Another article found on rape scene

Page

jessi23

@jessi23

Inactive

Posted: 20 years ago

Rape Party

Sex sells and rape sells even more. TV programmers seem to have realised this sordid fact and are on a marital-rape overdrive. Neha Mathur talks to some of them and concludes that marital rape on TV is here to stay, whether certain viewers like it or not

From being given mere visiting rights on the sets, the man on Indian TV seems to be trying hard to rediscover his bad guy image. And like his real-life counterpart, what better a way than to rape his wife?

Ok, we all know that marital rape is the commonest forms of oppression of Indian woman. But it is now screaming at us from the idiot box.

It started with Gauri (Gauri Pradhan) being raped by Pratham (Hiten Tejwani) in Sony TV's Kutumb, then went on to Kajal (Purva Gokhale) being raped by Arjun (Ijan Khan) in Koi Dil Mein Hai. But the latest and most talked about is Ansh (Akashdeep Saigal) raping Nandini (Gauri Pradhan) in Star TV's Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

The TV industry's cool justification for spilling these acts of violence into the lives of millions of impressionable viewers? "This is a fact of life. We are not being outrageous by bringing it out." Says TV's favourite saas, Smriti (Tulsi) Iraani, "We are only giving out a social message. These are the things that logically need to be brought out." Ali Hassan, Aryan of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki agrees. "Indian television has come of age and it is quite okay to show such things on it," he opines.

But ask the enraged housewives for whom Kyunki is staple. Says Sukhvarsha, a housewife, "It has become almost impossible to watch television with our family. One cannot afford to see such gross things being done to women with elders and kids sitting around."

Women's rights activist Ranjana Kumari is as outraged. "Housewives get specially addicted to TV soap. And it is these women who are badly hit by marital rape in real life. The upperclass working women still have a choice," she says.

But the creative head of Koi Dil Mein Hai, Sandeep Sikand, doesn't think TV is doing any injustice to women. He says: "Look at the protagonist of Koi Dil Mein Hai. She is an independent woman who walked out on her husband who used her as an object."

He feels that rape sequences are not thrown in to titillate the audience. "They have a deeper meaning - with a social message attached to it," he says. Iraani echoes this. "If Ansh raped Nandini, then it is Tulsi, his mother, who will teach him about woman power. She will do anything to give justice to Nandini."

Just how comfortable are the stars shooting these scenes? Aakashdeep feels that these scenes are a "ball game" with a co-operative co-star. "Though the shot was the first of its kind, I enjoyed doing it. I think I performed quite well." He adds excitedly, "My mom was very happy and applauded me." Iraani believes that the rape sequence was shot "decently" with no skin show or any other kind of obscenity. "The scene showed more of Ansh's eyes and Tulsi frantically banging on the door," she says.

Even the lady who has been raped twice on TV, Pradhan seemed very casual about it. "We know where to draw the line. More than my husband or in-laws getting worried, I guess it depends on how comfortable I am doing the scene."

At this rate, we should just gear up for more atrocities on women on the idiot box!

Quote

Frequent Posters

Sunny

@HUMM

Dazzler

+ 3

Posted: 20 years ago

good info!!! thks for that!!😃

Quote

Looks like you are new here. Register for free, learn and contribute.

Vijay Bhatter

@vijay

Admin

+ 20

Posted: 20 years ago

Things are cool for the actors till money comes in. Though they say that its a commonest form of oppression Indian women goes and there was a social message attached to it. But if they find the statistics it would be less then a percent women who go through this form of subjugation and the case like Nandini-Ansh is 1 in a lakh (still doubtful). Can anyone support my post with some real statistics.

I am sure things have changed long time and now women are socially and economically independent and knows to fight for their rights unlike yester years. And if anyone disagrees check out the strength of women at India-forums.com its almost 80%😳

I must agree that they did the scene a bit "decently" (WOW !!! then what more they wanted to show ???)

Cheers,
Vijay