META chai party: women in soapland

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madhubala.fan

@madhubala.fan

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Posted: 12 years ago

#71

Originally posted by: parheezGM

Love of god and power to you always my dear girl!!

Just take one day at a time and ask yourself at night that what is the one thing which went right today? Concentrate on that small glimmer of hope and see the positive effects positive thinking has on u.

God bless.

ok i will do that. i do need all the hope i can find 😊

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madhubala.fan

@madhubala.fan

Navigator

Posted: 12 years ago

#72

regarding the twilight series. i have not read the novel. just seen movies and in it edward cullen appears to be utmost kind towards bella.

hell even taylor lautner aka jacob is very kidn towards bella.

edward does not harm her, he protects her.

but yes i do have probles with the girl allowing edward to have sex with her when she is beign gravely injured.

such kind of romanticisation of torturous sex is jus plain wrong. i wonder it makes how many women take in the abuse in misgided notion of it being love and passion.

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Kangto09

@Kangto09

Explorer

Posted: 12 years ago

#73

Are women on soap regressive? Does Madhu have a job currently? I know she had one in past and she might have one in future but nothing currently. When she had a job we didn't see her in action. Her being spot for RK is void because she was forced and it was meant to degrade her. We don't really see Madhu doing anything other then dealing with Rk and his family. She doesn't pass the Bechedel test. Whenever she is talking to a female character, it is always about men in her life. I still think she is a better character then those Saas bahu types but since this is the only Indian soap I watch, I don't see a flawed but progressive character. Man, that's why I love Good wife. Show's chock full of amazing women who have jobs, friends and kick ass.

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Karaali

@Karaali

Rocker

Posted: 12 years ago

#74

Not only women on the soaps regressive, women on indian tv are overall regressive. Example why every single married woman on KBC hot seat wears sindoor? I am sure many of them do not wear itin real life.

As for the soaps, TRPs determine everything on the tv. Most shows explore the stated concept of the show in only the first few episodes and then it moves to saas-bahu arena where the heroine is dealing with houseful of negative in-laws with one support in the household. This one support may be the husband, mother-in-law, or some other well-wisher. Even Madhubala has moved into the same realm.

I like the show but my peeve is why did RK marry MB? He had no reason to marry her. In fact it is an added complication for his point of view. Even if MB returns the money and his revenge is complete, he can't just get rid of her. He will have to divorce her to move on with his life. But this is world of the Telly world and controlled by the TRPs. If the leads were not married were by the 6th month, the show would have ended. Unfortunately the makers did not have the courage to explore a "live-in" relationship.

If I start discussing other soaps, you guys will never get me to shut up about the women characters and their assassination.

Anita

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Foucaults-qalam

@Foucaults-qalam

Voyager

+ 2

Posted: 12 years ago

#75

Originally posted by: Kangto09
Are women on soap regressive? Does Madhu have a job currently? I know she had one in past and she might have one in future but nothing currently. When she had a job we didn't see her in action. Her being spot for RK is void because she was forced and it was meant to degrade her. We don't really see Madhu doing anything other then dealing with Rk and his family. She doesn't pass the Bechedel test. Whenever she is talking to a female character, it is always about men in her life. I still think she is a better character then those Saas bahu types but since this is the only Indian soap I watch, I don't see a flawed but progressive character. Man, that's why I love Good wife. Show's chock full of amazing women who have jobs, friends and kick ass.

Do much win!

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S. Raza

@ssrbaqri

Voyager

Posted: 12 years ago

#76

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.

[DIV]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 convenientlycompromised 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 nothingother thanright 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 havebeen 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.

[STRONG]

[DIV][STRONG]In answer to your question - Yes TV lead
Beautiful analysis, cari sis...
This is really a thought provoking topic...n there is much to debate n discuss...
I hope to elaborate on it n return with my perspective very soon.

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vandita97

@vandita97

Inactive

Posted: 12 years ago

#77

Today,love and marriage are ruling almost each and every show. You pick any tv serial, it revolves around love and marriage. If a small girl watches such serials, she'd think that her sole responsibilty is to find a wealthy husband and settle. The shows that have a promising and digfferent track slowly give up to this age old tried and tested romance formula. Serials like bv, parichay,dek,uttaran started out okay and seemed interesting but have now become just love stories. You rarely get to see shows taht give some message ya crime ptrol, adaalat cid orsab tv shows are good, but they still add a tadka of romance and vulgaity wherever possible. The reasons such shows become a hit is because they appeal to women psychologically. Evey time we see love birds on screen, we go gaga saying I want such a relationship with my husband or to-be husband.even if hey show some abla nari, victim of violence, harrasment, a hero comes to save her eg-saubhagyavati bhav and bv. Although I love bv it makes me think wha message are the serial makers giving us that a woman needs a man no matter how strong and independent she is she cannot live in this society all by herself. All she can dream of is her wedding and her prnce charming who'll come and save her from this cruel world. Protect her, would do everything for her. No matter what we say, but even today a woman is blamed if divorce happens. A friend of mine comes from a broken home. Her mom is a college prof. but still what she longs for his her father because society has put it in hert mind that you cannot live peacefully in this society if you don't have a father or a husband or a brother. Rakhi symbolises this too. No matter how much older and stronger the sister is than her bro. But brother is expected to protect her sister.

Get a life, folks. Which era are you living. Life has more to it than just love and marriage.what serials goive to us ios a idealistic view of life. But this is real world,all these knight in shining armour don't work in real world. Think over it!! We don't need a man to support us!!

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