Nidoo first of all that is such an amazing thought, to contact an NGO, let me applaud you for that.
Now, coming to the topic at hand I completely understand where you are coming from and even the NGO' stance, but can you ask them to take a look at the content matter as well and I dont mean just this current track but the ones preceeding it, YHM has shown multiple molestation cases, an instance of almost marital rape but no culprit ever punished and also not to forget Ruhi' involvement in this whole baby scenario, where she was shown visiting a doctor all alone by herself so that Ishita may have a baby and the show never addressed it too.
The show in the past too has had instances where law was mocked or even medicine shown poorly but this is the first time the viewers have reacted so violently, I understand that the hate for the track/character has transferred and became ugly with the actor in question along with the writer, but that can be kept aside to look at the bigger picture here - which is the inhumane content shown by the makers themselves. The fans have no hand in that now...yes expression of the displeasure against the particular track has achieved a scale that wasnt imagined but then again isnt it barbaric whats shown here - a violation of basic human rights?
People today commit crimes and think they can get away with it by watching crime based shows from the non-fiction variety like Crime Patrol to the fiction ones say CID or the likes - because these shows teach them the things they need to be careful about - doesnt a fictional show that promised it would tackle a sensitive issue with maturity then possibly stand a chance, especially when its so popular not just within the country but over the world as well, to teach husbands or the families of women like Ishita to take such extreme steps and not allow them to have a say in it?
Also, if we have to look at the BIG picture here, really look at it- while YHM has to put it mildly really irked us fans off, the NGO can look at Hindi GEC programming in general and see that the depiction of women has gone from bad to worse - they are scheming, plotting and doing all sorts of absurd things.
YHM competes with SSK, a show which is promoting superstitions of all kinds with the content it shows where all sorts of supernatural entities pop up and there are other shows across all channels where we see women either doing something really disdainful or being treated as doormats. For eg. on Zee I saw the promo of a show called Sarojini recently while channel surfing and the FIL of the heroines asks her to walk on hot coals and eat food given to the animals or something similar, I didnt really catch the whole thing...so the issue isnt just one show...YHM has shown Ishita as superwoman just like all the other female leads, what has riled us up is the insensitivity with which the infertility her character suffers from is dealt with even made a mockery off. They had her pregnant without any medical treatment in less than a month after crying for almost two years that she is infertile - what is that sending across as a message?
Abroad there are organisations - Women's right groups and other such establishments - government or otherwise which sorta monitor the kind of content that is aired on TV and take the channels and PH's to court if they violate any rights or show something improper but India has NONE - not a single one that could advocate the cause, have some kind of body that regulates/ monitors what is shown on TV is medically/legally right or not - whether the depiction of a certain character is offensive in any way or not...
We have a censor board for monitoring movies in India...for English entertainment channels - GEC or Movies we have all these laws where nudity is prohibited, cuss words are beeped out and even subtitles dotting away the relevant bits but for Hindi GEC' there are no such laws it seems. As long as you have no nudity or abusive language in your show you can show most anything on a Hindi show in India and get away with it.
Can the NGO consider this angle as well? That since they are working for women' rights they probably should see how women are depicted on these shows nowadays. Though the heroine is the ultimate savior in the show, she is also the biggest doormat too... Gone are the days where women in the soaps were allowed to be real and relatable, as was the case in the 90's - when soaps were showing women in a much more factual way as well as progressive too.
Zee TV aired a show called Tara in the 90's where the lead has a relationship with a man twice her age but out of her choice, a friend of hers is an alcoholic, another show called Hasratein that depicted a woman who has an extra marital affair with her boss and then goes onto have a live-in relationship with him even having his illegimate daughter.
Today the most popular 😕 show on TV is SNS a star product once again where a girl has married a man twice her age, to be precise as old as her father, who is in fact the FIL of her younger sister, because of some twisted idea to dominate her and get even with her parents especially her mother...this show has shown so much regressive/repulsive/ absurd stuff...I dont even think I can know where to start or finish and yet no one seems bothered about the content shown in it.
Today shows can have a woman saving her family, the city and the world in general from bombs, nuclear explosions and what not but she has to be also shown as the perfect docile bahu who is the doormat of the family especially her husband, she is an idol of virtue and goodness if she dons a saree or salwar kameez or ghagra choli only because what real woman in today' world can wear jeans or dresses or even kurtis as she goes to work ...the depiction of women is at an all time low, shows in the name of entertainment and showing reality - the plight of women are actually showing crap that would not happen for real. Multilple marriages, babies out of wedlock, affairs so much of this is shown and so much more beyond that too...there is no intelligence in the content anywhere though.
These shows dont just give a wrong message of oppressing women but they project the image of India to the world today since our networks arent just domestic anymore - Star, Zee, Colors air in over 100 countries of the world and is this the India that the world should see? Is this what they should think about us? That Indians are a stupid lot who cant respect their elders or be their doormats - who have multiple affairs/marriages and illegimate children in every family?
The NGO can have a lot to do if it puts its mind to it.
Edited by EkPaheli - 10 years ago
Cricket
10