(FORTUNE Magazine) – Like them or loathe them, Hollywood soap operas have a certain appeal that transcends borders. Millions of urban viewers in India can't get enough of two U.S. daytime soaps, NBC's Santa Barbara (which went off the air in the U.S. late last year) and CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful, which on the subcontinent appear evenings in prime time and are repeated twice the following day. Star TV, part of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing's empire, brought both serials to India as part of its satellite television service, which also includes programming from partners Music Television and the British Broadcasting Corp. Why are soaps playing so well? Siddhartha Ray, Star TV's general manager for South and West Asia, says he doesn't watch them but hazards a guess: ''They are heavy on romance and suspense. Like a Hindi movie.''