META chai party: women in soapland - Page 2

Originally posted by: carisma2

First and foremost, I'd like to Thank you for inviting me to this profound topic.

I wish such a thread was extended to forums such as Pratigya and DSD Saubhagyavati Bhava. The subject in their content is very complex, and when you try and break down the fourth wall and discuss a authorial intent, it is usually misregarded as a viewers personal opinion. So I really like the idea of this thread which clearly makes it's distinction from the start.

Today's topic is: Are female roles in Indian soaps regressive? Are they promoting dangerous gender stereotyping that adversely affects how generations of female viewers form ideas of their roles and reponsibilities? Could the medium of television be used more effectively in promoting ideas of equality?

Interesting topic..

For viewers, their visual box is used for many reasons. Either for entertainment or for a more educating purpose. Do they really expect reality or time away from reality. Generally there are two types of viewers: One set expect fun and fantasy and the other set look for realism and solutions.

Many female TV characters are overly glorified (Pratigya, Akshara, Madhu even). Do we 'the real women' actually want to shadow the figment of someone else's imagination, esp where their subject (Their female Lead) is created for the purpose of fetching TRP's?

Your own background also plays a major part in your decisions for the above. In more liberal countries equality is more common comparatively to the non liberal ones.

For ex,

Pratigya is the 'supposed' stand up for your rights 'piece of fiction', for me she is nothing but fiction. The creators have glorified her, where they have conveniently compromised every other characters around to make her look good. 'I don't like it'. This drama is abt a young woman with the moral standards and behaviour of a 90 year old who knows nothing other than right and wrong. This character has been shown almost as though she was born with a manual.

This is a show that was created to be amongst the 'new genre'.

Akshara is the 'all too goody, too good to be true' piece of fiction. Here no characters are massacred for her glorification. It is a peaceful, heart warming family drama of an 'ideal household'. Akshara is a character that will make mistakes and learn. Her entire journey is showcased and exporation of her relationship with others. This is your average 'daily saas bahu serial'.

Being a woman of the real world, where equality has never been an issue for me.

I'd not look towards Pratigya show to learn or gain inspiration from it. Because for a start - I would never tolerate to be in a orthodox, dominating joint household. 6 years of her marriage she's spent to transform her inlaws to more cilvil human beings.. and it's failed miserably. Why? The authorial intent has alway been for each situation in order to show Pratigya to be Mahaan, we shall slaughter all the other characters. There is no growth to her character - because from the start her character was shown to have been more mature than Cheddar Cheese.

Again I cannot relate to Akshara, but yet 'I like her', Although I would not want to be Akshara, who wakes up at 5 am, and is sent to the kitchen 3 times a day to cook. Neither would I like to be a character that feels nervous to voice her opinion and ponders over trivial things for several episodes.

Then we have our Madhu - Again born with a hoslon se veer manual, she is a formed character.. we do not see her growth, she is over grown in attitude already. BUT Madhu doesn't really promote women moving forward, she infact is a regressive character. A Pratigya moving backwards to a Akshara.. if you catch my drift. Her fights are again about right and wrong, yet there is exploration into her relationships with those around her. Madhu has also been seen as a bread winner for her family. SO I think Madhu is a mixture, of the woman yesterday and the woman tommorrow. She has a balance.

BUT with fictional characters I do not expect to learn anything from them. The creators of these shows will all only touch on equality or realistic content - but it will fail miserably in providing a solution.

A very fitting example for the above would be Jahnvi from DSDDSB, A domestic violence victim.

Who fleed from her abusive husband, found a knight in shinning armour over night and fought of her psycho husband and married her knight.

Now how often does that happen in 'REAL' life? Here on she will be a stronger woman of today who will lean her support towards other DV victims. BUT in all this fight and struggle her backbone has been her present husband. So where was the equality there?

Pratigya's fights have been a credit to her - but the brauns behind them were her husbands.. so again where was the equality there?

We have Gopi Bahu - This is a joke of a character, less said the better. TV's most regressive character till date.

It is firstly to understand are these shows there to provide a solution or just an introduction. The authorial intent is to make aware it's audience whom still enjoy the 'saas bahu serials' that the world is moving on and a new genre of shows are created... but once the show starts moving away from 'the valued traditions' of it's orthodox audience, the TRP's begin to pinch the CV's. And again they move away from their started concept. So we viewers shouldn't subject outselves to shadow characters which will falter like a pendulum.

In answer to your question - Yes TV leads are regressive, Sony channel has made that very clear. A modern day drama such as Dekha Ek Khwaab (Princess Diaries) serial was slaughtered to make room for the 8.30 slot which now showcases Love marriage ya arranged marriage.. 🤢 . The title of the show speaks for itself. A show with comparatively less TRP's such as Shaadi Hamaari Bahu Ki is still showing on Sony TV.

The younger generation is craving for shows which caters for their needs. They don't want to watch a bunch of middle aged women modelling the markets' latest brand of Glycerine from their eyes. They are looking for spice, attitude, bittersweet drama.

DEK and PKYEK was very much loved for it's different concepts. The characters were more modern, the stories were more fresh and the leads had attitude. This is why RK is a character in this show tht has gathered eyeballs, because he is the only 'item' in the show that the younger generation can fully appreciate.

I think for the elder generation of viewers the female leads play a bigger part and for the younger genertion the male leads. Because the Authors of this show are not restrained in exploring the male characters - because the society and it's traditions have always been lenient with males. BUT when it would come to the female lead their is a expectancy of 'appropriate' behaviour.

How is the younger generation affected? Again there are two sets of people - Ones who pick up the traits of characters like RK (male) characters instead .. lol (I'm one of those). Then there is another set who wants to follow the traits of the sensitive lead. These are settling themselves on dangerous grounds. Lol.

If You want equality - be like a man, not like a 'sterotyped woman'.

Until TRP's play a huge part in television, unfortunately the 'new genre' in shows is nothing but a gimmick.

Thank you for this platform, where I could openly showcase my inner thoughts.

Cari.. xx

Originally posted by: shiv_parvati

..Even in devon ke Dev mahadev ( which airs on Life OK ), they are showing Parvati as weak and crying most of the time. For god sake she is the mother of the universe ( Adi SHakti ) and her character should be depicted powerful. Yes CV's tries to inject their own version to attract audience, but totally this is unacceptable. Most of the shows in TV's are female dominated , but why this kind of portrayals of women...

Originally posted by: parheezGM

Beautifully written carisma. Wow! U have a lot of indepth knowledge of our hindi serials. You seem to know more of them. No wonder your post is kickass!!

Thank you dear.. Occassionally I participate in a serious discussion - most of the time I like to entertain only. BUT I hope here on I'll participate in this juicy thread.

Women on tv have to strike a balance somewhere. Between good and bad, naughty and sweet, modern yet traditional. But it all ends up being quite Topsy turvy. They seem to lose the plot. Like the plot is running away from them and they can't help it.

True - it becomes a game of TRP's, New genre, Traditionnal values, Moral values and entertainment. I feel sorry for the actors - bec their stretch can be very reduced.. Esp for actresses like DD.. Whom can entertain to the maxim but is reduced by this shows concept to either stare, cry or stick her eyeballs out at RK.

In real life we are taught about karma or what goes around comes around. Then pray tell why are oh so good sweet traditional bahus always so miserable? What have they done to deserve this mistreatment? That is what irks me no end.

Exactly - There came atime when I so wanted the goody Good bahu's like kusum and Kumkum to just DIE! They kept going round in circles and getting wounded. No entertainment in their characters was provided. Where as Kutumb's Gauri wa kick ass..

If they are so good caring and wonderful then why all the suffering? Exactly! because until the audience doesn't cry a bucket after a serial.. picture will be incomplete.. Lol

Maybe I have an answer to that. It's again because of the viewers, a lady will have a disagreement with her mom in law, she switches on the tv and sees a fight between saas bahus too. She puts herself in the heroine's place (obviously, we all like to think of ourselves as main characters ) and feels more sorry for herself. True... BUT in the end she'll be back where she started... 😆 Because the show will revert back to showing the Bahu apologising to the saas and back to her onion cutting.

I for one wouldn't mind being Madhu.. being in close physical proximity with the Juicy RK.. (Joking).

In literature its called catharsis, when ur personal emotions are released when you can identify with the character u are watching and by that u feel uplifted and comforted.

Funny I don't relate to the female leads.. I relate more with the men.. Mera ghar meri marzi, mere rules! Lol..

But being the tele world everything is over exaggerated... And the fine line between fiction and reality gets confused in the drawing room of all the houses.

Absolutely! I always say do not get overly attatched to characters. They are puppets whose strings are in the hands of someone else.

Originally posted by: parheezGM

Beautifully written carisma. Wow! U have a lot of indepth knowledge of our hindi serials. You seem to know more of them. No wonder your post is kickass!!

Women on tv have to strike a balance somewhere. Between good and bad, naughty and sweet, modern yet traditional. But it all ends up being quite Topsy turvy. They seem to lose the plot. Like the plot is running away from them and they can't help it.

In real life we are taught about karma or what goes around comes around. Then pray tell why are oh so good sweet traditional bahus always so miserable? What have they done to deserve this mistreatment? That is what irks me no end.

If they are so good caring and wonderful then why all the suffering?

Maybe I have an answer to that. It's again because of the viewers, a lady will have a disagreement with her mom in law, she switches on the tv and sees a fight between saas bahus too. She puts herself in the heroine's place (obviously, we all like to think of ourselves as main characters ) and feels more sorry for herself.

In literature its called catharsis, when ur personal emotions are released when you can identify with the character u are watching and by that u feel uplifted and comforted.

But being the tele world everything is over exaggerated... And the fine line between fiction and reality gets confused in the drawing room of all the houses.