Interesting analysis TV serials

Friends an item on TV serials for reading and commenting

Apart from providing entertainment, if anything, Indian television is definitely strengthening stereotypes.

Whether it is subjugation of women, the idea of the 'perfect' housewife, non-existent heroes or even the ghunghat clad bahu brigade —TV has successfully played its role in all these areas. House confined bahus and betis, without any individuality, face all the acts of their family members by being mere voiceless entities. Idealism on Indian television today has being reset at a high altitude. It's no surprise then that after one set of stereotypes from the Tulsi-Pravati era, which seems long gone, comes another that seems to have flooded the idiot box.

Ghunghat ki aad se: Flipping through channels at any point in time, one will definitely come across women with loads of sindoor, heavy saris and ghunghats firmly placed on their heads. So much so, for the uninitiated, the shows might all appear to be the same. Balika Vadhu, Uttaran, Sapna Babul Ka Bidaai, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Choti Bahu, and Pratigya — the list just goes on and on. If one were to see the heroines without their mandatory ghunghats, then recognising them would be a tall order.

Bad's better: Maybe it's just the way the characters are written, but bad is certainly better on the idiot box. If the lead actors are mere caricatures who have to shed tears by the buckets, then the villains who actually make for better viewing. Ammaji is the prime focus in Laado..., who is Sia anyway? Archana's mother-in-law hogs the limelight in Pavitra Rishta while the daughter-in-law is somewhere around, crying may be. Loha Singh in Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo evokes more interest than the hero, Shekhar. Need we say more?

Hero? Where's he?: Ever since the saga of soaps on Indian television began, it's the heroine who has been the hero in the true sense. Though there is a male lead to fill in the blanks, it's his female counterpart who has the meatier parts in the show. Why do guys get the raw deal? How many of you actually remember characters like Alekh, Ranvir (Sapna Babul Ka Bidaai), Naitik (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai), Sooryakamal (Do Hanso Ka Joda), Shekhar (Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo), Karan (Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli), Manav (Pavitra Rishta), Abhi (12/24 Karol Bagh), Vinay (Bhagyavidhaata), Raghav (Na Ana Is Des Mere Laado). Chances are they'll probably be relegated to being romantic props...

High point weddings: If there is to be a major twist in the drama, what better way to introduce one than by planning an elaborate wedding sequence? Indian television is not done with excesses. A major change in the protagonist's life happens only during wedding sequences. Ichcha and Tapasya's lives turn topsy turvy at the wedding. Manav and Archana are separated just as their shaadi is complete. A double murder takes place in Agle Janam during Ratna's nuptial are just a few examples. The trend that started with Mihir's much-talked about return in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi during Tulsi and Anupam's wedding, is still continuing today.

Socially relevant: All shows begin with a bang by saying they are socially relevant —child marriage, female infanticide, intercast marriages, colour prejudices etc. But seven to eight months later, the storyline is anything but what it started off being. Jyoti started off as a story of a middle class girl being the sole breadwinner of the family. What she is doing right now is anyone's guess. Instead of fighting child marriages, Balika Vadhu is focusing on an old flame. Surrogate motherhood in Agle Janam is replaced by a murder mystery. Ample examples on the telly will prove that a few twists and turns later, the storyline becomes same old stuff you've seen before.

Is it any wonder then that the remote control has often been termed as a lifesaver?