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Indian TV serials are delighting in regressive portrayals of women, with working women totally absent. What’s really happening?
By Amrita Rajan
I&B Minister Ambika Soni is “shocked by some of the serials she sees on air”. Maybe she stumbled across a rape fantasy with high TRPs or took a look in the mirror and realized that there is a distinct difference between her contemporaries on television and herself? Lets look at women in the media today.
It is true that women contribute greatly to the oppression of their gender, but it’s a bit much to see men painted as nothing but helpless tools in the hands of powerful women in a country like India where patriarchy has a long and well-established past.
Gone are the days of shows like Udaan or even Rajni when women stood up for themselves, had dreams of their own and weren’t demonized for it.
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Nice article, Amrita. I find it incredible that these serials continue to be so popular.
I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but it is a great supplement to your article (which is great, btw):
http://octoberzine.blogspot.com/2010/04/fog-blog.html
So well written!!!! You spoke the words of my heart! It really is sickening to watch soaps on Star Plus, or any regional channel for that matter. They are all so disgustingly stereotyped, and they leave out a vast majority of the average, educated but ‘subtly oppressed’ woman, and one who wants to live life on HER TERMS.
Indian soap operas are not aimed at ‘modern, liberated and independent women’ like you and me. Star and Zee understand this and hence air Star World and Zee Cafe. Other TV networks are doing the same. However, what many of us do not know is that Indian TV soaps are completing the unfinished work of Jyotiba Phule, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Ram Mohan Roy. TV soaps are actually bringing social reform to semi-urban and rural India in a major but silent manner. Check out this article to find out http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_dismal_science/2007/08/tv_is_good_for_you.html
Cheers!
Good article , sad status of our Television Channels 🙁
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