Why's TV cocking a snook at women's empowerment?

March 6, 2014

TV_cockingNew Delhi, Mar 6: Why does women's empowerment find little space on the small screen? While there is a deluge of TV shows revolving around female protagonists preoccupied with household, husband, family and kitchen politics, a career-oriented and independent Indian woman is hard to find on television soaps that provide daily entertainment staples and are social influencers for millions of women around the country.

The portrayal of female protagonists on Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) on Indian television, which reaches out to over 130 million households, is sadly regressive, say industry veterans and experts.

Veteran actress and former Censor Board chief Sharmila Tagore, who believes in promoting strong female-oriented parts on the big screen, feels the TV medium needs to step out of its stereotypical portrayal of women.

"Content of TV is stereotypical. The shows still revolve around a preference for a son and kitchen dynamics. No women go to work. There is a complete absence of working women on the TV and that is not the case in real life," Sharmila recently stated.

Rightly so.

Be it Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Sasural Simar Ka, Uttaran, Doli Armaanno Ki, Pavitra Rishta or Gustakh Dil, the stories focus more on how girls forgo their career goals and objectives in an attempt to make everyone happy.

It wasn't always so.

Circa 1993: Indian television got one of its first soap opera in Tara that focussed on modern, educated and working women. The long-running soap ended in 1997.

In 2000, Tulsi and Parvati entered the scene and changed the depiction of women as homely, who stood up and spoke out for the right, but mostly within the parapets of their house.

Of course, there have been recent shows like Desh Ki Beti Nandini, Tumhari Paakhi and Ekk Nayi Pehchaan, which have tried to bring in an element of women's empowerment. But the results aren't impressive.

In most cases, whenever a few shows tried something different, the result was not positive. The latest case in point is Nandini, a socio-political drama about a girl who becomes a political leader, which is soon to go off air. It reportedly failed to entice the audiences enough.

Who is to be blamed - audiences who are accustomed to emotional family dramas or the show's makers who find it risky to experiment?

Director Waseem Sabir, associated with shows like Ek Veer Ki Ardaas - Veera, Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak? and Phir Subah Hogi, believes the TV industry is unable to go beyond a particular zone as housewives dominate the pan-Indian audience that watches the shows.

"The audience is more interested in watching housewife sagas. We love seeing planning and plotting, and the truth remains that we don't enjoy other's happiness," Sabir told IANS.

Actress Neha Marda, whose show Doli Armaanon Ki portrays the journey of small-town bride Urmi and her struggle to get love from her workaholic husband, believes TV shows merely "reflect the reality in Indian households".

"People like to come home and connect to stories or tracks that they too have experienced in their lives. Our target audience is women and they connect to the characters we portray on screen," Neha Marda said.

Agrees Madhura Naik, who plays a key role in Tumhari Paakhi, a story of a down-to-earth girl whose positive nature turns away negative situations.

"TV is medieval with its approach towards women and that's mainly because the target audiences of such shows are housewives. I believe that to catch more such eyeballs, it's necessary that such target audiences can relate to such dramas to get hooked," she said.

Their observations may be right. However, the same audiences had connected with shows like Dard, Shanti and Saans.

The big question here is: will the hope of again watching career-driven women, who can set an example for the society via TV, die a silent death?

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News Network
June 19,2020

Mumbai, Jun 19: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s memories will continue to be celebrated as Instagram has memorialised his account, adding “remembering” to his bio.

Rajput, 34, known for films like "Kai Po Che!", "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story", "Chhichhore", was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday, sending shockwaves in the film industry and elsewhere.

Days after his untimely demise, Instagram added “remembering” to his account bio and memorialised it as a place to remember the actor’s life.

According to the photo-video sharing website, no one can log into a memorialised account. The posts the deceased person shared, including photos and videos, stay on their page and are visible to the users they were shared with.

Also, once the account is memorialised, no one will be able to make changes to any of the existing posts or information.

The actor’s last post on the social media platform was a tribute to his late mother on June 3.

Rajput’s death is being investigated by the Mumbai Police and so far statements of over 13 people, including actor’s family members and close friends, including actor Rhea Chakraborty and casting director Mukesh Chhabra, have been recorded.

The police have also sent a letter to Yash Raj Films seeking details of the contracts it had signed with him.

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News Network
June 29,2020

New Delhi, Jun 29: Actor Bhumi Pednekar on Monday pledged to feed over 550 impoverished families as a mark of tribute to late Bollywood actor and her 'Sonchiriya' co-star Sushant Singh Rajput.

Pednekar made the announcement through an Instagram post where she shared a picture of the departed actor and penned down a note along with it.

"I pledge to feed 550 impoverished families through the Ek Saath Foundation in the memory of my dear friend. Let us show compassion and love towards everyone that is in need, now more than ever," Pednekar wrote.

The two actors shared screen space in the Abhishek Chaubey directorial which continues to be a critically acclaimed film.

Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai's Bandra residence earlier this month. The detailed post-mortem report has also confirmed that he died by "asphyxia due to hanging."

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News Network
February 10,2020

Feb 10: Bong Joon-ho’s film “Parasite” starts in a dingy, half-basement apartment with a family of four barely able to scratch out a life. There must be no place to go but up, right? Yes and no. There’s nothing predictable when the South Korean director is on his game.

This dark, socially conscious film about the intertwining of two families is an intricately plotted, adult thriller. We can go up, for sure, but Bong can also take us deeper down. There’s always an extra floor somewhere in this masterpiece.

It tells the story of the impoverished four-person Kim family who, one by one, and with careful and devious planning, all get employed by the four-person affluent Park family — as a tutor, an art teacher, a driver and a housekeeper. They are imposters stunned by the way wealth can make things easier: “Money is an iron. It smooths out all the creases,” says the Park patriarch with wonder.

Bong, who directed and wrote the story for “Parasite,” has picked his title carefully, of course. Naturally, he’s alluding to the sycophantic relationship by a clan of scammers to the clueless rich who have unwittingly opened the doors of their home on a hill. But it’s not that simple. The rich family seem incapable of doing anything — from dishes to sex — without help. Who’s scamming who?

Bong’s previous films play with film genres and never hide their social commentary — think of the environmentalist pig-caper “Okja” and the dystopian sci-fi global warming scream “Snowpiercer.” But this time, Bong’s canvas is a thousand times smaller and his focus light-years more intense. There are no CGI train chases on mountains or car chases through cities. (There is also, thankfully, 100% less Tilda Swinton, a frequent, over-the-top Bong collaborator.

The two Korean families first make contact when a friend of the Kim’s son asks him to take over English lessons for the Park daughter. Soon the son (a dreamy Choi Woo-sik) convinces them to hire his sister (the excellent Park So-dam) as an art teacher, but doesn’t reveal it’s his sis. She forges her diploma and spews arty nonsense she learned on the internet, impressing the polite but firm Park matriarch (a superb Jo Yeo-jeong.)

The Park’s regular chauffer is soon let go and replaced by the Kim patriarch (a steely Lee Sun-kyun). Ditto the housemaid, who is dumped in favor of the Kims’ mother (a feisty Jang Hye-jin.) All eight people seem happy with the new arrangement until Bong reveals a twist: There are more parasites than you imagined. The clean, impeccably furnished Park home will have some blood splashing about.

Bong’s trademark slapstick is still here but the rough edges of his often too-loud lessons are shaved down nicely and his actors step forward. “Keep it focused,” the Kim’s son counsels his father at one point. Bong has followed that advice.

There are typically dazzling Bong touches throughout. Just look for all the insect references — stink bugs at the beginning to flies at the end, and a preoccupation with odor across the frames. And there’s a scene in which the rich matriarch skillfully winds noodles in a bowl while, in another room, duct tape is being wrapped around a victim and classical music plays.

Bong could have been more strident in his social critique but hasn’t. There are no villains in “Parasite” — and also no heroes. Both families are forever broken after chafing against each other, a bleak message about the classes ever really co-existing (Take that, “Downton Abbey”).

“Parasite” is a worthy winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the first South Korean movie to win the prestigious top prize. The director has called it an “unstoppably fierce tragicomedy.” We just call it brilliant.

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