sector workers paid weeks or months late, if at all.

But television news channels have limited appetite for such grim topics. For weeks, they have devoted airtime to distracting viewers from their woes with the probe into the death of popular actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Public obsession with the saga is reminiscent of the way the OJ Simpson murder trial captivated the US in the mid 1990s.

The body of the talented 34-year-old was found in June at his Mumbai home — his death ruled as a suicide. Since then ratings-driven TV personalities have turned this personal tragedy into a gripping national cliffhanger, with enough masala (or spice) for the most melodramatic potboiler.

The actor, who came to Mumbai from the rural and impoverished state of Bihar, was portrayed as an outsider struggling with the heartlessness of the big city — echoing the alienation of many rural migrants to urban centres. Depression and other mental health issues were raised. Yet Bollywood convention dictates that tragic heroes must fall prey to bad guys — not their own weaknesses. In a patriarchal society, even better if that downfall comes via a beautiful, wicked woman.

Weeks after the actor’s death, his grief-stricken father supplied just that plot twist, naming his son’s girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, a 28-year-old actress, as the villain of the piece. After accusing her of murdering his son through poisoning, Mr Singh filed a formal criminal complaint charging her with “abetment to suicide” — a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He alleged Ms Chakraborty cleaned the actor out financially and then used black magic to drive him to the brink. Ms Chakraborty has denied all the allegations.

The drama was spun out for weeks. Private WhatsApp messages, hinting at recreational drug use, were leaked. Cameos were made by the actor’s therapists and heartbroken sisters. Prominent film-industry personalities were interrogated too, as police pursued claims that the nepotistic Bollywood establishment had been hostile to the actor. All in all it was a mesmerising cocktail — boosting financially squeezed media companies and distracting viewers from the nation’s deepening malaise.

“TV viewership ratings went up and up,” says veteran critic Shailaja Bajpai. “It suits the government fine that you watch this tragic and disgusting soap opera and ignore all the serious things going on. It plays into the BJP’s hands — diverting attention from all the important matters at hand where they have not been doing well.”

Yet even the most spellbinding dramas must end. On Tuesday, as Beijing and New Delhi stepped up an angry war of words after another high-altitude skirmish, TV channels served up coverage of Ms Chakraborty’s arrest for suspected drug possession, which she denies, trailing the car bringing her into custody.

Authorities also seem to be developing a sequel, with TV channels reporting another 25 film industry celebrities will soon be accused of involvement in a Bollywood drug ring. Some bit players have raised doubts about the entire script. Last week, Sumant Raman, a commentator called on to discuss the Sushant Singh Rajput case in a primetime panel, sought to “place on record my deep disgust that on a day when our GDP has contracted by 23.9 per cent, on a day when China has intruded into our territory, we are discussing this issue”. He was reprimanded by the anchor. “If you find it so disgusting, go read the morning’s newspapers! . . .Don’t waste the nation’s time.”

amy.kazmin@ft.com