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The I&B Ministry’s recent advisory to TV channels to avoid indecent and suggestive representation of children in reality shows is a great first move. However, there are many other issues that need to be addressed to make sure that children are protected.
A couple of years ago, Shoojit Sircar started a fierce debate about reality shows involving kids, with a tweet requesting a ban on them.
Humble request to authorities to urgently ban all reality shows involving children.it's actually destroying them emotionally & their purity. — Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) July 4, 2017
Humble request to authorities to urgently ban all reality shows involving children.it's actually destroying them emotionally & their purity.
— Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) July 4, 2017
While there were those who argued that these shows are a great platform for children to explore and showcase their talents, there were also those who pointed out how the reality show system exploits children.
Last year, a video of singer Papon kissing a minor girl caused great outrage, and prompted the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has propose revising the guidelines for child participants in reality television shows.
Now, the I&B ministry has issued an advisory to private TV channels, asking them to avoid “indecent, suggestive and inappropriate representation of children in dance reality shows or other such programmes.” They have further been advised to exercise maximum restraint, sensitivity and caution while showing such programmes on television.
A statement from the ministry states, “These moves are often suggestive and age-inappropriate. Such acts may also have a distressing effect on children, impacting them at a young and impressionable age,” referring to children copying the dance moves and expressions of adults in movies.
The move has been widely lauded by reality show judges and mental health professionals.
Pulkit Sharma, a child psychologist, noted that these shows bring kids, whose cognitive and emotional abilities are not fully developed into an adult world, and so, “when they are exposed to an environment and lifestyle that they are not ready for, they don’t entirely realize it is make-believe and would nurture a great desire to live the same in real life as well.”
Filmmaker Onir, raised a valid point about the sexualization of children, tweeting:
That was long overdue and am glad that this was issued . In a country where child sexual abuse is rampant … encouraging children to perform moves that’s essentially sexual is worrying . The channels should have on their own never allowed this to happen .They are also v sexist https://t.co/XBJwMT92oI — Onir (@IamOnir) June 19, 2019
That was long overdue and am glad that this was issued . In a country where child sexual abuse is rampant … encouraging children to perform moves that’s essentially sexual is worrying . The channels should have on their own never allowed this to happen .They are also v sexist https://t.co/XBJwMT92oI
— Onir (@IamOnir) June 19, 2019
Even beyond subjecting children to sexualized content though, such reality shows are problematic.
This two year old quote by Dr N Shalini, psychiatrist, is still relevant, “Show-runners are focused on the outcome, hence, they push children to early adulthood, as, the audience wants to be entertained. When a child is involved in an entertainment programme, he/she should exhibit skills according to age and capability. Choosing to sing songs performed by experienced 50-year-old singers is not progressive but excessive performance. While performing, kids are subjected to high expectations, which is harmful to their mental health. Handling disappointments and rejections in the future might become harder.”
Ambitious parents too, are part of the problem. As Aruna Broota, a Delhi-based psychologist who works with child actors and athletes notes, “The child’s ‘ambitions’ are artificially hyped, because it’s mostly an adult who takes the decision for them.”
Often children who may not themselves care if they win or lose, are pressured by parents. As singer Anup Jalota recounts in this piece, he once told a girl that she could not continue in a show he was judging, and while the girl didn’t mind leaving, she was worried about how her parents would react.
In respect to this recent advisory from the I&B too, there are other concerns. As TV critic Shailaja Bajpai points out, “Parents of the children haven’t been forced to these shows. Besides, so many Hindi film songs are of this nature so how do you work with anybody under age? While this intervention is healthy, how it is implemented remains a grey area.”
In 2008, a 16 year old contestant, Shinjini Sengupta, received negative feedback on a show and had to leave. Following the same, she slipped into depression, lost her speech and finally was paralyzed. While the producers of the show did pay for her treatment, they also placed the blame on her parents for letting her complete when she was incapable of doing so. Irrespective of who is to blame, the damage was to the child.
So the focus should not be on whether TV Channels are to blame, or showrunners or parents. The focus should be on the well-being of the child at all times. The recent advisory is a great first step in that direction.
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What I loved was how there is so much in the movie of the SRK we have known, and also a totally new star. The gestures, the smile, the wit and the charisma are all too familiar, but you also witness a rawness, an edginess.
When a movie that got the entire nation in a twist – for the right and wrong reasons – hits the theatres, there is bound to be noise. From ‘I am going to watch it – first day first show’ to ‘Boycott the movie and make it a flop’, social media has been a furore of posts.
Let me get one thing straight here – I did not watch Pathaan to make a statement or to simply rebel as people would put it. I went to watch it for the sheer pleasure of witnessing my favourite superstar in all his glory being what he is best at being – his magnificent self. Because when it comes to screen presence, he burns it, melts it and then resurrects it as well like no other. Because when it comes to style and passion, he owns it like a boss. Because SRK is, in a way, my last connecting point to the girl that I once was. Though I have evolved into so many more things over the years, I don’t think I am ready to let go of that girl fully yet.
There is no elephant in the room really here because it’s a fact that Bollywood has a lot of cleaning up to do. Calling out on all the problematic aspects of the industry is important and in doing that, maintaining objectivity is also equally imperative. I went for Pathaan for entertainment and got more than I had hoped for. It is a clever, slick, witty, brilliantly packaged action movie that delivers what it promises to. Logic definitely goes flying out of the window at times and some scenes will make you go ‘kuch bhi’ , but the screenplay clearly reminds you that you knew all along what you were in for. The action sequences are lavish and someone like me who is not exactly a fan of this genre was also mind blown.
Recent footage of her coming out of an airport had comments preaching karma and its cruel ways, that Samantha "deserved her illness" because she filed for divorce.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu fell from being the public’s sweetheart to a villain overnight because she filed for divorce. The actress was struck with myositis post divorce, much to the joy of certain groups (read sexist) in our society.
A troll responded to Samantha’s tweet, “Women Rising!!” by adding to it “just to fall”. She replied, “Getting back up makes it all the more sweeter, my friend.”
Here’s another insensitive tweet by BuzZ Basket showing fake concern for her autoimmune disease. “Feeling sad for Samantha, she lost all her charm and glow. When everyone thought she came out of divorce strongly and her professional life was seeing heights, myositis hit her badly, making her weak again.” Samantha responded, “I pray you never have to go through months of treatment and medication like I did. And here’s some love from me to add to your glow.”
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