Happy Women's Day!

Television is all about the "female viewers" say most TV producers, especially those who make prime time shows with 'girls-only' protagonists. As they shed copious tears on screen, the producers feel the women watching them will identify with their screen counterparts, their trials and tribulations and believe they will overcome all odds and emerge triumphant. And that explains the ratings. The woman portrayed on screen today is largely a 'stereotype' or someone who will find resonance in the smaller and interior parts of the country than the alpha urban woman. A producer recently said that it's a fact that women from the cities would rather read a book or watch a film than watch "mass television." Television has come a long way from the emancipated Tara or the strong Lajoji and Kavita Choudhury's free-spirited lead role in Udaan. Those 'memorable' characters are as good as extinct on the present TV scene. Instead what we see are bejeweled, over the top caricatures of a mother, a homemaker, a vamp etc.

On Women's Day today we take a look at the way women have been projected on the idiot box for the past few years. She may be larger than life and a bit of a stranger to you and me, but she could also be the every woman who the other India identifies with.

The Homemaker:

She is the quintessential good woman, virtuous, honest, who keeps her home and hearth running, spic and span, one who silently supports her husband, hardly raises her voice, moves around in heavy saris and moist eyes. She hardly makes decisions yet, she stands by her children and husband, promising them unconditional support. She has very few dramatic outbursts and is happy to be a prop. You are most likely to see her in every frame, pottering around or simpering in a corner, with minimal lines practically in every serial.


The Heroine:

Fiery and strong, she doesn't take things lying down. She is assertive yet she knows to toe the line. She is traditional, teaches her children to touch the elders' feet, but at the same time doesn't mince words when the latter get out of line. She has a voice and doesn't mind raising it when required. She is the 'heroine' who all helpless women look up to; she is the inspiration for many. She is near perfect and ideal 'superwoman' material. She could also be Mother India who doesn't think twice before pointing a pistol at her erring son! Tulsi Virani and Parvati Agarwal are the two biggest examples of 'ideal' prime time leading ladies who every woman aspire to be.

The Real Woman:

She is a rare species on prime time. She is neither black nor white. She is somewhere in between, her concerns are today's, her problems are everyday woman's, she doesn't resort to anything heroic yet she makes her presence. She is someone everyone identifies with completely. She is you, me and our next door neighbor. That's why probably she doesn't dress in zardosi silks at home or speak in crores! Rising onion prices affect her and so do children's school fees. A spouse's extra marital affair hurts her but she also is brave enough to chart her own course. She has an upper lip and has warts too but she is the real one, slowly emerging on the small screen Of late we have seen her in shows like Ladies' Special

The Matriarch/the Vamp (for want of a better word):

Often addressed as Dadisaa or Maasa or Ammaji, she sets rules and cracks the whip. She has a tough exterior with a soft heart. She has her bouts of weeping too; she is a lone ranger and sometimes carries the burden of not only her screen family but also that of raking in the ratings. She can be ruthless and shrewd in turns. These days, she is in every other serial and is fast becoming yet another 'stereotype'. You have seen her in Balika Vadhu and Naa Aana Iss Des Laado.


The Balika:

She can be as little as five years old or as young as 13, she is the balika who is increasingly seen on the small screen. She is innocent and can weep buckets of tears. She can spout melodramatic lines with aplomb; of late she endorses all social issues (be it child marriage or a girl child's right to education), works hard and can single handedly change the fate of a show. She has a few remnants of innocence left, yet she is fast becoming the 'heroine'. You have seen her in Balika Vadhu, Uttaran and now in Kashi..

Reporter and Author: Kshama Rao