I&B Ministry targets 'K' Factor Serials

I&B Ministry targets 'K' Factor Serials

Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
How obscene is obscene? And how clean really are the saas-bahu sagas on television? These are the questions bothering the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B Ministry). Having cleared the watershed format for TV channels recently, the I&B Ministry now finds itself unsure about what programmes to slot in the "UA" category (needing parental guidance).

The watershed format proposed by the sub-committee on the broadcasting code and guidelines has been accepted with almost everyone in the ministry's committee agreeing that a fixed time slot for different kinds of programmes would be ideal for Indian TV. What they can't seem to decide is what all should go into the "UA" category of programmes.

According to the approved guidelines, every broadcast service provider (BSP) will now have to slot programmes depending on the theme, language and audio visual presentation used. All shows falling under the "U (universal)" category will have to be shown between 5 am and 7 pm, while those requiring parental guidance have been put in the time zone of 7 pm to 11 pm. Programmes with adult content will be shown between 11 pm and 5 am. The catch is that most prime time programmes fall under the middle slot kept for the UA category.

One of the major points of debate during the meeting was the need to further clarify what kind of programmes will be shown under the category of parental guidance, or UA. Most committee members felt it was easier to pinpoint shows that were strictly adult, but there was still a thin line between the U and UA categories.

"It is not just about nudity or obscene scenes. Most of these K serials are stereotypical in nature and project women in a rather objectionable way. Their concept of women empowerment is rather lop-sided and the social impact of such programmes is negative. We are not too sure if these are serials that children can watch all by themselves," said AIDWA convenor and sub-committee member Manjeet Rathee.

Ekta Kapoor's popular serials and their copies will in all probability be able to continue in the prime slot with a UA tag. But their re-runs in the afternoon will clearly have to go as they will fall under the U time slot then.

With the new codes and guidelines being seen as a means to make broadcasting in India in tune with international style and standard, many feel the change is necessary. "We are talking of contemporary standards here and so it will obviously differ from the ones being used currently. The idea is to match local and global standards while ensuring that they are suitable to Indian society," added Vasanthi, the Centre for Media Studies representative in the subcommittee